Although they’re separated by 35 years age-wise, Ashton Irwin and Andrew Farriss have a hell of a lot in common. Both are members of bands birthed in Sydney that went on to find massive international fame: 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), where Irwin serves as drummer (over 10 million albums sold and seven billion streams); and INXS, where Farriss was multi-instrumentalist and chief composer (75 million albums sold, making them one of Australia’s highest-selling music acts of all time).
Both are also breaking out on their own as solo artists. Irwin released his second solo album, Blood on the Drums, this year, while Farriss’ second solo album, The Prospector, is arriving in 2025.
As Irwin jets around the world working on new music with 5SOS, living the rock star life, Andrew Farriss reflects on his whirlwind INXS days from his quiet farm outside Tamworth, a refuge from his former globetrotting rock star life.
When the two musicians catch up, their conversation keeps returning to one theme: “space” — in both music and life, something rare in their fast-paced careers.
Farriss, now settled into rural life complete with cattle and dodgy internet, finds peace working on solo music in his home-built studio. Irwin, seeking some space of his own, is all ears. Although he owns a couple of properties in Los Angeles, he’s currently soaking up the slower pace at a Nashville studio with his 5SOS bandmates, even writing a song he’s happy with not long before his chat with Farriss.
Image: Ashton Irwin Credit: Chris Banks
Irwin: I’m in Nashville at the moment on a writing trip with my band. Where are you, Andrew?
Farriss: I’m on my farm that I’ve owned for 32 years. With INXS, we toured over 50 countries. At first, we thought it’d just be Australia or America, but we ended up in big cities and exotic places that eventually started to blur together. That’s why I moved to the middle of nowhere. Living out of suitcases and hotels left me feeling disconnected. Funnily enough, Tamworth is like a mini Nashville, but I didn’t buy the farm for the country music scene — I just thought it’d be fun. Working with farmers instead of people in entertainment or business has changed my life.
So, with the music scene, I think it’s really healthy that people come together who don’t come from the same music genre. The more open-minded people are, the more it’ll create great new music and blends of things. The most important part is that people do it together, not separately.
Irwin: It’s also about trying not to cling to what’s been successful in the past and allowing yourself to move on. With your band, you’ve had some of the most identifiable hits in Aussie cultural history, that’s for sure. Sometimes I feel like a song can be so big that all you think about in your next session or album is, “Well, damn, how do I make something new?” Like, everybody loved what we did last time. But embracing reinvention, new influences, and being nomadic with your writing process, that’s what we lean into.
Farriss: Absolutely. I saw the [5SOS] “Youngblood” video you shot in Japan. Did you guys actually go to Japan for that?
Irwin: No, [the success of] that song came out of nowhere, and we didn’t have the budget to go to Japan. We first visited on our second album tour, where I met some traditional Japanese rockabilly types. They were so cool! I had no idea there was such a subculture in Japan. So, when someone asked what kind of video I wanted to make for “Youngblood”, I thought of something interesting and cultural from my travels.
Farriss: I really like it. For INXS, I’m thinking about what you were saying too — you have an album, and you might have a hit off it, and you always wonder what’s going to happen next. “Are we still relevant? What does all this mean?” At first, the success is like getting a new toy at Christmas. It’s all shiny and wonderful. Then, after a while, you’re like, “Oh wow, we have to try and do that again.” It gets really tricky as you go along. And of course, people can be fickle. The media and fans will wander in and out of your career. You’ll get the thumbs up or down. Don’t worry about all that. Just enjoy yourself and make the music you really want to make. You can say, “We believe in this, we put everything into it,” and if people don’t like it, well, so what? I think that says a lot, but of course, you still gotta pay the rent, right?
Image: Andrew Farriss Credit: Chris Banks
I remember when we first started with the first two albums as INXS [1980’s INXS and 1981’s Underneath the Colours], and they really weren’t very good albums at all. They were more like a soundtrack for our live shows. We put everything into our live performances. It was coming out of the Seventies into the Eighties, with punk and new wave, and there were bands in Australia that rocked harder than we did. You had AC/DC, Cold Chisel, The Angels — they all did this kind of heavier stuff. But we came more from a blues and funk area and blended it with pop. We realised we had to absorb some of that rock thing to get people into our gigs, which is why we wrote songs like “Don’t Change” — which Bruce Springsteen actually covered when he came out to Australia — because we realised we had to give people what they wanted.
