With the impending AC/DC Aussie tour announcement potentially days away, Noise11 takes a look at who is in the band in 2025.
It is interesting to note that drummer since 1975 Phil Rudd is still listed as a member although he no longer tours with the band. Phil joined AC/DC for the second (Australian) album ‘T.N.T.’ He played on seven of the nine songs. He wasn’t on ‘High Voltage’ or ‘School Days”. Original drummer Tony Currenti played on those.
Rudd was also out from 1983 to 1994. Simon Wright was the drummer for ‘Fly On The Wall’ (1985) and ‘Blow Up Your Video’ (1988) while Chris Slade was the drummer for ‘The Razors Edge’ (1990).
Rudd returned for ‘Ballbreaker’ (1995), was the drummer for ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ (2000), ‘Black Ice’ (2008), ‘Rock Or Bust’ (2014) and ‘Power Up’ (2020). While officially still a member of the band, he no longer plays live with AC/DC.
Matt Laug (Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper, Slash’s Snakepit) is the touring drummer on the Power Up tour.
Bass player Cliff Williams is also still an official member of the band but no longer tours with AC/DC. Cliff replaced Mark Evans in 1977 and first appeared on the ‘Powerage’ album (1978). He is the bass player on every album since including the two most recent albums ‘Rock Or Bust’ (2014) and ‘Power Up’ (2020).
The bass player for AC/DC on the Power Up tour is Chris Chaney (Alanis Morissette, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattails).
Stevie Young has been the AC/DC rhythm guitarist 2014 replacing his uncle Malcolm who retired from the band at that point because of dementia. Malcolm passed away in 2017. Stevie plays on the two most recent albums ‘Rock Or Bust’ (2014) and ‘Power Up’ (2020).
Singer Brian Johnson replaced second singer Bon Scott following Bon’s death in 1980. Brian has been the lead singer for every album from ‘Back In Black’ (1980) to ‘Power Up’ (2020). However, during the 2016 ‘Rock or Bust’ tour Brian dropped out of the band to attend to hearing issues and was replaced by Axl Rose for the remainder of the tour. He rejoined the band in 2019.
Lead guitarist Angus Young is the sole survivor of the band. He hasn’t missed an album, he hasn’t missed a tour.
Angus formed AC/DC with his brother Malcolm with Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and the first singer Dave Evans on vocals. Colin, Larry and Dave all departed before the first album ‘High Voltage’ in 1975 but Dave Evans sings and Colin played drums on the first AC/DC single ‘Can I Sit Next To You Girl’ released in 1974.
AC/DC will resume the Power Up tour in Prague on 26 June 2025. UK/European dates conclude in Edinburgh, Scotland on 21 August, 2025.
Australian dates for November are expected to be imminent, based on a Melbourne 3AW radio interview with City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, who effectively confirmed it is happening.
Given what we have learned, Melbourne would be 12 and 16 November. Leith Forrest at Adelaide’s FiveAA has also sourced information suggesting a November 30 date for Adelaide as part of the Supercars event. Throw Sydney in the middle and Perth and Brisbane on the end and the AC/DC Aussie tour jigsaw puzzle is starting to piece together.
The 2025 tour will be the first Australian AC/DC tour since the 2015 Rock or Bust tour.
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