Statue of Angus rock legend to be unveiled
Legendary AC/DC frontman remembered at Bonfest
An Angus town will this weekend pay homage to one of gods of Rock ‘n’ Roll, as it unveils a life-sized statue of Bon Scott, the influential frontman of world-conquering band, AC/DC.
Keen to recognise the Scottish roots of the talismanic lead singer - voted No.1 on a list of the ‘100 Greatest Frontmen of All Time’ by Classic Rock magazine - the bronze statue will be revealed during the 10th annual Bon Scott International Festival, Bonfest in Kirriemuir, by event organisers DD8 Music.
It follows a two-year crowdfunding campaign, which drew support from AC/DC themselves, as well as thousands of the band’s loyal fans worldwide.
The Angus town was home to a young ‘Ronald Bedford Scott’ until the age of six, when his family left Scotland for Fremantle, Western Australia.
Scott was invited to join the band by Glasgow-born brothers and founding members Malcolm and Angus Young in 1974, and achieved international stardom before his death at the age of 33 in 1980.
To mark the occasion, several of Scott’s contemporaries are scheduled to attend Bonfest, along with almost 4,000 avid AC/DC fans from across the globe. During the festival, tribute acts from all over Europe will bring Kirriemuir to life with the sounds of one of its most celebrated sons.
DD8 Music Development Worker, Graham Galloway, said:
“In 2008, Bon’s Australian home town, Fremantle, unveiled a statue of him. At that point we started thinking it might be good to have one here where he started his life. The unveiling will take place on Saturday 30th of April, and will be carried out by some very special guests: Mark Evans, bass player on four of the Bon-era albums; Tony Currenti, drummer on AC/DC’s first album; and Mary Renshaw, Bon’s seamstress and ‘soul mate’. We are looking at a total attendance of 3,700 and are expecting fans from all over the world to travel. We have confirmed travellers from the USA, Canada, Spain, Italy, Norway, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. All in all, it is shaping up to be an amazing weekend.”
The event will be supported by EventScotland’s National Funding Programme in its 10th anniversary year, which has allowed for the erection of a big top festival site and a street party to take place. Bonfest is also supported by Angus Council.
Stuart Turner, Head of EventScotland, said:
“We are delighted to support the life and work of one of Scotland’s most influential and best-loved musicians with our funding of the 10th edition of Bonfest. I’m sure that the newly-unveiled statue will serve as further incentive for AC/DC aficionados to make the journey to Kirriemuir in the future to see where Bon spent his formative years, but also to experience all that wider Angus and Scotland have to offer.”
To find out more about Bonfest, visit www.bonfest.com.