Rock journalist Jeff Jenkins rated it as one of his 50 most significant events in Australian music history, “It showed that an all-Australian festival could work.”
Australian Made was conceived to counter tours of international acts, like Dire Straits’ 1985–1986 world tour, which were drying up funds for Australian groups. To promote the tour, INXS and Barnes recorded a cover of The Easybeats song “Good Times” which was released in December 1986 as a single and used as the theme song. “Good Times” peaked at #2 on the Australian charts. The single peaked at #47 in the United States Billboard Hot 100 on 1 August 1987.
Arguments ensued between various band managers over the filming of the tour which ended in acrimony with two managers, Chris Murphy (for INXS) and Jeremy Fabinyi (for Mental As Anything), arguing backstage in Sydney and coming to blows. The film of the tour, Australian Made: The Movie, directed by Richard Lowenstein, was released in July 1987, but contained no footage of Mental As Anything performing.
12:00 am | Stuart Coupe |
12:00 am | Richard Lowenstein |
12:00 am | Peter O’Doherty |