U2 have always put more into the crucible of live performance than almost any other band on the planet, endeavouring to make every tour an artistic and creative statement in itself. In advance of the return of their Joshua Tree Tour to Dublin, we chart the circumstances of their tours, recall the iconic moments and the visual highlights and reprise what it is that makes them the world’s pre-eminent live act. By Olaf Tyaransen
U2-3 / ‘ANOTHER DAY’ TOUR
1979-1980
It was three years after they first formed a garage band as schoolmates in Mount Temple Comprehensive, but Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam were still only in their late teens when U2 embarked on their very first official tour in support of their debut EP, Three.
Their international ambitions were evident even then. The 25-date U2-3 Tour kicked off their UK campaign in the Moonlight Club in London on December 1, 1979, and the tour ran through five eventful months up to a blistering show in the legendary environs of the Downtown Kampus in Cork, on May 17, 1980 – the day after the release of their next single ’11 O’Clock Tick Tock’. With their first Hot Press front cover already under their belts in October 1979, when they arrived in the English capital they were interviewed by the Record Mirror. In a curious prediction of the Facebook mantra “Move Fast and Break Things”, the then 19-year-old Bono said that he hoped to “take everything and break everything. I want people in London to see and hear the band. I want to replace the bands in the charts now, because I think we’re better.” It was a manifesto of sorts. However, as a relatively unknown act, the vast majority of their UK shows were poorly attended. On December 4, having been billed as ‘The U2s’, they played to just nine paying punters at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. The following night, this time mistakenly billed as ‘V2’, they played the Rock Garden in Covent Garden to a throng of about twenty diehards. In an extravagant gesture the circumstances hardly warranted, manager Paul McGuinness bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate the fact that their audience had broken double figures.
The Irish ‘leg’ of the tour, involving a number of forays, went a lot better, and included shows in Queen’s University, Belfast; Dublin’s National Stadium; and later Galway’s Seapoint Ballroom and Sligo’s Blue Lagoon. Unfortunately, their gig in Ballina’s Town Hall on May 10th (Bono’s 20th birthday) – which they opened with upcoming single ’11 O’Clock Tick Tock’ – erupted in violence when a gang of thugs attacked U2’s roadies. As reported by Eilish Ward in Hot Press, U2 gave as good as they got, but a chair was broken over Bono’s back and Adam’s glasses were smashed. The incident ultimately resulted in a court case, which saw the local yobs being fined the princely sum of £9.50 each for public affray.
SONG OF THE TOUR: ‘Out Of Control’
11 O’CLOCK TICK TOCK TOUR
1980
The crucial gig over the previous six months had taken place at the National Stadium in Dublin. It was a brave but strategic move by the band to play Ireland’s biggest venue of the time and they more than half filled it. They had successfully wooed Island Records head of A&R Nick Stewart to the show and he decided on the night to sign the band.
Following on from the Three EP and debut single ‘Another Day’, the first product of the band’s relationship with Island was ‘11 O’Clock Tick Tock’, released on May 16, 1980. The track was produced by Mancunian Martin Hannett, an in-demand figure at the time following his critically acclaimed work with Joy Division. Island Records had been considering him to produce U2’s yet-to-be-recorded debut album, Boy, but the personal chemistry wasn’t good and the band were unhappy with his work (feeling that he had imposed his distinctive production ambience upon their sound).
The 27-date tour saw the band playing 20 fresh UK shows. Most of these were in London, but they also played gigs in Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Leeds, Dudley, Sheffield and Birmingham, beginning to sow the seeds for future stardom by winning fans on the ground to the cause. The UK leg kicked off with a return to the Hope & Anchor on May 22. Thankfully, there was a bigger turnout for their second show at that venue. Word was slowly starting to spread.
SONG OF THE TOUR: ’11 O’Clock Tick Tock’
BOY TOUR
1980-1981
Produced by Steve Lillywhite and recorded from July to September 1980 in Dublin’s Windmill Lane Studios, U2’s debut album Boy was released to largely positive reviews on October 20, 1980.
