In a music world hitting new marketing lows all the time, word is INXS are to hold American Idol-style auditions around the world to find a replacement for their late singer Michael Hutchence. Begin grave spinning………Now! Guitarist Tim Farriss, one of the Aussie group’s co-founders, said: “We’re going back to some of our favorite places where there was always a pool of talent.” Searching in coke dens to find a singer? Who knew? The search, or “auditions”, will take place in 20 venues around the world in 2005 — there are 13 in the US. The judging panel to be made up of band members and so-called “music experts”. The show will be on US television and organizers are looking for British and other countries to pick the shows up for broadcast.

“Who knows who we are going to find. It’s going to be great fun” adds Farriss on The Sun. Taste has left the building.

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