What is the name of the Australian TV show that aired AC/DC’s first television performance in 1974? The answer is Countdown.
Countdown was an Australian music program broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or ABC. It premiered in November 1974 and became one of the country’s most influential platforms for local rock and pop acts. AC/DC appeared on the program during its earliest period, giving the newly established band important national exposure.
The show helped connect AC/DC’s raw pub-rock energy with a much larger teenage audience. It was also central to the band’s Australian television legacy: later appearances included the famous performance of “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” with Bon Scott dressed as a schoolgirl, and the promotional clip for “It’s a Long Way to the Top,” featuring the band on a flatbed truck with pipers.
That spectacular truck sequence is often remembered as AC/DC’s first TV appearance, but it came later, in 1975. Countdown itself ran from 1974 to 1987, becoming a defining part of Australian popular culture and a launchpad for performers including AC/DC, Skyhooks and John Paul Young.