| Courtesty of
Darren Jones of the Always
INXS site
A biography on
Michael Hutchence also available at the Always
INXS site
1977
On August 16th of
1977, Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence, Tim Farriss, Jon Farriss, Garry
Gary Beers and Kirk Pengilly formed as The Farriss Brothers in Sydney Australia.
Twenty years later the band's line up is unchanged. this date in the band's
history will also be remembered as the day Elvis Presley died.
1978
The band moves to
Perth, a 3300 kilometre journey across the Australian mainland. It is in
Perth they spend ten months writing, rehearsing and playing the local pubs
and mining towns of Western Australia.
1979
The Farriss Brothers
return to Sydney and start to pick up gigs, playing six or seven nights
a week in wine bars and pubs, attracting a small, local following of fans.
The band created enough waves to get the attention of Gary Morris, manager
of Midnight Oil at the time. The Farriss Brothers were put on tour with
Midnight Oil, and played Sydney for the next few months.
The band decided
to drop Gary Morris and the regular income that came with touring with
Midnight Oil. It was at this point that Chris Murphy and the band came
together.
Chris Murphy signed
The Farriss Brothers to the top indie label Deluxe and his new MMA management
company. The band changed their name to INXS and made their live debut
on September 1st at the Oceanview Hotel in Toukley, New South Wales.
1980
14th May INXS' first
single is released in Australia titled Simple Simon. The B-side to this
single was We Are The Vegetables. Released by the Deluxe label it was also
released in France.
On the 13th October
the debut album for INXS is released. Self titled, the album lifts the
band's second single Just Keep Walking in the same month. The single reaches
a credible number 38 on the national charts. INXS begin an extensive tour
of Australia's east coast, playing Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, often
seven nights a week.
1981
Selective touring
begins across Australia with the band playing some 300 shows altogether
The
Fear and Loathing Tour, The Campus Tour, Stay Young Tour and The Tour With
No Name keep the band on the road for most of the year.
March 6th The Loved
One, third single for INXS is released in Australia. Reaching number 18
nationally, the single gains much needed airplay for the band.
October 19th INXS'
second album is released. Titled Underneath The Colours, and produced by
Richard Clapton, the album is described as "lyrical, thoughtful and sometimes
fiery". The album reaches number 15 on the national charts and produces
the bands next single Stay Young, released a month prior, in September.
Stay Young reaches number 21 in November of 1981.
1982
In January INXS tour
New Zealand for the first time. A second single from Underneath The Colours
is released. Night of Rebellion is released as a non-picture sleeve 7",
and is the last for INXS under the Deluxe label.
Upon returning to
Australia, the band records The One Thing, produced by Mark Opitz.
On April 21st Kirk
Pengilly, Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss leave Australia and travel
to New York, Los Angeles and London to write and look at producers.
On June 15th INXS
begin recording of Shabooh Shoobah at Paradise Studios.
In July, INXS are
signed to WEA records. The One Thing is released and reaches number 14
on the national charts.
Shabooh Shoobah is
released in Australia in October 1982. It becomes the band's third gold
album in succession and reaches number 14 nationally. INXS embark on the
Una Brilliante Banda De Musica Amenizara Espectaculo tour, covering 78
dates across Australia. At the same time the band's second single, Don't
Change, is released.
1983
In January INXS are
signed by Atlantic Records, through ATCO for America and Canada. The One
Thing, the bands first US single is released and goes top 30 on the Billboard
charts. The single also gains a high rotation spot on MTV.
February 1983 brings
the release of Shabooh Shoobah in the US.
March brings the
band's first full US tour. The band tours with Adam Ant and receives excellent
reviews. Record Rock 'n Roll Tonite is the groups first live US video taping.
A third single from the album, To Look At You, is released in Australia.
September, and in
the last three days of their US tour INXS meet with Nile Rogers. Original
Sin is recorded at the New York Power Station, with Daryl Hall on backing
vocals. The band flies to England to start recording of The Swing at The
Manor Studios.
In December, the
album is completed at both Rhinoceros Studios and Paradise Studios in Australia.
Original Sin is released as the first single from the album.
1984
In January Original
Sin becomes the bands first number one on the Australian charts. INXS commence,
what is to be a sellout tour, supported by Sandii And The Sunsetz.
February and INXS
commence their first full world tour. The band flies to Paris, and plays
their first European show in Dusseldorf, Germany. Back in Australia, The
Swing is released and debuts at number one.
In May, The Swing
is released in America. INXS play their first London show on the 26th at
The Astoria. Back in Australia, I Send A Message is released as the second
single from The Swing, and reaches number two nationally.
