Throwback Artist Bio: INXS

INXS was a rock band that lit up the world stage back in the 90s but was actually formed in 1977. At the time the band was called The Farriss Brothers. The band’s founding members were bassist Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, guitarist Tim Farriss, lead singer and main lyricist Michael Hutchence, and guitarist and saxophonist Kirk Pengilly. This band was absolutely putting in a lot of hard work for the first ten years performing in hundreds of shows, putting together five albums in the process with varying levels of success. 

International Success

INXS would be rewarded for all the hard work they did throughout the ’80s with the highly acclaimed album Kick. Everything changed for the band as they were torpedoed through the fame warp drive of the ’80s and ’90s. With electric sex appeal and gigantic vocals, Michael Hutchence was essentially the lifeblood of the band.

Tragic Love Life

In the mid-1990s, Hutchence became romantically involved with Paula Yates. He had met her in 1985, during an interview for her program, The Tube. Yates interviewed him again in 1994 for her Big Breakfast show; their affair was soon uncovered by the British press. At the time, Yates was married to The Boomtown Rats’ lead singer and Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof. Media scrutiny was intense, Hutchence even assaulted a photographer who had followed them.

Hutchence and INXS went on a world tour to support the April 1997 release of Elegantly Wasted. The final 20th-anniversary tour was to occur in Australia in November and December. During the tour, Paula Yates planned to visit Hutchence with their daughter and Yates’s three children, but Bob Geldof had taken legal action to prevent the visit.

On the morning of 22 November 1997, Hutchence, aged 37, was found dead in Room 524 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Double Bay, Sydney.

Lasting Legacy

We think there are many lessons to be learned in the life of this band. What we will remember the most is the hard work and dedication that these artists put into their craft was for us. Music fans everywhere agree as the band has sold over 60 million hard copies that they were a once in life-time generation busting act that will transcend their tragic end.