A recent round of Britain’s Got Talent was shaken by the appearance of a 68-year-old woman rocking out to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Jenny Darren appeared on stage dressed in conservative clothes which she subsequently ripped off to reveal a black leather ensemble, before screaming out a pitch-perfect rendition of the iconic rock song.

Surprisingly, Jenny once opened for AC/DC with a band called Stoney End, and still performs today with The Ladykillers, and has released a new album.

There are numerous versions of talent shows around the world, and many of them have featured artists taking on the rock and heavy metal genre.

Jay Jay Phillips gave a memorable performance on two episodes of America’s Got Talent, with his confident playing of a keytar, an instrument that comprises a lightweight keyboard supported by a neck strap. His versions of Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You”, and the Scorpion’s “Rock You like a Hurricane” were not enough to get him through to the quarterfinals.

It takes a brave man to tackle a Slipknot song, but a contestant on The Voice: Quebec recently performed “Psychosocial”, perhaps hoping to appeal to Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks who is a judge on the programme.

Other notable performances include a version of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” on a Ukrainian talent show, and an 82-year-old, shocking America’s Got Talent with “Bodies” by Drowning Pool. In Australia, a ten-year-old rock fan stunned the audience with a guitar shredding version of “Through the Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce.

Even established singers have got in the act with Nils K. Rue of Pagan’s Mind appearing on the Norwegian version of The Voice.