“It rushes your senses,” Declan Lynch said in Hot Press. “It’s so sharp every song seems like it’s been lying under the tree all year and at Christmas it’s taken out of its box and shown to everybody, open-mouthed.”
Kicking off in General Wolfe’s in Coventry on September 6, the 157-date Boy Tour began six weeks before the album hit the record stores. Their set-list varied each night, with all of the songs from the album being performed, with the curious exception of the memorable, poetic ‘Shadows And Tall Trees’.
The vast majority of the Boy Tour dates were in the UK, but U2 also made tentative forays into mainland Europe, playing in Holland, France and Belgium. Having been signed to the influential US agency Premier Talent, run by Frank Barsalona, the four Dubliners played their debut American gig at The Ritz in New York on December 6, 1980. However, the band themselves recall a show a week later in The Paradise in Boston as being the one that truly launched them in the US. Speaking to Maureen Forry of the Boston Irish Reporter in 2004, Bono said, “I love New York. I do. I love New York. But the truth of it is, our band broke out through Boston… I have a very special feeling about this city.”
Throughout the tour – which culminated with a show at the University of Manchester on February 1, 1981 – Bono would include snippets of other artists’ songs and Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns’ was often tagged onto the end of ‘The Electric Co’. This habit proved expensive a few years later, when Sondheim sued them for using the song without permission on their Under A Blood Red Sky: U2 Live At Red Rocks video and live album. U2 were forced to pay him $50,000 in an out-of-court settlement. They dropped the song from all future pressings.
SONG OF THE TOUR: ‘I Will Follow’
OCTOBER TOUR
1981-1982
Coming out less than a year after Boy, and produced once again by Steve Lillywhite, U2’s sophomore album October was released on October 12, 1981. A very different beast from their debut, it featured spiritual and religious themes inspired by Bono, Edge and Larry’s membership in a Christian group called the ‘Shalom Fellowship’ (something which almost threatened to split the band as they began to question the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle).
The album received mixed reviews and, second cut ‘Gloria’ aside, attracted very limited airplay. The October Tour followed a similar pattern to their Boy Tour and consisted of 102 shows, played in five legs – three in Europe and two in North America. The first leg opened with a show in Slane Castle supporting Thin Lizzy in August 1981 – at which In Tua Nua’s Vinnie Kilduff featured on uileann pipes – and, 33 shows later, ended in Berlin’s Metropol on November 4. They crossed the Atlantic and played 23 gigs in America before returning for another string of European dates. In stark contrast to many of their punk predecessors and their contemporaries alike, their commitment to building their audience in the USA was underlined when they returned for a lengthier US jaunt, before finishing with nine European shows.
While their international reputation was growing, Ireland was still their biggest market by far. Hot Press’ Neil McCormick (an old Mount Temple contemporary of the band) reviewed their homecoming show in the RDS on January 26, 1982. “Four thousand people welcoming home U2, four thousand and most of them younger than me (I’m only 20!). U2 now belong to them, or rather with them. Because not only are they the only major Southern Irish success story since The Boomtown Rats, they are young. Young in the sense of being much more the same age as their audience, they are our contemporaries, and more, still more, this youth is at the core of their identity; they take it and build it to epic proportions. It’s not a matter of understanding their audience, there is no great insight involved here; it is that they are part of their audience, by birth, by sensibility, by commitment.”
SONG OF THE TOUR: ‘Gloria’
It goes on sale on Friday February 9.
Read MoreSadly, it's happening with government approval...
Read MoreLive Nation and MCD today confirm shows in Dublin and Belfast on U2’s upcoming eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour with tickets on sale from 2nd February. As part of their European tour the band will play at Belfast’s SSE Arena on 27th October 2018 and at home in Dublin at the 3Arena on 5th and 6th November 2018. See the full tour dates below.
Read MoreU2 played their latest single 'Get Out Of Your Own Way' live at last night's 60th Grammys.
