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.
‘Devil Loose’ arrives via Flashpoint/Orchard/Impressed and marks the first time Vanda has put out a single under his own name, despite a career spanning six decades. It is available now on streaming services and as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl, backed with the B-side ‘Free and Easy’.
Written in collaboration with Mark McEntee of the Divinyls, ‘Devil Loose’ is a sharp commentary on the turbulence of modern life from corrupt leadership and climate crises to the scars of the global pandemic. Its urgency and bite echo Vanda’s classic work but with a distinctly present-day edge.
“The energy, the drive – it’s there from the start,” Vanda says of the track. “It’s not something that was added on later.”
Despite being recorded in his Sydney studio, the single feels anything but insular. It’s a record that resonates on a global level, speaking to unrest and resilience in equal measure.
This release also represents the first musical statement from Vanda since the passing of his lifelong collaborator George Young in 2017. Together, Vanda & Young became one of the most celebrated songwriting and production duos in Australian history, shaping the sound of AC/DC, Stevie Wright, John Paul Young, and their own project Flash and the Pan.
For Vanda, ‘Devil Loose’ is both a new beginning and a poignant continuation of the story he and George helped to write.
To coincide with the single, a three-part podcast titled ‘Devil Loose: The Life and Music of Harry Vanda’ has launched today. Hosted by journalist Bernard Zuel, the series sees Vanda opening up for the first time about his extraordinary journey from Dutch migrant to Australian rock pioneer.
The first episode is available now, with instalments two and three arriving on October 6 and October 13.
The podcast traces Vanda’s life from his early days in Amsterdam to the formation of The Easybeats, the band that broke Australia onto the world stage with classics like ‘Friday On My Mind’. Guest voices include John Paul Young, Phil Jamieson, Colin Hay, and Tim Rogers, offering insights into the scope of Vanda’s legacy.
Born Johannes Hendricus Jacob van den Berg in 1946, Vanda emigrated to Australia in 1963 and co-founded The Easybeats the following year. The group became Australia’s first internationally successful rock act, scoring seven local Top 10 hits, including two #1s with ‘Sorry’ and ‘Friday On My Mind’.
When The Easybeats dissolved, Vanda and George Young established themselves as the powerhouse duo Vanda & Young, creating some of Australia’s most enduring hits across genres. They were also central to AC/DC’s rise, producing records that changed the course of rock music worldwide.
Their fingerprints are everywhere from John Paul Young’s ‘Love Is In The Air’ to Stevie Wright’s epic ‘Evie’ trilogy and Flash and the Pan’s ‘Hey, St Peter’.
Vanda has twice been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, once with The Easybeats and again with Vanda & Young, as well as being recognised in the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Easybeats’ story was even dramatised in the 2017 ABC TV miniseries Friday On My Mind.
