INXS: Six Sydney Friends Who Played Their Way to the World's Stages
Photo: ATCO Records (1983 publicity photo) / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Public_domain). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:INXS_(1983_ATCO_publicity_photo).jpg
INXS started as the Farriss Brothers. Wikipedia and the Australian Dictionary of Biography both record that the Sydney band formed in 1977 around three Farriss brothers, Andrew, Tim and Jon, with bassist Garry Gary Beers, guitarist and saxophonist Kirk Pengilly and singer Michael Hutchence. Two years later they took a new name, a play on "in excess." Over the next two decades they became one of Australia's biggest exports. INXS have 3,798 plays on U-Rock®.
Schoolmates and a beach debut
Wikipedia says the band's roots go back to Davidson High School in Sydney, where Andrew Farriss talked his classmate Hutchence into joining his band, Doctor Dolphin, which also included Beers. In 1977, Andrew's older brother Tim invited Andrew, Hutchence and Beers to join him and his schoolmate Pengilly. With youngest brother Jon on drums, they became the Farriss Brothers and, Wikipedia says, played their first show on 16 August 1977 at Whale Beach, north of Sydney.
The Farriss family then moved to Perth, and the band followed once Hutchence and Andrew had finished school. After a spell as The Vegetables they returned to Sydney. A chance meeting in a pub car park in Narrabeen, Wikipedia says, put them in touch with Midnight Oil's manager, Gary Morris, and they began supporting Midnight Oil. Morris suggested the new name. According to Wikipedia it was inspired by the English band XTC and the Australian jam brand IXL.
Hutchence and the songs
AllMusic and the Australian Dictionary of Biography both describe the partnership at the band's heart. Andrew Farriss was the main composer and keyboardist, and Hutchence was the lead singer and main lyricist. Wikipedia adds that for 20 years Hutchence's stage presence made him the focal point of the band.
The run of hits
Wikipedia says INXS scored their first Australian No. 1 in 1984 with "Original Sin." Their international breakthrough came with the albums Listen Like Thieves, Kick and X. AllMusic and Wikipedia both single out 1987's Kick as the big one. Its singles included "Need You Tonight," "New Sensation," "Devil Inside" and "Never Tear Us Apart." "Need You Tonight," Wikipedia notes, was the band's only US No. 1. "What You Need" (1985) and "Suicide Blonde" (1990) were also among their best-known hits.
Loss and carrying on
Hutchence died on 22 November 1997, as the Australian Dictionary of Biography records. Wikipedia says INXS went on to perform with several guest singers. From 2000 they toured and recorded with Jon Stevens. In 2005 the reality TV series Rock Star: INXS chose Canadian J.D. Fortune as their new singer, and Irish singer-songwriter Ciaran Gribbin replaced him in 2011. The band played their final concert on 11 November 2012.
Honours
Wikipedia lists six ARIA Awards for INXS, including Best Group in 1987, 1989 and 1992, and an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2001. It also reports sales of more than 50 million records worldwide.
Why it matters on U-Rock®
INXS began with school friends and brothers playing a beach gig and supporting a bigger local band. They kept working until the rest of the world caught up. Four decades on, those songs still sound like a band at full stretch, and they're part of the U-Rock® mix.
U-Rock® play data: 3,798 plays logged across the BROADCAST and CORE histories (2026-07-02 to 2026-10-12), using the higher of the two logs.
Sources 1. Wikipedia, "INXS" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INXS 2. Australian Dictionary of Biography, "Hutchence, Michael Kelland" — https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793 3. AllMusic, INXS biography — https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321 4. U-Rock® BROADCAST (AzuraCast) and CORE (airplay_spins) play logs
