The brawl with Deep Purple in 1975 that launched AC/DC’s career
You don’t need much to perform in front of a crowd, really. A few tunes, or at least some general musical motifs to run through, a fire in your belly, and, oh, of course, instruments. And yet, taking to the stage for a show in 1975, that was exactly what AC/DC were missing: Instruments.
At the time, the Australian rock band had only recently hired singer Bon Scott. They were still feeling their way into their sound across sticky stages in local pubs. But, finally, it seemed like opportunity came knocking. They were offered up a last-minute slot at the multi-day Sunbury Pop Festival.
AC/DC thought they’d finally won the toughest battle: Landing a booking for a Woodstock-esque showcase that’d allow for their sound to reach a greater audience than the same locals in the pub every night. But the real fight was just about to kick off.
Deep Purple had been paid a whopping $60,000 for their set; an eye-wateringly lofty sum for them, but as a consequence, many smaller bands weren’t seeing a single bob. It made matters worse when the band almost decided not to play; hence, AC/DC were called in last-minute for backup. The fledgling Aussies couldn’t even dream of pulling out of a festival this big.
In a fit of dreary weather, AC/DC made it over to the muddy event, ready to grab the ticket to the big leagues. Instead, they arrived doe-eyed to hear that Deep Purple had decided to grace the ticket-payers with their presence, after all. AC/DC’s services weren’t needed. It was a brutal moment for a band who often thought that they were maligned for being from the far-reaches of the world, away from the mainstay of the music scene.
Tensions were high in the downpour; a Deep Purple roadie and an AC/DC manager squared up to one another, and a classic case of buffoonery in the form of a backstage brawl ensued. A clumsy-footed fight broke out while Sunbury Pop Festival staffers tried to keep the event afloat.
Eventually, it was decided that Deep Purple would headline, but AC/DC, who had travelled the extra mile for their all-star moment, would go on after them. AC/DC were happy to play on into the wee small hours.
But Deep Purple weren’t true to their word: when AC/DC had done their pre-stage rituals and hopped up to grab their instruments, they weren’t there. Deep Purple, the ultimate pranksters, had removed them. It smelled like sabotage.
AC/DC never did play infront of the thousands of music lovers waiting patiently for a final set to round off the night. Instead, downtrodden and more than a little soaked, the crew slunk off into the night, resigning themselves to a life of pub performances in half-full locals, away from the bastards in the so-called big league.
But the eventual hitmakers had failed to consider one thing: the power of a good story. The next day, word had gotten out of the headlocks and hard punches behind the scenes, and the news outlets ate it up. The scrappy young Aussies were finally in the headlines. And what’s better promotion for hard rock than two bands fighting in the mud?
AC/DC guitarist Angus Young recalled in an interview after the fact that the news line was everywhere: “The next day that was all you read about: ‘AC/DC in brawl with Deep Purple.’ In the end it elevated us.” Suddenly, they were a band on the global stage worth checking out. And something about the defiant and punchy way that they made it into the papers embodied their sound neatly. It was the perfect pitch for them. The rest is ancient history.
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