ANDREW FARRISS | ANU Coombs Fellow | Keyboards, vocals, guitar, songwriter, record producer

​

Andrew - the quiet architect behind INXS - started young and never let up.

 

Born in Perth, he was writing songs by 14, first on a battered Beale piano, then on guitar. By high school in Sydney, he was already building the blueprint—forming bands and sharpening a sound.

 

One moment changed everything. Seeing Michael Hutchence being bullied, Farriss stepped in. That spark turned into a lifelong bond—and one of rock’s most potent songwriting partnerships. Alongside Garry Gary Beers in early outfit Doctor Dolphin, the foundation was set.

 

Farriss and Hutchence would go on to write over 300 songs—crafting hits like Original Sin, What You Need, and Never Tear Us Apart. As the band evolved from The Farriss Brothers into INXS, the pressure mounted—but so did the magic.

 

His philosophy? Feel first. Know what moves people—and make sure it moves you too.

 

Decades later, those songs still hit. For Farriss, each one carries a memory—snapshots of studios, stages, and a life lived at full volume.

 

Honored with the Order of Australia and a fellowship at Australian National University, he’s stepped into mentorship without stepping away from music.

 

Now based near Tamworth, he’s still writing, producing, and performing—whether solo, collaborating with artists like YIRRMAL, or keeping the INXS legacy alive.

 

Ask him what defines it all? One song says it best: Never Tear Us Apart.|