Melbourne's recently installed Molly Meldrum statue could soon be joined by another Australian music icon with plans for a tribute to INXS frontman Michael Hutchence proposed for the same area.
Initially reported by The Age, the news comes after the Yarra City Council confirmed that they are in conversation with the Hutchence family to install a sculpture of Hutchence in the area behind the Corner Hotel in Richmond. The Meldrum statue and the Melbourne Music Wall were unveiled in the area earlier this year.
“Michael Hutchence is a true Australian music legend, and it’s a compliment his family has looked to the City Of Yarra as the home for his statue," said Yarra Mayor Cr Danae Bosler in a statement to theMusic.com.au today.
"Yarra has a proud history of cultivating and championing local music, and is the home to some of Australia’s top live music venues, so we’re especially honoured his family saw Yarra as a good fit.
"We look forward to exploring this opportunity with Michael’s family and the local community in the new year."
The news comes following the #AStatueForMichaelHutchence social campaign, which is backed by Hutchence's sister Tina. The petition has garnered over 8,500 signatures on its Change.org platform and calls for a bronze statue of Hutchence to be installed somewhere in Australia.
The Yarra City Council have confirmed to theMusic.com.au that it is still early days on plans for the statue and that they are set to meet with representatives of the Hutchence family in 2019 to discuss the opportunity further.
Tina Hutchence has shared a statement publicly on the "A Statue For Michael Hutchence" Facebook group, saying "My Babe will finally have the place he so deserves & be honoured as he deserves," while The Superjesus' frontwoman Sarah McLeod has posted that herself and journalist/presenter Jane Gazzo were among those who "petitioned to a panel of councillors for a statue of Michael to be added to the ‘walk of fame’ in Richmond."
Hutchence filmed the 1986 Aussie classic Dogs In Space in the Richmond area, and also formed his side project Max Q in Melbourne during the late '80s. Read more about that here. He passed away in 1997.
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