Read MoreAn original pop-art animation for U2's latest single 'Get Out Of Your Own Way'.
Read MoreNo Belfast and Dublin dates yet, but they will be happening!
Read MoreU2's documentary about the making of their latest album has just been uploaded onto their official social media pages.
Read MoreU2 have always been hugely aware of the potential of live films to spread the gospel. As a result, they've made some of the finest ever concert movies. Square eyes: Pat Carty
Read MoreThe former US President has compiled a list of his favourite music from 2017 and amongst his top picks is the Extraordinary Mix version of 'Ordinary Love' taken from the deluxe edition of U2's latest album, 'Songs of Experience'.
Read MoreHere's a clip from 'U2 At The BBC' in which The Edge and Adam Clayton go record shopping with Cat Deeley.
Read MoreIn an exclusive performance at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, Adam, Bono, Edge and Larry performed 'Beautiful Day' with an orchestra and choir for 'U2 At The BBC' - a Christmas special programme for BBC One.
Read MoreU2 have released a cover of Marvin Gaye's ‘What’s Going On’, which you can now stream on Spotify.
Read MoreIn a passionate letter, the four members of U2 are calling on Dublin City Council to rescind the honour "bestowed" on Aung San Suu Kyi because of her failure to condemn the ongoing brutal violence in her own country.
Read MoreThe Dublin band's 14th studio album has gone straight to the top spot in the Billboard charts, achieving the best sales during a single week for any rock album Stateside during the past 12 months.
Read MoreForty years covered in fifty plus minutes - From Fighting on stage in front of Talking Heads to Songs Of Experience
Read MoreCheck out the official music video for 'Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up on the Stage'.
Read MoreInspired by a brush with the grim reaper, the new U2 album is an extraordinary work of art.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. On our tenth day, Louise Kane recalls her music induction on the Zoo TV Tour.
Read MoreWith the long-awaited Songs of Experience set to be released imminently, U2 are the cover stars of Hot Press' 2018 Annual.
Read MoreAn Irish-American singer-songwriter, who was so inspired by U2's album 'The Joshua Tree' that she decided to record her new EP in the very same desert, is planning to tour Ireland in December.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. On our seventh day, Hot Press Commissioning Editor Roisin Dwyer shares memories of Rattle and Hum and her own brush with death.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. On our eighth day, Liessa De Decker talks about early U2 memories, chance encounters, and the bitter glory of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. On our fifth day, Olaf Tyaransen shares a story which reveals a side of Bono that the public rarely see.
Read MoreWith one week to go before their 14th album, Songs of Experience, U2 grace the cover of the 2018 Hot Press Annual.
Read MoreWith the long-awaited Songs of Experience set to be released imminently, U2 are the cover stars of Hot Press' 2018 Annual.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. On our third day, Hot Press' Head of Photography, Kathrin Baumbach, talks about her relationship with U2, and the band's relationship with her home city of Berlin.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. On our second day, Hot Press stalwart Jackie Hayden takes us back to when U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Read MoreA special limited edition version of U2's new song 'The Blackout' will be released in only four stores across the globe to mark the annual Black Friday, with Freebird on Dublin's Wicklow St announcing that they will be stocking it.
Read More10 Hot Press writers share their favourite U2 moments as we get set for the release of Songs of Experience on December 1. Up first: Pat Carty takes us back to a beautiful day in Slane, 2001.
Read MoreCoincidentally, the 23-year-old Carlow actress will be hosting the very same episode of NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' show that the Irish rock icons will also be appearing on, this coming 2 December.
Read MoreAs fans countdown the days until the new eagerly awaited album is released in a couple of weeks, U2 officially shared their new video last night.
Read MoreU2 are putting on their "sexy boots" to follow in the footsteps of Adele, Michael Buble, Harry Styles and Sam Smith by having their TV special next month on the Beeb.
Read More'Get Out of Your Own Way' is the second single from the band's upcoming 14th album, Songs of Experience.