It was bizarre because around that time, we had two Top 40 hits with “Don’t Change” and “The One Thing” in America, Australia, and other parts of the world. But when we went to make our next album, The Swing, we’d just finished touring America for the first three months of 1983. We played the US Festival to a quarter of a million people in the California desert, with The Clash, David Bowie and Van Halen headlining. I remember walking out there and thinking “oh, fuck” when I saw the size of the audience. It wasn’t a pub scene in Australia anymore — this was really intense. I freaked out a bit when we did that.
Sorry, I’m talking a bit much, but in Japan, just to tie it back into what we’re talking about before, with your video. I remember we shot the INXS video for “I Send a Message” at a huge temple in Tokyo, a place that had never allowed a Western band to film there before. The head monk, dressed in purple and gold robes, was quite a character. Michael [Hutchence] asked him why they let us in after so many years of isolation, and the monk simply said, “Because I like playing the trumpet.” He picked up his trumpet, and we were amazed that after 1,000 years, that was the reason! It felt very Buddhist, you know?
Irwin: He was just ready to jam.
Farriss: Exactly, just down to play. How’s it been going solo?
Irwin: My focus has been on breaking the idea that members of big bands can’t express themselves as solo artists. In 5SOS, we’ve always dreamed of being a band that shares each other’s music if it performs well live. I’ve also learned that songwriting is key; you need to do it often for anything good to come out of it. We all know that if we take two years off without writing a single note, it’ll be tough to get back into it.
Farriss: I get that. I’ll defend myself as a songwriter. In the early years, even Michael wasn’t that interested in writing. I’ve been tinkering with music since I was 14 and had my own bands. Back in Perth, I even took my uncle’s piano apart to see how it worked. I learned that you need to pick up an acoustic guitar or reassemble the piano to make music. Focus on getting the melody and lyrics right first, then explore the tech. That can lead to exciting sounds, but it can also make you feel like just another product a corporation is trying to sell.
Irwin: It’s funny how everyone making pop music today is using old gear from 35 years ago for its unique textures and sound distortion. They’re after that timeless feel. We also check our songs by asking if they can stand alone. If they don’t work on an acoustic guitar or express the lyrics like poetry, then we probably haven’t nailed it. When you mix an acoustic song with technology — like the 12-bar blues in “Never Tear Us Apart” — the sincerity shines through even more in the production. Sometimes, it turns out even better than expected.
Farriss: I remember how exciting it was to own an eight-track analog tape recorder. It could be frustrating, too, especially when I couldn’t get my act together. But it pushed me to see where I could improve a song or needed a better riff or intro. Funny you mention “Never Tear Us Apart”. While touring with INXS in New Zealand, we visited an A&R guy from our label. He had a beautiful home, which is typical, while musicians often struggle. He had a tennis court and a nice lounge area. Some of us were playing tennis and having a beer, and he had an upright piano. I was working on the idea for “Never Tear Us Apart” and asked Michael, who was bored shitless and didn’t like tennis, what he thought. I played it for him, and he said, “I really like that. Let’s finish it.” Someone recently asked why I included that little riff. I explained that a big issue with modern production and songwriting is that no one knows when to shut up, right? They can’t just stop and be quiet for a minute.
Irwin: It’s just desperate for attention. The other day, I told the guys that there’s no space in our music — every song right now is about two minutes and 35 seconds. That’s how short things have gotten. We’re on a quest for space.
Farriss: Space… the final frontier.
Irwin: After six albums, we’re still trying to carve out some space. Are you still writing?
Farriss: I’ve released one solo album and an EP called Love Makes the World. The last song on it, “First Man on Earth”, sounds like it’s from outer space — nothing like the rest of the EP. There’s nothing pop about it. My second solo album, The Prospector, is coming out next year. I’m centering the lyrics around the theme of searching. People are always looking for something, whether it’s a better song, a relationship, or a friend.
Irwin: Do you record at home?
Farriss: I’ve had a recording studio at the farm for as long as I’ve been here. In the early days, I rarely invited anyone from the music industry; most visitors were family or close friends. It’s five miles from the sealed road to my front gate.
Irwin: I see myself on a similar path. I’m enjoying where I am now, but I daydream about having a bit of space.
Farriss: We’re back to space. Not long ago, owning a penthouse in a big city was the goal. But as the world gets more crowded and we need more food, things are changing. In the future, you’d be very fortunate to have any space at all. Sorry, I’ve probably talked too much! I was just excited to talk to you, Ashton.
Irwin: It was a privilege to speak to you, man. The boys and I have always spoken about you guys and everything you did. You guys blew down the doors pretty early, and as young Aussies, it really helped us dream a bit bigger. I just appreciate your time, and I love your stories, and it was a pleasure to speak to you.
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