# INXS
**INXS** (a phonetic play on "in excess") is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1977, first performing as the Farriss Brothers before taking the name INXS. The classic lineup was [Michael Hutchence](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-hutchence) (vocals), Kirk Pengilly (guitar and saxophone), Garry Gary Beers (bass), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar), and Andrew Farriss (guitar, keyboards, percussion)[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/). Anchored by the 1987 album *[Kick](https://www.edgepedia.org/kick-inxs-album)*, the band's own site claims more than 70 million records sold worldwide[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | Sydney, 1977, first show as The Farriss Brothers on Sydney's Northern Beaches[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/) |
| Classic lineup | Hutchence (vocals), Pengilly (guitar/sax), Beers (bass), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar), Andrew Farriss (guitar/keys/percussion)[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/) |
| Breakthrough | *Kick* (1987): over 10 million copies sold, eight times platinum in the US, diamond in Canada[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327) |
| US singles | Four US Top Ten hits from *Kick*: "Need You Tonight" (No. 1), "Devil Inside", "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart"[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321) |
| Sales claims | 70 million+ (official site) versus 55 million (ABC J Files) and 50 million+ (fan history site)[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/) • [4](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special/inxs-j-files/9133342) • [5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) |
| Awards | 7 MTV Awards, 3 Grammy nominations, six ARIA Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame 2001[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/) • [5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) |
| Wembley | Sold out Wembley Stadium on 13 July 1991 to 74,000 fans, recorded as *Live Baby Live*[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/) • [5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) |
## History and formation
The band performed its first show as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 on Sydney's Northern Beaches, drawing on brothers Andrew, Jon, and Tim Farriss and school friends[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/). The Library of Congress authority record confirms INXS as a group formed in 1977, listing the six classic members and, later, singers [Jon Stevens](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-stevens) and J.D. Fortune[6](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91035141.html). The Norwegian encyclopedia Store norske leksikon likewise records the band as formed in Sydney in 1977 by Hutchence (1960–1997), Beers, Pengilly, and the three Farriss brothers[7](https://snl.no/INXS).
The self-titled debut album *INXS* was released on Deluxe Records in Australia on 13 October 1980, recorded in midnight-to-dawn sessions during 1979 and 1980[8](https://www.inxs.com/music/inxs/). The Australian Dictionary of Biography describes what followed as a steady rise built on the road: this was not a band that recorded an album and waited for success, but one that took long tours around the world and performed its music live[9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793).
## International breakthrough and the Kick era
The fifth album, *Listen Like Thieves* (October 1985), raised the band's international profile, reaching No. 3 in Australia and No. 11 in the US, and its single "What You Need" became a top five Billboard hit, peaking at No. 2 in Australia but only No. 51 in the UK[9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793) • [5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history).
*Kick* (October 1987), the sixth studio album, was the band's biggest success, a blend of funk, rock, and pop that sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, went platinum eight times in the US, and was certified diamond in Canada; by 1990, one in 20 [Canadians](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadians) owned a copy[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327) • [9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793). It peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 3 on the US Billboard 200, and No. 9 in the UK, and produced four US Top Ten singles: "Need You Tonight" (No. 1), "Devil Inside", "New Sensation", and "[Never Tear Us Apart](https://www.edgepedia.org/never-tear-us-apart)"[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321). The breakthrough was not automatic: for [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records), *Kick* was a hard sell to heavily formatted US radio, not rock enough for rock formats, not fitting funk stations, with pop radio wary of harder tracks like "Guns In the Sky"[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327). "Need You Tonight" broke the band in the UK and made a star of Hutchence[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327).
The 1990 follow-up *X* peaked at No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in the US, and No. 2 in the UK, but was critically poorly received and sold disappointingly compared with *Kick*, with only "Suicide Blonde" (No. 2 in Australia, No. 11 in the UK) reaching the US Top Ten[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321). The band deliberately avoided repeating *Kick*'s formula on later albums[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327).
**Wembley, 1991.** On 13 July 1991, during the Summer XS tour stop in London, INXS performed at [Wembley Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/wembley-stadium) to a sold-out audience of 74,000; the recording became the *Live Baby Live* album, released in November 1991[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) • [1](https://www.inxs.com/band/).
