(Credits: Alamy)
Sun 4 January 2026 13:32, UK
50 years on from when he first donned his little school cap, tie and shorts, the lead guitarist of tub-thumping hard rockers AC/DC still performs in the same get-up every gig. It’s a curious quirk that has now surpassed costuming to become a piece of the group’s legacy.
“That’s my thing,” Angus Young recently explained in an interview with The 107.1 Boss. “Why do people come to see us play? It’s the school suit. It works!” Certainly as the group became one of the most beloved hard rockl outfits in the world, they didn’t all arrive for the school uniform, but it did add a certain amount of intrigue.
Nowadays, that may very well be the case. After all, what would The Rolling Stones be without Keith Richards’ signature bandana? In fact, what are Guns N’ Roses without Slash’s top hat? Costumes make us all feel a little more comfortable as we sit down to watch a band. Anything that is repeated can become a comfort for an audience.
Young’s on-stage costume has also contributed to AC/DC earning their fair share of detractors. The man behind ‘Highway to Hell’ and ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ running around dressed as a schoolboy didn’t exactly endear him to the likes of Kurt Cobain and Johnny Ramone.
Where did the idea for such a bizarre outfit come from, though? Who gave him the idea that dressing like a character from Tom Brown’s Schooldays would attract crowds in their millions?
Angus Young in his famous uniform. (Credits: Far Out / Joan Sorolla)Young by name, young by nature
It was actually bandmate and older brother Malcolm Young who first suggested Angus go on stage dressed as a schoolboy in the early days of the group. In fact, the idea may have originated from Malcolm and Angus’ sister Margaret.
In any case, Angus Young laughed off the suggestion. But before he knew it, he was performing in front of a riotous crowd, squeezed into the Ashfield Boys’ High School blazer belonging to Margaret’s son Sam.
The uniform did just about fit, thanks to Young’s diminutive stature. And, combined with his babyface and mass of thick blonde hair, this outfit has kept him looking as young as he always did well into his late sixties. It has provided joy to millions of onlookers who have found their way into an AC/DC show.
Familial coercion wasn’t the only reason Angus Young ended up in his blazer, tie and shorts, however. The guitar hero who inspired his famous duckstep during live performances had a big role to play as well.
Chuck Berry is the guitarist Young places above all others as his childhood idol, and any footage of Berry’s own performances will show you exactly where he got his moves from. The themes of Berry’s music stuck with Young, too.
The rock ‘n’ roll legend often wrote lyrics from a perspective far younger than his actual age, not least in the case of his 1957 single ‘School Days’, which AC/DC would go on to cover. The song tells the story of teenagers who wait for the school day to end so they can go to a juke joint and dance the night away.
Angus Young seems to have been particularly taken with the idea of rock ‘n’ roll being the salvation of teenagers bored with school, as he personally experienced through Berry’s song. And so, he applies this idea as literally as he can by shredding guitar licks all night long while dressed as a schoolboy.
Has Angus Young ever performed without a school uniform?
While he is certainly more likely to be in uniform than out of it, Young hasn’t always been strapped into his shirt and tie. Before the band really took off, he would find his way into lots of different costumes, including Superman, Zorro and a gorilla suit.
Young has also ditched the uniform for promos and interviews. However, when it comes to performances, there is rarely a big AC/DC moment that isn’t complete with Young in his shorts and cap.
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