The news that iconic rock band AC/DC is returning “home” for a concert tour of Australia has revived a international argument over their origin.

While most Australians take for granted that AC/DC is one of the country’s most celebrated music exports, for many years Scotland has made a claim.

AC/DC have confirmed they will play their first Australian shows in a decade later this year.

“Are you ready, Australia?” the band asked in a post on Instagram on Monday, confirming dates for its Power Up tour concerts.

Demand is expected to be off the charts when tickets go on sale on Thursday. The rock legends sold 1.7 million tickets in one day for the opening leg of their European tour, before selling more than two million in all.

It will be the group’s first shows at home since their 2015 Rock or Bust tour – and the first since the deaths of brothers Malcolm (AC/DC’s rhythm guitarist) and George Young (producer) in 2017.

Formed in Sydney in 1973, AC/DC are a global music phenomenon who are still playing to packed crowds around the world.

The band’s songs has featured on countless movie soundtracks, including Marvel’s Iron Man, introducing its music to a new generation.

So it’s little wonder other countries might want to bask in some of their glory.

Founding members Angus and Malcolm Young were both born in Glasgow before emigrating to Australia as children. Angus was eight when the family arrived and Malcolm was 10.

Lead singer Bon Scott, who tragically died in 1980, was also born in Scotland before moving to Australia at the age of six.

The fact that Scott was replaced by English singer Brian Johnson only confused the issue for UK fans.

While Melbourne has AC/DC Lane, complete with a statue memorialising Scott, so does Scotland.

The town of Kirriemuir, where Scott spend his very early life, features a statue of the former singer hold bagpipes – similar to the ones he used in the song Long Way to the Top.

Melbourne and Kirriemuir both have Scott statues. The Scottish one has bagpipes. Photo: Wikimedia

Not only that, but Kirriemuir holds an annual event dubbed Bonfest, which organisers describe as “an annual celebration honouring the legendary Bon Scott, the iconic frontman of AC/DC, in his Scottish hometown of Kirriemuir”.

So are AC/DC Australian or Scottish?

The answer is regularly hashed out on social media forums, with both British and Australian fans stridently making their claims.

Some UK fans note that the band and its members have often emphasised their Scottish heritage and connections.

Photo: TikTok

In 2008, Scottish member of parliament Christine Grahame filed a motion entitled “AC/DC, We Salute You”.

“After 35 years AC/DC are still contributing to music and giving fans enjoyment worldwide,” Grahame told BBC News.

“I think they have long-deserved official recognition from their homeland … and my parliamentary motion will go some way towards recognising that.”

While the band never formally weighed into the debate, the Youngs  have often acknowledged their Scottish roots.

However, the band’s links to Australia are undeniable.

Malcolm Young, who died 2017 at the age of 64, lived his final years at a nursing home in Elizabeth Bay before his funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney.

In a 1988 interview with Richard Wilkins on MTV Australia, Angus Young – who has a Dutch wife and owns homes in Australia, the UK and the Netherlands – revealed his Australian sentiments.

While not aware Australia was celebrating its bicentennial in 1988, and admitting he rarely visited, Young said he still thought of Australia and Sydney as home.

“It’s still the best city in the world for me, because I grew up in Sydney,” he said.