In 1977, a fledgling young Australian New Wave rock band was born. Singer Michael Hutchence (Luke Arnold), bassist Garry Gary Beers (Hugh Sheridan), guitarist/saxophonist Kirk Pengilly (Alex Williams) and the Farriss brothers, guitarist Tim (Nick Masters), keyboardist Andrew (Andrew Ryan) and drummer Jon (Ido Drent) would collectively be known worldwide as INXS. The 2014 two-part mini-series INXS: Never Tear Us Apart, named for one of their greatest hits, judiciously recreates their meteoric rise to the pinnacle of music fame before their inevitable decline culminating in Hutchence's tragic death on this day in 1997 (and yes, I'm reviewing this now to mark that awful day).
INXS were probably the ideal Australian band for a two-part TV dramatisation because just for two other examples, the Cold Chisel story would've been too short, with numerous narrative intervals, and AC/DC's too long, and their private escapades and ordeals were every bit as high-profile and juicy. And while surely some anachronisms were made for narrative purposes, this hugely successful mini-series is every bit as compact, energetic, raw and forceful as you'd expect a rock music series to be. Director Daina Reid and writers Justin Monjo and Dave Warner faithfully recreate the band's story chronologically, but shake things up by interspersing this with faux-documentary interviews of the boys years later (sans Michael), which reveal sharp insights into what inspired all their biggest hits and why some of their private conflicts transpired. It's a technique that works not just to cut an aesthetic swathe but to reflect INXS' distinctive sound.
The performances all never miss a beat (pun intended) either, with the two standouts being Arnold, who deservedly won a Logie for his work, and Damon Herriman as long-time manager Chris Murphy, who quit in 1995 amidst the band's infighting. Keep an eye out also for Carolyn Bock and Andrew S. Gilbert as the Farriss brothers' parents and Samantha Jade as Michael's one-time flame Kylie Minogue. Overall, INXS: Never Tear Us Apart does full justice to the tale of Australian music royalty.
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