Tiny town in Australia rocks to AC/DC’s new album

Thousands of AC/DC fans Nov. 23 flocked to a small, rural Australian town for the launch of the group’s first new album in six years - and also its first without founding member Malcolm Young, who is suffering from dementia.

Wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with images of the veteran band and the trademark caps with protruding red horns, fans gathered in the New South Wales town The Rock to be among the first in the world to listen to the new “Rock or Bust” album.

The band - which has endured controversy in recent weeks after drummer Phil Rudd was accused of drug possession and threatening to kill - did not attend the launch but the album tracks were played by record executives at an event at the town’s market.

Councillor John Paterson said thousands endured sweltering temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius to attend the event.

“There were at least a couple of thousand (fans), it was very well supported,” Paterson told AFP. The Rock is some 500 kilometers south-west of Sydney and has a population of less than 1000.

“It was probably one of the biggest crowds we’ve seen for a very long time.

“’Rock or Bust’ obviously went over very well because of the association with the name of our town... I can assure you that the song will be a new anthem for our little town here at The Rock.”

It is not the first time a world-famous group has opted to launch an album in a rural Australian town. French group Daft Punk last year launched their “Random Access Memories” in remote Wee Waa, a far-flung town with a population of just 1,653 in the state’s north.

AC/DC, which was founded by Malcolm and Angus Young in Australia in 1973, is one of the biggest-selling bands in history.
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