Revellers celebrate launch of Rudd solo album

Phil Rudd at his Tauranga restaurant, Phil's Place. Photo / Andrew Warner

About 150 partygoers converged on the Harbour Bridge restaurant of AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, Phil's Place, on Friday night to celebrate the launch of his 11-track solo album, Head Job.

Rudd, 60, arrived to the cheers of family, friends and fellow musicians including Allan Badger, of Rotorua, and Geoffrey Martin, of Auckland, who perform vocals and play guitars on the album with Rudd on drums.

The wine and beer flowed and the restaurant fed the revellers everything from salmon caviar and prawn dim sum to lamb chops and fried chicken nibbles.

Rudd told the Bay of Plenty Times he was pleased with the way the album had turned out and hoped fans would enjoy it.

"There is something for everyone."

He added the album had been years in the making.

Some of the tracks he had started composing years earlier.

His favourite track on Head Job was blasted out at the party several times.

At one point it was cranked so loud the speakers blew.

Rudd cited influences for the album from Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Free/Bad Company's Simon Kirke to Mountain's Leslie West and bandmates Malcolm and Angus Young.

Earlier Rudd told the Bay of Plenty Times an AC/DC tour with the band's new album was imminent and it "is not a case of if but when", although no dates had been confirmed.

The band has just recorded the album in Canada.

Head Job was released on Friday to Australia and New Zealand under record label Universal and will be then released digitally worldwide.