AC/DC have returned!! The band released the first official photo of their reunited lineup, featuring frontman Brian Johnson alongside drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams and guitarists Angus and Stevie Young.
Another cool thing about the ‘Thunder From Down Under’ is that they are expected to announce their long-awaited new album in the days ahead. Earlier this week, a mysterious poster appeared outside Angus’s old school in Sydney, Australia. The poster placed outside of Ashfield Boys High School reads: “Are You Ready? SYD PWR UP.” At the bottom of the advertisement, there was a link to a web site with the iconic AC/DC red neon lightning logo. On the web site itself, there are links to the AC/DC store as well as a “Power Up” e-mail sign-up, leading to speculation that the band’s long-awaited new album is called “Power Up”. A newly released teaser video from AC/DC, simply featuring the hashtag #PWRUP, only fuels the chatter.
On Monday, AC/DC updated their social media with a short video clip featuring the lightning bolt alongside the sound of a guitar or musical instrument plugging into an amplifier.
Earlier in the month, images seemingly taken from a new video shoot were apparently posted on the band’s official web site before being swiftly removed. The photos, which were obtained by a Brazilian fan site, appeared to show Johnson joined by Rudd, Williams and Angus and Stevie Young. The pictures were the first of Phil and Stevie sharing a stage, adding weight to the rumor of Rudd’s return.
Ever since AC/DC completed the tour cycle for their 2014 album “Rock Or Bust” four years ago — a turbulent trek that weathered the forced retirement and eventual death of co-founder Malcolm Young, plus the departures of Johnson, Rudd and Williams — fans have wondered whether sole remaining founding member Angus Young would keep the band going or decide it was time for AC/DC to pack it in.
Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.
And we now can assume that former drummer Chris Slade is now in kind of need of a gig.