June - Original Sin
goes to number one in France.
July - Burn For You
is released in Australia. The single is the third in succession to hit
top 5 in Australia and reaches number 3 nationally.
A three month tour
of the US finishes with a sold out show at the Hollywood Paladium on September
1st. INXS then travel to Guam and play two shows on the 7th and 8th of
September. They are the first international band to play in that country.
By December, Original Sin hits number one in Argentina.
Dancing On The Jetty,
the fourth single from The Swing is released in December.
1985
In March INXS return
to the studio for the recording of Listen Like Thieves at Sydney's Rhinoceros
Studios with producer Chris Thomas. The same month, Dekadance is released
in Australia to commemorate a year on the charts for The Swing.
May, and the band
wins seven major awards at the annual Countdown music and Video Awards.
On July 12th, INXS
perform a concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre for Live Aid for Africa.
The performance is beamed around the world.
In August, recording
of Listen Like Thieves is completes at Air Studios in London. The band
begins their world tour with dates in Australia. The album is released
on 14th October and spends 81 weeks on the Australian charts. In the same
month the first single This Time is released. The single reaches number
19 on the national charts. INXS tours South America.
On November 5th,
the band return for the Rockin' The Royals charity concert in the presence
of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The concert is in Melbourne and is
recorded for later release as a long form video.
1986
What You Need, the
second single from Listen Like Thieves is released in January. INXS plays
shows in New Zealand and Europe before heading back to North America in
February.
By March Listen Like
Thieves is certified triple platinum in Australia. In the US the album
heads for platinum and What You Need becomes the bands first US top 5 hit.
The band takes a
break and pursues individual projects. Michael Hutchence stars in the Australian
film Dogs In Space, directed by Richard Lowenstein. The soundtrack from
the film produces a top ten single for Hutchence, Rooms For The Memory,
written by Ollie Olsen. Andrew Farriss produces a solo single for Jenny
Morris, which also goes top ten. Tim Farriss goes fishing.
In May INXS are back
on the road for the successful If You Got It, Shake It world tour.
June, and Listen
Like Thieves yields a third single, the title track Listen Like Thieves.
It reaches number 28 on the Australian charts. Band plays a sold out show
at London's Royal Albert Hall.
In July, Kiss The
Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain) is released. It reaches top twenty in
Australia and stays on the charts for 7 weeks in the US. A 45 date North
American tour begins before the band return to Australia for a sold out
tour titled the Si Lo Tienes Muevelo tour. Jon Farriss produces Richard
Claptons album Glory Road.
October brings INXS'
second long form video What You Need. Released only in the US it comprises
of videos from Listen Like Thieves and some never before seen footage of
the guys.
Back at home, December,
and INXS are in the studio. They record the single Good Times with Jimmy
Barnes, which will become the main focus for the Australian Made tour.
Tim Farriss is unable to be contacted due to fishing commitments.
1987
In January INXS headline
Australian Made, a tour across Australia with eight other bands which is
preserved in both film and book documentaries. It is estimated that the
band played before a total of over 200, 000 people.
The band then head
into Rhinoceros Studios in Sydney for the recording of their 6th studio
album KICK. Production is lead by Chris Thomas and the album is to be mixed
by Bob Clearmountain at Air Studios in London later in the year.
September 16th -
KICK world tour commences in the US with the first show at East Lansing.
October 19th the
album is released. 10 years later in October 1997 and the album is certified
by RIAA in the US as passing the 6 million sales mark for the US alone.
The Kick World tour
continues for the rest of 1987 and most of the following year.
1988
In January, KICK
is certified gold and platinum simultaneously. Need You Tonight is released
in the US and becomes the bands first number 1 hit. Impetus drawn from
the sales of KICK boosts the bands back catalogue into gold and platinum
sales.
By March INXS are
back in the US and play three sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall in
New York. Second single, Devil Inside, is released and goes into the top
5 in America.
May, and the band
begin their third leg of the US tour. New Sensation is released as the
third single and hits number 3 in the US.
INXS head to Europe
in June and the first part of July for a number of sell out shows before
returning to America in August to commence their fourth leg of the tour.
The first show of the fourth leg is to a sold out audience in Ottawa, Canada.
KICK yields a fourth single, Never Tear Us Apart. The single reaches number
7 in the US.
