INXS – In concert from Sydney – August 12, 1982 – Triple J Radio –
INXS in concert this weekend. From their beginnings in 1977 until the death of their founding member and lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997, INXS were a household name around their native Australia as well as the UK from the time of their same title debut album in 1980, which went to number 27 on the Australian charts, but barely scratched to 164 on the US charts. In the US, they did moderately well, but it wasn’t until the release of Kick in 1987 that the band shot up to number 3 on the US charts and went Platinum six times over.
Starting off as a New Wave/Pop band, they soon evolved into more hard-rock, with Dance and Funk elements thrown in. And it was when they broadened their musical horizon that they got more popular in the U.S. – and it also didn’t hurt that MTV was making huge inroads and the music business was being turned upside down for image-conscious bands. And because Michael Hutchence was a rather charismatic figure, their videos managed to get heavy airplay, which did much to promote the band to American audiences.
Their string of successes went from 1980 until 1997, when the death of Hutchence cast a dark shadow over the future of the band. Hutchence death was such a blow to the band that they went into hiatus for over a year until they resurfaced.
The resurface lasted fourteen years, and INXS announced at the end of their Perth Arena show in 2012 that the band would be no more.
So this concert is a reminder of the breakthrough the band took so long to get to. And even though its been five years since their demise, they still command a visit and a loud playing every once in a while.
Like this weekend, for example.
Many thanks for the recording and the description! They weren’t a band that had much impact on me during their heyday, so it’s interesting for me to revisit them.
But the resurface didn’t last all that long
Er, it lasted about 14 years . . .
Sorry about that. I will go in and change it.