## Later career and the post-Hutchence years
Hutchence died in 1997, and the band did not play or record anything for a year afterward[4](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special/inxs-j-files/9133342). In 1999, [Terence Trent D'Arby](https://www.edgepedia.org/terence-trent-darby) sang lead for a shortened performance at the inauguration of Sydney's Stadium Australia, after which Jon Stevens handled lead vocals now and then at various shows until late 2003[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321). In 2005 the TV show *Rock Star: INXS* chose J.D. Fortune, a former [Elvis impersonator](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-impersonator) from Canada, as the new singer; Fortune sang on the 2005 album *Switch* and joined the accompanying world tour[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321). When the band reconvened after Hutchence's death, Andrew Farriss took over writing the lyrics[4](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special/inxs-j-files/9133342).
The album *Original Sin* (November 2010), featuring guest vocalists including Rob Thomas and [Ben Harper](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-harper), charted just outside the Australian Top 40, and at the end of 2012 the band announced that it would no longer tour; Jon Farriss's announcement in Perth that this was probably the end of a touring INXS surprised his bandmates[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321) • [4](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special/inxs-j-files/9133342).
## Musical style and songwriting
AllMusic locates the band's identity in the Australian pub scene, which is part of the reason INXS never comfortably fit in with new wave: even when they branched into synth pop on early recordings, they were underpinned by a hard, Stonesy beat and the Jagger-esque strut of Hutchence[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321). [The Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-australian) music archive Australian Rock Company describes the same trajectory from the other direction: initially known for a new wave/pop style, the band later developed a harder pub rock style[10](https://www.australialive.org.au/artists/inxs/).
The core writing partnership paired Hutchence, who wrote many of the lyrics, with Andrew Farriss, who composed much of the music[9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793). After the success of "What You Need", Farriss informed the others that he and Hutchence would write all of *Kick* themselves, ending the earlier all-member writing approach[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327). Critics' assessment of the band's later career turned on that style: AllMusic argues INXS became boxed in by their Stonesy pop-funk in the early 1990s, when audiences became entranced by harder-edged alternative rock[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321).
## By the numbers
The official site claims more than 70 million records sold worldwide over a career spanning over 40 years[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/); ABC's J Files says the band went on to sell 55 million records after *Kick* pushed them to international stardom[4](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special/inxs-j-files/9133342); and the fan-maintained history site states over 50 million[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history). The official figure is the band's own claim.
Awards give a firmer count. The band reports 7 MTV Awards, 3 Grammy nominations, [Brit Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/brit-awards), and two diamond awards from Canada and Australia[1](https://www.inxs.com/band/). The fan history site records six ARIA Awards including three for Best Group (1987, 1989, 1992) and induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2001[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history). Hutchence individually won two [Countdown](https://www.edgepedia.org/countdown) awards in 1984, most popular male performer and, with Andrew Farriss, best songwriter, and was named best international male solo artist at the 1991 BRIT Awards; INXS received an outstanding achievement honor at the 1989 ARIA Awards[9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793).
## Videos, live performance and image
Television and video exposure drove the band's rise. MTV suited Hutchence's exuberant performances and contributed to INXS becoming a hit act in the United States[9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793). In September 1988 the band swept the [MTV Video Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/mtv-video-music-awards), with the video for "Need You Tonight/Mediate" winning in five categories[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history). For twenty years Hutchence fronted the band and was its focal point on stage[10](https://www.australialive.org.au/artists/inxs/).
Live performance carried equal weight. The band built its early career on long international tours[9](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793), and the 13 July 1991 Wembley sell-out to 74,000 fans, preserved on *Live Baby Live*, stands as the milestone of its live reputation[5](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history) • [1](https://www.inxs.com/band/).
## References
1. [Band – INXS (official site)](https://www.inxs.com/band/)
2. [How INXS Kick-started their career – BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42112327)
3. [INXS Biography & Albums – AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/inxs-mn0000768321)
4. [Double J: INXS J Files – ABC listen](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/special/inxs-j-files/9133342)
5. [INXS History – Michael Hutchence Site](https://www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com/inxs/history)
6. [INXS (Musical group) – Library of Congress authority record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91035141.html)
7. [INXS – Store norske leksikon](https://snl.no/INXS)
8. [INXS – INXS (official album page)](https://www.inxs.com/music/inxs/)
9. [Biography – Michael Kelland Hutchence – Australian Dictionary of Biography](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchence-michael-kelland-31793)
10. [Australian Rock Company | INXS](https://www.australialive.org.au/artists/inxs/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › New wave and synth rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license