The final show for
the US tour is performed in Honolulu on the 24th September. Need You Tonight
wins five MTV Video Music awards including Best Video. The band head back
through Japan in October and then on to a record breaking Australian tour
titled the Calling All Nations tour. Mystify is released as a single in
the UK alone and reaches number 14 on the charts.
1989
After fourteen months
on the road, INXS take a break to pursue individual projects. Michael Hutchence
records an album with Ollie Olsen titled Max Q, and later stars in his
second film, Frankenstein Unbound.
Andrew Farriss produces
Shiver for Australian singer Jenny Morris. The album is certified in Australia
as triple platinum.
Garry Gary Beers
co-produces an album with Absent Friends. Along with former Models singer
Sean Kelly and Wendy Matthews, they release Here's Looking Up Your Address
and play a small number of live shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
By December though,
the band is back and rehearsing at the Sydney Opera House. Recording starts
with production lead by Chris Thomas.
1990
Recording continues
at Rhinoceros Studios through January and February before the band breaks
in March. Michael and Andrew write more songs and Jon does the same at
home in Hong Kong.
At the end of March
recording is complete, later titled X, the album is due for release in
September.
June - Chris Thomas
and Michael Hutchence begin mixing the album in London. Andrew plays some
live shows with Jenny Morris, including an opening gig for Prince in France
and Germany. Tim and Kirk, back in Sydney, produce an album for the local
band, Crash Politics.
In August, the first
single Suicide Blonde is released worldwide. It goes into the top ten in
the UK, Australia and US.
On September 21st,
X is released. Within seven days of release in Australia it goes platinum
and eventually goes double platinum in Australia and the US. To support
the album INXS begin their X Factor world tour with a number of warm up
dates in northern Queensland.
On November 1st,
the band play their first show in Europe. Later that month, INXS play four
sell out shows at the Wembley Arena. Disappear, the second single from
the album is released. The year is finished with a concert at The Point
Theatre in Dublin on December 17th. This is the first of many shows to
be recorded during the X Factor tour.
1991
In January INXS arrive
in Mexico and play two concerts in front of 50,000 people. They are the
first band to play there since The Doors, nearly twenty years before. The
band headlines Rock In Rio to over 100,000 people and then head to Argentina.
The American leg
of the X Factor world tour begins with a sold out show at the famous Los
Angeles Whiskey Au Go Go Club on February 1st.
Tickets for the Australian
tour go on sale in March. 22,000 tickets are sold in twenty minutes in
Sydney alone. Bitter Tears is released as the third single from the album
and reaches number 36 on the Australian charts. INXS pick up two awards
at the UK BPI Awards including Best International Band. INXS return to
Australia in April and the first show is played at the Perth Entertainment
Centre on the 15th.
In May, research
and production for Live Baby Live starts at Sydney's Rhinoceros Studios.
With Mark Opitz leading production, it is finished in August. X yields
a fourth single in June. By My Side reaches number 23 on the Australian
charts.
July 13th - INXS
headline Summer XS at London's Wembley Stadium. In front of 72,000
fans, David Mallet captures the concert on video for later release. It
will coincide the release of Live Baby Live. The next day the band record
Shining Star in London. The X Factor tour is completed with two shows in
Glasgow.
INXS spend two days
in October to record the film clip for Shining Star. It is filmed at Sydney's
Phonecian Club and is directed by David Mallet. The single is released
on the 21st and spends eight weeks on the chart reaching number 21.
November 11th - Live
Baby Live is released worldwide. The album climbs into the top ten in the
UK alone.
1992
The band took a few
months off before returning to the studios in February. On 28th March,
INXS headlined the Concert For Life at Centennial Park, Sydney. 72,000
people attended to witness the cream of Australian talent. The concert
also raised over $600,000 dollars for the St Vincent's Hospital. It would
be the first time that the band would perform live, songs from the forthcoming
album Welcome To Wherever You Are.
The band returns
briefly to the studios where recording is finished. Once again, Mark Opitz
headed production with Bob Clearmountain mixing.
In June the band
headed to London where the videos for the album were shot. July sees the
first single Heaven Sent released. It reaches number 14 on the Australian
charts.
August 3rd and Welcome
To Wherever You Are is released. It debuts at number 1 in the UK and reaches
number 2 in Australia, only to be beaten by the Jesus Christ Superstar
soundtrack. In the US it breaks into the top 20. The album features talent
like Deni Hines and the Australian Concert Orchestra, and has sold over
two million copies worldwide. The album was released with three different
covers for each format. Baby Don't Cry and Taste It are released as singles
prior to Christmas, both reaching into the Australian top 40.
