Brian Johnson says AC/DC album is tribute to 'spiritual leader' Malcolm Young

Brian Johnson on stage with AC/DC

The lead singer of AC/DC says the band wanted to make its "spiritual leader" Malcolm Young proud with the album they recorded after his death.

Frontman Brian Johnson also recalled the band's Scottish links in an interview with BBC Scotland.

AC/DC was founded by Malcolm and his brother Angus, who were born in Scotland but emigrated to Australia as children.

Johnson said there remained a "big connection" with Scotland.

AC/DC's new album Power Up is their first since Malcolm Young's death in 2017.

Johnson said that when the band got together again to work on the album, they "really wanted to do something for Malcolm - just to make him proud.

"He was the band. Him and Angus started it, but it was Malcolm's idea. He was our spiritual leader."

Johnson said he got "goose bumps" while recording Through the Mists of Time, a song which brought back memories of Malcolm.

Speaking to John Beattie on Drivetime, the singer recalled one drunken trip to Loch Ness.

(From left to right) Cliff Williams, Malcolm Young, Simon Wright, Angus Young and Brian Johnson, pictured in the 1980s

He said: "We went to Loch Ness together in 1982 or something, and we got awful drunk at night at the hotel.

"Mal said 'Come on, let's go down and see if we can see the monster'."

He said the pair "could hardly walk".

"I said 'Well, it's dark'. He said 'Don't worry, I brought a box of fireworks'.

"There's me and Malcolm, we stumbled down the bank from the hotel with a whisky in one hand and a box of fireworks in the other.

"We walked straight into the water - it was freezing, we were up to our knees.

"Then the pantomime started with us trying to set light to these fireworks

"Of course, we never seen nothing and we got back full of mud.

"What a state we were in. But we were just laughing, great times."

A pipe band played at Malcolm Young's funeral in Sydney

He pointed out how important the Youngs' Scottish roots were to them - with Malcolm's funeral seeing a full pipe band play as they marched down the highway in Sydney.

"There was definitely a big connection, Scotland and Australia together," Johnson said.

As children, the Youngs emigrated from Glasgow to Australia with their family. It was there that the band was formed.

The line up went through many permutations, but stabilised around the Young brothers, singer Bon Scott - who was born in Angus, also moved to Australia - drummer Phil Rudd, and bassist Mark Evans.

When Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning in 1980, he was replaced as lead singer by Brian Johnson.

Johnson praised Scott, "a Scottish boy who went to Australia on a cheap ticket to start a new life".

He said the Australians had really taken the band to heart, but that he also loved playing in Scotland.

It's the only place they ever play their rendition of Loch Lomond. Johnson said: "I always love that... absolutely beautiful... it's special."

The first album the band released after Johnson took over was Back in Black - which went on to become the third biggest selling album of all time.

The band has now sold 200 million records.