Harry Vanda To Release His First Ever Solo Single ‘Devil Loose’ - Noise11.com
Harry Vanda supplied

Harry Vanda supplied

Harry Vanda To Release His First Ever Solo Single ‘Devil Loose’

by Noise11.com on September 10, 2025

in News

Harry Vanda, one of the most important figures in Australian music history, has released his first ever single under his own name. ‘Devil Loose’, written with Mark McEntee of the Divinyls, arrives September 29 via Flashpoint/Impressed.

It’s a milestone that comes more than 60 years after Vanda first helped shape Australian music as guitarist and songwriter for The Easybeats, the band that brought the world classics like Friday On My Mind and gave Australia its first real taste of international success.

After The Easybeats ended in 1969, Vanda teamed with George Young to form the powerhouse songwriting and production partnership Vanda & Young, who went on to redefine Australian music throughout the 1970s and beyond. Together they produced the early AC/DC albums, crafting songs like It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll) and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. They also produced albums for The Angels and mentored the careers of countless others.

As writers, Vanda & Young penned some of Australia’s most enduring songs: Stevie Wright’s epic Evie, John Paul Young’s Love Is In The Air, and the string of hits that followed. The duo also recorded as Flash & The Pan, scoring international hits with Hey St. Peter and Down Among the Dead Men.

Now, for the first time, Vanda has decided to put his own name on a release. ‘Devil Loose’ is a sharp-edged reflection of the state of the modern world – political turmoil, climate crisis, social unrest – themes that struck him while working from his Sydney home studio. “I had a feeling things are not what they should be, and ‘Devil Loose’ became like a social commentary,” Vanda says.

Originally reluctant to sing it himself, Vanda was convinced by friends that only his voice could deliver the urgency of the track. The single is accompanied by a new B-side, Free and Easy, and will be available digitally and as a 7” vinyl in November.

To mark the release, Vanda has also recorded a three-part podcast, Devil Loose: The Life and Music of Harry Vanda, in conversation with journalist Bernard Zuel. Across the series, Vanda reflects on his journey from a Dutch migrant in Villawood Hostel to an ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, telling stories about The Easybeats, Vanda & Young, Flash & The Pan, and for the first time, speaking openly about his late creative partner George Young. Guests include John Paul Young, Phil Jamieson, Colin Hay and Tim Rogers.

For an artist whose work has been heard for decades but rarely under his own name, Devil Loose marks a long-awaited moment of recognition. At 78, Harry Vanda’s creative fire is still very much alive.

‘Devil Loose’ is out September 29. The Devil Loose podcast series launches the same day on all major platforms.

Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here

Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube

Visit Noise11.com

Follow us on social media:
Bluesky

Instagram

Facebook – Comment on the news of the day

X (Twitter)

Related Posts

Dave Evans and Rabbit celebrate 50 years with new album Defenders Of Rock
Dave Evans Marks 50 Years Of Rabbit With New Album Defenders Of Rock

Half a century after the roar of Newcastle's Rabbit first shook Aussie stages, the band that helped define the mid-70s pub rock sound is back with Defenders Of Rock, a brand-new album out 31 October via Savant Guarde Records. Led once again by original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans, the record is a fist-pumping salute to the spirit of Australian rock and roll, loud, proud, and unbreakable.

4 days ago
Bagpipers at Fed Square preparing for The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash celebrating AC/DC
Melbourne To Rock With The Great Bagpipe Bash Ahead Of AC/DC’s Return

Melbourne is turning the volume all the way up as the city prepares to welcome home one of its most iconic exports, AC/DC. In a nod to the legendary band's roots, hundreds of Victorian bagpipers will descend on Fed Square on Wednesday 12 November for The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash, an event set to recreate one of the most famous moments in Australian rock history and attempt a world record at the same time.

5 days ago
AC/DC Etihad Stadium, Rock Or Bust World Tour. Photo by Ros O'Gorman
AC/DC and Oasis Murrayfield Concerts Trigger Calls for Firework Ban in Edinburgh

Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, home to some of the biggest rock spectacles of the past year, could see fireworks banned from future concerts after environmental health officers ruled that AC/DC's explosive return to Scotland breached permitted noise levels.

October 2, 2025
Harry Vanda releases his debut solo single ‘Devil Loose’ at 78.
Harry Vanda Releases First-Ever Solo Single ‘Devil Loose’ At 78

Australian music royalty Harry Vanda, one of the true architects of the nation's sound, has today released his first-ever solo single, ‘Devil Loose', at the age of 78. The release is a landmark moment for a figure whose influence stretches from the 1960s Easybeats era through to the global rise of AC/DC and beyond.

September 29, 2025
Phil Rudd, acdc, ros ogorman music portrait, noise11 Phil Rudd music news noise11.com
AC/DC’s Phil Rudd Performs For First Time Since 2018 In Auckland AS Part of Full Metal Orchestra

Revered former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has made a rare live appearance with the Full Metal Orchestra show in Auckland, New Zealand last Saturday night (26 July 2025).

July 28, 2025
Phil Rudd, acdc, ros ogorman music portrait, noise11 Phil Rudd music news noise11.com
Phil Rudd of AC/DC To Perform with Full Metal Orchestra in Auckland This Weekend

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd will be back on the drumkit this Saturday night in Auckland, New Zealand for the Full Metal Orchestra show.

July 21, 2025
AC/DC Etihad Stadium, Rock Or Bust World Tour. Photo by Ros O'Gorman
AC/DC Kick Off First of 15 Euro Dates Before Australia

AC/DC played the first night of their 15 date European tour in Prague, Czechia and the setlist was an exact replica of the final night of the North American tour in Cleveland, Ohio on 28 May.

June 27, 2025