Delta Goodrem and The Teskey Brothers frontman Josh Teskey have collaborated for the first time, covering INXS‘ ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ for the finale of season three for ABC’s The Sound.
The performance, which aired yesterday (December 12), was part of The Sound‘s ongoing cover series – in which the final performance of each episode pays tribute to a famous Australian artist and song.
The cover marked Goodrem’s first appearance on the show, while it marked Teskey’s fourth. The Teskey Brothers appeared on the program twice in 2020, while Teskey himself additionally appeared alongside Ash Grunwald that same year.
Josh’s brother and bandmate Sam also appeared in the first episode of season three, performing on a cover of Kasey Chambers‘ ‘Not Pretty Enough’.
The cover was shot on location at the Concourse Concert Hall in Sydney. Watch the performance below:
In the introduction to the performance, which sees Goodrem on piano and Teskey on electric guitar, the former notes the importance of INXS and their songs to Australian music fans.
“They’re part of the fabric to our lifetimes and our soundtracks,” she said.
Teskey, meanwhile, described ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ as “a beautiful piece of songwriting.”
Though this is the first time Goodrem and Teskey have performed together, both have covered ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ individually.
Goodrem covered the 1988 single in 2017 as part of a performance for The Footy Show, in which she performed it in a medley alongside The Screaming Jets’ ‘Better’, Jimmy Barnes‘ ‘Lay Down Your Guns’ and AC/DC‘s ‘T.N.T.’
The Teskey Brothers first performed the song alongside Ainslie Wills for the 2020 ARIA Awards, and would later record a studio version of the cover that was released this past April in tribute to the late Michael Gudinski.