Three Brothers, a Sewing Machine, and Glam Rock: The Story of AC/DC

Alternating Current/Direct Current

The way the brothers saw it, the name symbolized their band’s raw energy and power-driven performances. We know them as “AC/DC,” pronounced one letter at a time, but in Australia, they’re known as “Acca Dacca.” In 1973, Malcolm and Angus officially formed AC/DC. With them, they had bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and former drummer of the Masters Apprentices, Colin Burgess.

Malcolm Young, Bon Scott, Angus Young, Mark Evans, and Phil Rudd posing in front of a building

Photo by Martyn Goddard / Shutterstock

By the time they played their first show at Chequers nightclub on New Year’s Eve in 1973, Angus had already adopted his infamous school-uniform stage outfit. Where did the idea come from? Again, it was their sister Margaret’s idea. In fact, Angus tried other costumes, including Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and even a parody of Superman he called Super-Ang.