INXS is a band that needs no introduction. Their new frontman, singer-songwriter Ciaran Gribban, may however. The young Irishman recently became the fourth lead singer for the iconic Australian rock band, following on from Rock Star: INXS winner J.D Fortune. But what exactly does it take to be the front man for one of the biggest and most loved bands this country has produced? Who better to ask than guitarist, saxophonist and INXS veteran Kirk Pengilly.
'When we played our first gig, Ciaran would have been 2 months old', Kirk laughs, recounting the generation gap between the frontman and his new band members.
'With Ciaran, it was very organic. Andrew [Farriss] and Ciaran met at a party in Belfast, and some of the guests started playing music and singing. Someone asked Ciaran and Andrew do an INXS song. Talk about putting Ciaran on the spot!'
'They performed 'Mystify', and from what I was told, after they finished, you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was just stunned', Kirk says.
'At a point last year, we felt we'd ran the course with J.D [Fortune]. There was no new music happening and he was keen to do solo material so we officially decided to call it a day with J.D. And then we thought to ourselves 'What are we going to do now?', and Andrew suggested 'this Irish guy' he was working with and writing material with, who was of course Ciaran. And he said that he really hadn't felt that kind of songwriting chemisty with anyone since Michael [Hutchence]. Which is important, you can't really go anywhere without new material, can you?'
'It all just happened accidentally. Which is really how we all started to begin with!'
With some successful songwriting and recording sessions underway already, the future with Ciaran looks bright. An adept songwriter (who, would you believe, co-wrote Grammy-nominated 'Celebration' with Madonna and Paul Oakenfold?), the first official release from the 'Ciaran Sessions', a demo titled 'Tiny Summer', was uploaded to the INXS website to high praise from fans and critics. A stripped back, melodic, acoustic-driven number, it marks yet another shift in sound for the band.
Kirk assures me the demo will be given the full INXS treatment (including his famous sax) in due time: 'We're going back into the studio next week to record some more songs, and finish 'Tiny Summer' properly. The new material we've recorded is coming along very nicely!'
On the subject of a new album, Kirk is a little less forthcoming: 'The term 'album' is a funny thing these days, isn't it? iTunes and iPods have really changed that platform. We may just release tracks as we do them'.
'iTunes is a curious medium,' Kirk concedes. 'It gives everyone the freedom to buy the tracks they want, which is a shame. The album was always a concept. You played around with running order and made sure everything flowed well. That sort of concept is gone now'.
With a new frontman in tow, revisiting INXS' older material and back catalogue is a must, something not foreign to the band, having released a self-made 'tribute' album, Original Sin in 2006 – featuring reworkings of their past hits with such artists as Tricky, John Mayer and Rob Thomas.
Kirk says: 'We had a wishlist of singers we wanted on each track, and we laid down the musical foundations for each song and then thought we'd figure out who would sound best on which song. But of course, nothing goes to plan, does it?'
Getting acquainted with their old songs in lieu of newer material is something Kirk is well acquainted with, however: 'Having a career as long as we've had, the live set becomes invariably like a greatest hits compilation. It's what the fans want to hear'.
And I couldn't help but ask Kirk what he thought of the decidably retro 'saxophone solo' coming back in vogue in pop music today (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and contemporary dance songs, to name a few.)
'It's funny how things come full circle, things that weren't that popular become popular again. The saxophone is definitely a big part of the INXS sound', Kirk says. 'I may be putting my foot in mouth, but I recently bought a trombone too!', he reveals, excitedly. 'I'm having my first trombone lesson tonight'.
Eager to flesh out the new ideas and creative spark the band has with Ciaran, Kirk is also looking forward to performing at Adelaide's Clipsal 500 later this year. 'Cars and racing in general has always interested me. I have such an appreciation for it, and I think music-wise, INXS has always been a great fit for the Clipsal'.
'And don't forget, I'm a Holden fan!' Kirk assures me.
INXS play the Clipsal 500 concert series on Saturday, March 3. Visit http://www.clipsal500.com.au/the_concerts for more information
The demo of new song 'Tiny Summer' can be streamed here – http://www.inxs.com/Tiny_Summer.html
Above: Glam Adelaide's Gianni Borrelli with Kirk Pengilly
Photography by twentyfourb
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