In November, the
band wins two Australian Music Awards for Best Australian Band plus Best
Video for Baby Don't Cry.
There were to be
no shows in 1992, the band instead heading back into the studio in late
November. The Isle of Capri would be where the band would begin recording
Full Moon, Dirty Hearts and by Christmas they had half the album done.
1993
Recording is finished
in late February. From there the tapes went to Los Angeles, where they
were mixed by Mark Opitz and Bob Clearmountain. INXS release Beautiful
Girl. The single is the fourth from Welcome To Wherever You Are and is
used in the US for a campaign against the effects of anorexia.
The 10th of April
sees the band back on the road for there Get Out of The House world tour.
They play a 16 date sold out tour of Australia before heading to the US
and onto the UK. Their idea of a pub tour gets them some of their best
ever reviews and shows why INXS are still one of the best live bands to
see.
In May the band wins
an award at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo, for the highest selling
Australian Band.
On July 3rd INXS
headline the HFS-Tival, a major alternative rock concert featuring Iggy
Pop, Belly and Ned's Atomic Dustbin. It is also in July where Full Moon,
Dirty Hearts is completed, ready for release.
October - The first
single from the new album is released. The Gift reaches number 16 in Australia
and number 11 in the UK.
Full Moon, Dirty
Hearts is released in November. Again it provides the band with a top 5
UK album, and a second single Please (You Got That) is released in December.
The video for this single is a duet with legendary Ray Charles.
1994
In January the band
are back on the road to support Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. The Dirty Honeymoon
tour sees INXS pick up where they left off with a sold out tour of Australia,
the US and UK.
Later in the year,
the band release their Greatest Hits CD. The album comes with a bonus disc
titled All Juiced Up and features nine remixes of some classic songs including
Devil Inside and Taste It.
1996
After a lengthy break
the band return in April for rehearsals in London. Later that month INXS
head to Vancouver where recording of the new album, later titled Elegantly
Wasted, begins. Production is to be lead by Bruce Fairbairn.
July, Michael and
Andrew head to Spain where the some work is done to complete the new album.
Tim releases Deep Inside Tim Farriss; a CD sampler that was produced is
his Sydney studio.
On Jul 22nd, Michael
Hutchences' first child is born and named Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence.
On the 30th September,
INXS perform for the first time since 1994 at the Australian ARIA Awards.
Searching is played live and received well by all in attendance.
1997
On 29th January INXS
perform a secret gig at the ABC studios in Sydney. In front of 100 guests
from the entertainment industry, they perform the new material from Elegantly
Wasted, combined with some of their great hits of the past.
March and the first
single, Elegantly Wasted, is released worldwide. It debuts in the top twenty
in both the UK and Australia, and is placed on high rotation in radio stations
around the world.
April 4th - World
premiere of the new album is held at Brussels. An exclusive concert is
performed along with a press conference. The album is released in Australia
and the UK on April 8th and April 15th in the US. In Australia, Elegantly
wasted is released with a six track bonus disc from a concert in Aspen,
Colorado.
Later in April the
band head to the US for four warm up shows and to hoot the video for the
second single Everything. It is shot at the Ren-Mar studios in Hollywood.
May 19th - Everything
is released in the UK. At the same time INXS are warming up for their world
tour in support of the album. In South Africa the single, Elegantly Wasted
hits the number 1 spot in the country.
29th May - INXS play
the first show of the Elegantly Wasted world tour in Capetown, South Africa.
The band play a further four shows before heading to Europe then to North
America. The band opens their US tour with a sold out show at the LA Greek
Theatre.
In June, Don't Loose
Your Head is included in the hit movie Face Off starring Nicholas Cage
and John Travolta.
The video for Searching
is shot in San Francisco mid July; the single set for release in early
1998 in Australia.
August 16th - INXS
celebrate their 20th anniversary and Tim Farriss celebrates his 40th birthday
in Sydney. The band is on a short break from their North American tour
and returns on the 22nd August to play in Chicago.
September sees the
end of the US leg of the world tour. Don't Loose Your Head is eleased in
Australia and the US.
The band return to
Australia for a short break before they were to commence their Australian
'Lose Your Head' tour. On November 22nd Michael Hutchence is found hanged
in his hotel room in Sydney.
27th November - A
service is held for Michael Hutchence at the St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney
and he is later cremated at Rookwood Cemetary.
December 15th - A
one off interview with George Negus is released to the media world
wide. Filmed a few days prior at one of the Farriss brothers homes, the
band explain the loss of a friend and their future together. The band will
be taking a long break before deciding their next step. |
