The newly invigorated group was poised to reconquer the U.K. and Europe this fall before closing out the year with another trek through North America, but a recent injury is forcing the band to take an unplanned break.

INXS has postponed the mainland European dates of its Switched On world tour so that guitarist Tim Farriss can undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments in his knee. The injury occurred during a tour of the band’s native Australia, where INXS and new lead singer J.D. Fortune have been welcomed by eager fans.

The band sold an estimated 70,000 tickets, broke a record at Perth’s Challenger Stadium by selling 5,000 tickets in 27 minutes, and celebrated Fortune’s 33rd birthday in Brisbane with a crowd sing-along and a giant cake.

The European leg of INXS’ tour was timed to coincide with the October 16 release of the U.K. edition of Switch, which features new artwork, live tracks from the current tour, remixes, videos, and hidden new media content.

Originally scheduled for 17-dates, the tour was set to kick off October 12 at the Shepard’s Bush Empire in London, take the band on a 15-city jaunt through the EU, and wrap up November 4 at Glasgow’s Barrowland. Demand for tickets in the U.K. has been so strong however, that the band added not one, but two more London shows on November 6 & 7.

According to the band’s web site, Farriss’ surgery will not affect any of the U.K. shows or the recently announced November 9 – 21 North American dates, and INXS’s booking agent is working to reschedule the postponed European dates.