Axl Rose is finding AC/DC vocals ‘really challenging’

The Back in Black stuff, at least.

Axl Rose is joining AC/DC as the band’s new lead singer (Getty)

Guns n’ Roses singer Axl Rose says he is determined to “do justice” to Brian Johnson at AC/DC’s upcoming shows, but admits that he is struggling to get his vocal chords around their older material.

“A lot of the Back in Black stuff is really challenging,” he said during an interview on BBC 6Music.

“I’m not here in any way out of any disrespect to Brian. I can’t take anything away from his singing at all.

“He’s a great singer and it’s really challenging to sing it. I’m just trying to do it justice for the fans.”

At the end of last month, ticket vendors started confirming that they would be offering refunds to concert-goers who wanted them due to the line-up change.

The notoriously unreliable frontman also explained exactly how he came to step in for Johnson after news broke of the extent of his hearing loss.

“I called the day I read about it in the news, that there was a situation going on with Brian’s hearing,” Rose said.

“I called a guy who’s their production manager right now ... So if I could help, and if I was able to do it, and they were interested, I’d love to help. And that’s how it started.

“I wasn’t looking at it like, ‘I’m singing for AC/DC.’ I was looking at it like, ‘Y’know, if I can, and if they think I’m able to do it.”

Rose’s first performance with AC/DC will be on Saturday night in Lisbon. He’s expected to be seated for it (in a throne originally made for Dave Grohl) due to a metatarsal injury.