News

Despite their treasure chest of songs, style and, in their late-80s heyday, the ability to fill stadiums a long way from home, INXS is one of many bands waiting for a Rock Hall nod.

A dedicated group of fans is trying to change that.

A change.org petition, simply titled “Induct INXS into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” is well on its way to reaching its target of 15,000 signatures.

At the time of writing, more than 11,000 fans have joined the petition, which declares: “After many years of amazing music and dynamic “live” performances, it’s time to ensure the legacy of one of the greatest bands in the world – INXS!”

The campaign was established by “Team Induct INXS,” comprised of fans Dina Ghram, Shanon Steele and Jim Skivalidas.

“All three of us are big music fans and have a deep appreciation of bands that have touched our lives and inspired us throughout the years,” the trio write in a message to Billboard. 

“INXS is at the top of all three of our lists – we’ve grown up with them, seen them ‘live’, bought all their albums, and come to think of INXS as a family of sorts.”

Alongside the Rock Hall petition, the team invested in a website at inductinxs.com. “We wanted to make sure that the fans knew we were taking this induct campaign seriously,” they explain.

Despite Australia’s renowned pedigree in rock music, few acts from the great southern land have graduated to the Rock Hall.

The Bee Gees and AC/CD are both immortalized, as is Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea, who was born Michael Balzary, in Melbourne. The Bee Gees, AC/DC and INXS are all members of the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Formed in Perth, Australia in 1977, and fronted by the charismatic Michael Hutchence, INXS kicked on to become one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the ‘80s.

Across their career, the new wave act sold over 60 million record sales worldwide, according to their label, Petrol, and bagged No. 1s on both sides of the Atlantic.

The rockers scored six U.K. top 10 albums (including a best-seller with Welcome To Wherever You Are from 1992) and five U.S. top 20 albums.

The 1987 album Kick went on to become the group’s highest and longest-charting album in the U.S., with a peak of No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It remained on the survey for 81 weeks, and four of its singles cracked the top 10 on the Hot 100: “New Sensation,” “Never Tear Us Apart,” “Devil Inside” and the “Need You Tonight,” which led the chart.

INXS was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2001, four years after the death of Hutchence, aged 37. The band has been eligible for induction into the Cleveland, Ohio-based Rock Hall since 2006, though, to date, their name hasn’t been called. 

Though the surviving members of INXS have called time on touring, a popular podcast, INXS: Access All Areas, led by Haydn Murdoch and Bridgit “Bee” Hewitt, explores the band and their many hits, which include “Original Sin,” “What You Need,” “Don’t Change,” “Burn For You,” and others.

The recently-inducted 2022 Rock Hall class included contemporaries Pat Benatar, Eurythmics and Duran Duran, who tapped Nile Rodgers to produce their 1983 hit “The Reflex” after hearing his slick sonic work on “Original Sin.”

“We are not stopping this campaign until INXS is nominated and inducted,” note Team Induct INXS. “This should have happened years ago.”