Read More'Get Out of Your Own Way' is the second single to be taken from U2's upcoming album, Songs of Experience.
Read MoreThe tracklist appears to have been revealed, ahead of the album's release date early this December.
Read MoreU2's frontman, who says he's so happy these days that he's actually "singing like a little girl", has told how the writing of the new eagerly awaited album's lyrics was inspired by a health scare and facing his own mortality.
Read MoreThere's another significant U2 anniversary, with 'I Will Follow' released on this day in 1980. Niall Stokes has the story behind the classic...
Read More"U2 are full of bluster, almost keeling over with the weight of energy on board," Declan Lynch opined in his original 1980 review...
Read MoreHaving released their new single two weeks ago, U2 have today shared the music video for 'You're The Best Thing About Me'.
Read More#WelcomeToTheNorthside bring #U241 to the Church Bar tonight. After a jam packed weekend for the Joshua Tree Pre and after events, which seen over 5,000 fans visit the Church Bar over the July weekend, The Church Bar will celebrate U241 tonight with U2 Tribute Zooropa who recently played to a sold out crowed at the Button Factory.
Read MoreIn the wake of the civil unrest in the US state that resulted in U2 cancelling their gig there on Saturday night, Bono has taken to social media to ask, "Is this 1968 or 2017?"
Read MoreThe band's legion of fans in St Louis' were left devastated after Saturday night's concert there was called off at the last minute. Local police said they weren't in a position to "provide the standard protection" required for the audience because of ongoing civil unrest in the city.
Read MoreNorwegian DJ Kygo has remixed U2's new single 'You're The Best Thing About Me'.
Read More'You’re The Best Thing About Me', the first single from the band’s highly anticipated 14th studio album, Songs of Experience, is released today.
Read MoreThe band have released the first song from their upcoming album, Songs of Experience.
Read MoreSome of the biggest names in Irelan'd music scene have come together to make a re-imagining of U2's legendary album in celebration of The Joshua Tree's 30th anniversary.
Read MoreU2 have always put more into the crucible of live performance than almost any other band on the planet, endeavouring to make every tour an artistic and creative statement in itself. In advance of the return of their Joshua Tree Tour to Dublin, we chart the circumstances of their tours, recall the iconic moments and the visual highlights and reprise what it is that makes them the world’s pre-eminent live act. By Olaf Tyaransen
Read MoreU2 have always put more into the crucible of live performance than almost any other band on the planet, endeavouring to make every tour an artistic and creative statement in itself. In advance of the return of their Joshua Tree Tour to Dublin, we chart the circumstances of their tours, recall the iconic moments and the visual highlights and reprise what it is that makes them the world’s pre-eminent live act. By Olaf Tyaransen
Read MoreThe Irish band performed their poignant song 'Mothers of the Disappeared' with the iconic American singer-songwriter the other night in Paris.
Read MoreIt is 30 years since the release of The Joshua Tree catapulted U2 to the forefront of contemporary music. At their Croke Park homecoming, they reaffirmed that they are still up there, at the very top of the tree. By Roisin Dwyer
Read MoreThe U2 frontman admits that it's a case of 'where the song has no end' when it comes to his attitude to one of the band's most seminal classic tracks on The Joshua Tree.
Read MoreU2's guitarist has confessed that he tried to record "the secrets of the universe" while under the influence of the small but powerful hallucinogenic drug!
Read MoreIn town for Croke Park? Come see all 44 of U2's Hot Press covers!
Read MoreAhead of U2's sold out Joshua Tree gig in Croke Park this weekend, RTÉ One are showing a documentary about the band's early days playing in Cork.
Read MoreAs he says himself, Noel Gallagher has been on "one tour or another" during the past quarter of a century... but, for him, the current U2 Joshua Tree Tour is the best he's ever been on.
Read MoreIt's a treasure trove for all fans of the band...
Read MoreFancy a chance to win a signed and numbered photo of U2 taken by award-winning photographer Peter Rowan, who was the face of the U2 as a "boy"? Read on...
