Power V Hawks: INXS’ Tim Farriss explains how he feels about Port Adelaide using ‘Never Tear Us Apart’

Inside a packed Adelaide Oval, the Power has made the famous 80s anthem their own. So what does the band think about it all?

INXS guitarist Tim Farriss still remembers the “goosebumps” he felt when he first heard Never Tear Us Apart played before a packed Adelaide Oval crowd in 2015.

A year after Port Adelaide adopted the band’s classic track as their pre-match anthem, Farriss and his brother Jon were invited by club chairman David Koch to experience the moment for themselves. Farriss, 67, says the roar of the Power faithful left an indelible impression on the pair.

“We were lucky enough to see the whole Never Tear Us Apart anthemic ceremony with the scarves and the whole stadium singing. It was an awesome feeling, goosebumps on goosebumps,” he told The Advertiser.

Kirk Pengilly and Tim Farriss of INXS. Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images

Port faithful singing Never Tear Us Apart before the first bounce at Adelaide Oval. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images

“We were very proud and finally understood exactly what it meant to the team and their fans. A very touching experience.”

Farriss, whose brother, keyboardist Andrew, wrote the music to Never Tear Us Apart, has thrown his support behind the club ahead of its do-or-die finals clash against Hawthorn on Friday night.

One of INXS’s founding members, Farriss said he hopes fans can get behind the Power as it aims to rebound from last week’s shock thumping by Geelong.

“We are all excited to see the fans rally behind Port Adelaide … and we wish them all the very best,” he said.

The Power first used Never Tear Us Apart in March 2014, as the club tried to create “a moment” for the club’s arrival at the Oval.

It came after Liverpool’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” enthralled Power players and staff during a trip to Anfield in 2012.

Originally suggested by senior events staffer Tara McLeod, NTUA is used in the 60 seconds up to the first bounce, and has helped create arguably the best match-day experience in the AFL.

Andrew Farriss has previously described how he was “overwhelmed” watching the Power crowd belting out NTUA at Port Adelaide games.

“It makes me very emotional because I recognise that this is not a pop moment, this is not an award, it’s not even about money. It’s about culture. This song, that I wrote with Michael (Hutchence) all those years ago, perhaps even naively, is now part of Australian culture and I take that very seriously,” he told the ABC.

Originally published as Power V Hawks: INXS’ Tim Farriss explains how he feels about Port Adelaide using ‘Never Tear Us Apart’