INXS Switch: The J.D. Fortune Experiment (Music Monday)
Remember when INXS decided to find a new lead singer through a reality TV show? Yeah, that happened. "Rock Star: INXS" gave us J.D. Fortune, and suddenly INXS had a new frontman.
Switch hit the shelves in 2005, and you know what? It sounded like INXS. Not exactly like the Michael Hutchence days, but close enough that you didn't immediately hit eject. "Pretty Vegas," the lead single, had that classic INXS swagger. You could almost imagine Hutchence singing it. Almost.
The album had that polished rock sound INXS was known for. Songs like "Devil's Party" and "Afterglow" felt like they could've been outtakes from "Kick" or "X." Fortune's voice fit surprisingly well with the band's style. It wasn't Hutchence, but it was... in the ballpark.
For a moment there, it seemed like INXS had pulled off the impossible. They'd found a new singer and made an album that didn't make longtime fans cringe.
In 2009, Fortune dropped a bombshell. He claimed INXS had fired him at a Hong Kong airport, leaving him broke and homeless.
INXS, naturally, had a different story. They said Fortune had quit the band due to drug issues.
In 2010, INXS brought Fortune back into the fold. . By 2011, Fortune was out again, this time for good. INXS said they were moving in a "new direction." Translation: "We're done with this circus."
Unfortunately, it effectively ended the band.
After Fortune's final exit, INXS decided to keep the party going. They brought in Ciaran Gribbin, an Irish singer-songwriter, in 2011.
Gribbin toured with the band for about a year. He even recorded a couple of new tracks with them. But let's be real, by this point, INXS was less a band and more a really elaborate tribute act to themselves.
There was also a period where they used guest vocalists. Remember that bizarre moment when they performed with Terence Trent D'Arby? Yeah, that happened. It’s not good.
At least with J.D. it sounded like INXS.
The revolving door of lead singers finally stopped in 2012 when INXS announced they were calling it quits for good.