Read MoreU2 nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for 'Ordinary Love', the song they wrote for the Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom - they talked to Patricia Danaher about their relationship with Mandela
Read MoreOver two nights, U2 crystallised the love affair that the band has enjoyed with Italy – and with the Italian capital, Rome.
Read MoreOlaf Tyaransen caught up with The Edge just as the band prepared to bring their iNNOCENCE & eXPERIENCE tour home for dates in Belfast and Dublin
Read MoreAs U2 geared up for the release of No Line On The Horizon, they met HP to talk about the creation of their latest masterwork, meeting world leaders, the way they’re perceived in Ireland, the current state of the music business and their future plans.
Read More7 years ago, Olaf Tyaransen reported from U2's No Line On The Horizon tour in Barcelona, ahead of the band's Croke Park headliner.
Read MoreIn a special commemorative issue, Hot Press looked back at 40 years of U2...
Read MoreNiall Stokes draws on his best-selling book Into The Heart: The Stories Behind The Songs Of U2 to offer a unique insight into the way in which some of the greatest songs in the history of popular music came into being.
Read MoreStuart Clark spoke to Bono back in 2004, when the singer was on fighting form following the release of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
Read MoreHot Press' Olaf Tyaransen caught up with the band as they flew to Germany to promote Songs of Innocence
Read MoreFrom Hot Press' 2002 Annual, Bono spoke to Niall Stokes about all matters personal and political.
Read MoreWe spoke to Adam Clayton ahead of U2's Elevation Tour concert in Slane back in 2001.
Read MoreBack in 2000, Olaf Tyaransen spoke to U2 following the release of 'Beautiful Day', with their 10th studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, imminent...
Read MoreBono talked to Peter Murphy on stalkers, women, Lypton Village, love and the release of his film Million Dollar Hotel
Read MoreInterpol's Sam Fogarino kicks things off with his 360 Tour tale about David Lynch.
Read More20 years of U2, through the eyes of Adam Clayton.
Read MoreHaving followed U2 on their tour of North America in 1997, Mike Edgar - a broadcaster for the BBC's Across The Line programme, reported from the band's homecoming Dubin gigs and from their newly-added Belfast date.
Read MoreThe American tally sees Roger Waters come in at second place.
Read MoreAs it has become the official fan favourite, The Church Bar in Dublin will be the place to be over the weekend of the U2 Joshua Tree gig at Croke Park.
Read MoreIt’s a case of “sleep like a baby tonight”… but at a cost when it comes to booking a room in Dublin this coming weekend for the U2 gig.
Read MoreNope, July 21 won't be the first time that U2 and the Gallagher brothers (Ok, just one of the Gallaghers) have played to a stadium crowd. Back in 1997, Hot Press Neil McCormick went on tour as two of the world's biggest bands played together in San Francisco.
Read More20 years ago, U2 came out with one of their most highly-anticipated albums, Pop. Niall Stokes met the band following its release for an in-depth interview.
Read MoreIn October 1996, following the release of his best-selling book U2: The Untold Stories, Niall Stokes shared some exclusive extracts about the stories behind each U2 song.
Read MoreFrom October 1994, B.P. Fallon spoke with Joe Jackson about touring with U2 for their Zoo TV tour. His experiences were then documented in the book U2: Faraway So Close. Read on...
Read MorePhotos from an incredible show at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
Read MoreThe performance takes place the night before the real thing take the stage at Croke Park.
Read MoreBill Graham and Niall Stokes take us through the fans' vision of the fab four's dream album. We asked the fans to vote for U2's Greatest Hits and they did - in their thousands. The result is a selection of 20 tracks which would combine to produce a record to rank among the weightiest and most powerful anthologies in the history of rock.
Read MoreZurich turns on to Zoo TV as U2 transmit the greatest show on earth. Report and interview by Bill Graham
Read MoreNiall Stokes caught up with U2 before the launch of their debut release U23.
