Dave Evans was the original singer of AC/DC, the singer for Rabbit, the singer fort Dave Evans and Thunder Down Under and also Dave Evans and Hot Cockerel. Recently Dave played a 20th anniversary memorial show in memory of the late Bon Scott. Dave sang with AC/DC tribute group Thunderstruck and recorded the show for cd and video.

Whose idea was it to do the Bon Scott Tribute show?
A. Simon Croft guitarist with THUNDERSTRUCK - the world's no 1 ACDC tribute band - rang me just after Christmas 2000 to let me know that his band was doing a special show on the 19th Feb which was the 20th anniversary of Bon Scott's death. I had worked with Simon in the 80's. As I had known Bon before he joined ACDC I asked Simon if he would like me to fly down to Melbourne from Sydney and do a couple of numbers with his band. He said it would be great and that I could
do as many numbers as I wanted. I then realised that this was rock history in the making and that the ACDC fans worldwide would be interested in this historic event so I arranged for the tribute to be recorded and videoed live.

Will there be more in the future or was this a one time thing?
A. I am currently touring here in Australia with a mix of songs from that cd which I called A HELL OF A NIGHT plus my own music from the various bands I have been with since ACDC.

How did you chose the songs that you did?
A. I chose the first few songs from what I had recored and sung with ACDC to show my credentials. The other songs I felt told the story of Bon's rise, his pinnacle, his personal fears and his epitaphie IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP IF YOU WANT TO ROCK N ROLL, TNT, RIDE ON AND HIGHWAY TO HELL.

Did you record the entire show for "A Hell Of A Night!" ?
And is the entire show on the cd and video?
A. Yes the entire show was recorded on cd and video including what I had to say about Bon.

How would you describe the show?
A. It was very electric, very emotional.

Were there many people there from other countries?
A. I met people from the US, Britain, France and Germany after the show.

Do you think the sound of AC/DC would be different today if Bon or you were still with them?
A. The basic feel and excitement has never changed in over 30 years and continued to be a phenomenal success.

Why did you end up leaving AC/DC?
A. It would take me some time to answer that properly but I guess in a nutshell it was about very young musicians with some of us not able to handle egos and jealousies Also I had a real problem with our manager at the time.

Do you still talk to any of the members of AC/DC?
A. I have seen some of the past members in Sydney and I would be happy to see the current guys anytime.

Do you attend any AC/DC shows?
A. I have seen their shows on tv and they are still the same as when I and also when Bon was with the band which of course is as exciting as ever. I would be happy to receive an invitation or a back stage pass to see the guys.

Do you think the songs from the first single you  recorded (Can I Sit Next  To You Girl b/w Rocking In The Parlour) will ever get re-released?  Do you  have any plans to re-record them?
A. I hope so. I can't see ACDC doing a complete anthology without those songs as the fans constantly ask me the same question. I did record these two song live at the Bon Scott memorial gig on the A HELL OF A NIGHT cd which can be seen at my website at www.daveevans.au.com

What songs did you play live while you were in  AC/DC? What kind of cover songs did you play and  were there other original songs?
A. Apart from CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU GIRL AND ROCKIN IN THE PARLOUR I recorded ROCK N ROLL SINGER and SOUL STRIPPER which were rerecorded by Bon for the first ACDC album. I also enjoyed BABY PLEASE DON'T GO plus several Chuck Berry numbers - that's who Angus took the duck walk from - plus a great heavy version of
HEARTBREAK HOTEL which we performed at the Sydney Opera House and received a great review.

Were there songs that you helped come up with that ended up on later AC/DC records?
A. I performed and wrote two songs with ACDC called SUNSET STRIP and FELL IN LOVE. My lyrics were rewritten with Bon and released under the titles SHOW BUSINESS  and JEAN.
 

Are there plans to record a new cd of orginal tracks?
A. Yeah I have several tracks that I wish to record which I am performing live at the moment.

What style of music will it be?
A. Heavy rock.

What is favorite type of music? What are some of you  favorite bands?
A. Free/Bad Co or anything with Paul Rodgers.

How many copies did "Rabbit" and "Too Much Rock And Roll"  sell?
A. Not Enough. TOO MUCH ROCK AND ROLL was released throughout Europe and Japan and had modest sales. The
product was not released in the USA.

What size shows were you playing while in Rabbit?
A. We played to the biggest audiences available in Australia and at the biggest and best venues.

Did Rabbit tour the United States?
A. No.

How would you describe a live show from Rabbit?
A. Frenetic, blitzkrieg, manic, violent etc

Did Dave Evans and Hot Cockerel ever recorded any  music?
A. Only for a film which I starred in called COMING OF AGE which only received video release. I played a rock star called Rexx Rated whose Band - THE BANNED - were featured. The guys from Hot Cockerel played as THE BANNED. Including the title track there were four or five of our tracks in the movie.

How did you come up with that name?
A. I put five or six names down on paper and then did a poll over two weeks asking people which name they preferred. HOT COCKEREL was the favourite.

How was the sound different from Rabbit?
A. Hot Cockerel was much heavier and blacker in genre.

How would you describe the sound of'Dave Evans and Thunder Down Under?
You website lists it as "combining the heavy guitar sounds with synth, brass and strings and adding a strong vocal harmony component."
A. Yeah that's about right.

Have you played "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" or  "Rocking In The Parlour"  during shows of the other bands you were in?
A. No but I do perform them at the moment as the fans want to hear them.

What songs do you play at your live gigs today?
A. As I said I am performing songs from A HELL OF A NIGHT plus songs from HOT COCKEREL, THUNDER DOWN UNDER PLUS RABBIT and a couple of new ones.

Which band were you in when you had the most fun?
Which was your favorite to tour with?
A. Rabbit was out of control. It was great.