Read MoreUpon the release of "Rattle And Hum" in 1988, Bono talked with Liam Mackey about how he confronts the criticisms which have been heaped on U2's sprawling opus, and discusses the price of fame, the dark side of touring, heroes and villains, and the armed struggle in Northern Ireland.
Read MoreAdam Clayton and The Edge were in top form as they discussed their back to rock 'n' roll basics Rattle And Hum album and film with Niall Stokes.
Read MoreBono and The Edge perform at Canada's 150th year celebration
Read MoreHot Press talked to U2 about their album The Joshua Tree and the relation between American politics and rock 'n' roll music.
Read MoreThe Edge talked to Bill Graham about his first soundtrack album The Captive amidst the band's making of a new album.
Read MoreBill Graham travelled to Donegal where Bono was filming with Clannad for their collaboration 'In a Lifetime'
Read MoreTeam Hot Press were front and back of stage when U2 brought the Unforgettable Fire tour to Croke Park in June 1985.
Read MoreBono and Adam talked to Liam Mackey before their Croke Park gig in 1985.
Read MoreOn their 1984 European tour, U2 talked to Bill Graham about The Unforgettable Fire's realization in Slane Castle - what they called the most ambitious journey yet.
Read MoreU2's War tour came home with a massive date headlining the Phoenix Park festival. Bono chatted to Liam Mackey beforehand...
Read MoreBono talked to Bill Graham as WAR hit number one in the UK...
Read MoreAdam pocketed a big fat Hot Press contributors’ cheque for documenting their February/March ’82 run round the US
Read MoreElvis Costello and Altered Images had to settle for silver & bronze as the chaps won the overall Hot Press Readers’ Poll Best Act.
Read MoreAfter supervising their efforts in the UK, Hot Press' Bill Graham caught up with the band on the midwest leg of their first American tour...
Read MoreThe man who introduced U2 to Paul McGuinness, Bill Graham joined U2 on their first run round the UK.
Read MoreNiall Stokes had a summit conference with the Dublin high-flyers whose debut U2Three EP had just been released.
Read MoreSo-called terrorist "spotters" will mingle with the crowd at the sold-out concert in Croke Park next month to keep a look-out for potential suicide bombers.
Read MoreIt was 30 years ago that Hot Press met with U2 following the release of their groundbreaking album Joshua Tree...
Read MoreU2 posed for pics with Huston cops after their recent gig in Texas and the humorous images have gone viral since being uploaded onto social media.
Read MoreIt's certainly not a case of "With or Without You!" but more of a case of "without you or with out you" when it comes to the controversial US President attending The Joshua Tree anniversary tour, as far as Bono is concerned. "People who voted for Trump are welcome here but he’s not," Bono has warned.
Read MorePrimal Scream, The Doors, Sia, The Cure, Iggy Pop & David Holmes are also getting in on the act!
Read MoreThe U2 bassist will be honoured at the MAP Fund benefit concert in NYC on June 26.
Read MoreToday , thirty years to the day since the release of this iconic album, Larry, Adam, Edge and Bono will be live on Twitter at 9.00pm answering questions posted by fans #AskU2#U2TheJoshuaTree2017
Read MoreHaving championed U2 since their earliest days, and been instrumental in introducing them to Paul McGuinness, the late Bill Graham was the music writer who perhaps knew the band best. In a landmark review of the record that made U2 superstars, he analyses the American influences the band had taken onboard – and highlights the qualities that turned the album into a phenomenon.
Read MoreToday is the 30th anniversary of the release of The Joshua Tree. To occasion, we bring you the last of our key tracks that didn't make it onto the final cut of the album. Stay tuned for our Joshua Tree cover story during the day.
Read MoreThe Joshua Tree is a hopeful symbol in a world of chaos. Valentina Magli reveals some extraordinary facts about the album that turned U2 into superstars.
Read MoreThe penultimate day of our countdown to the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, where we bring you some key tracks that didn't make it onto the final cut of the album.
Read MoreA graphic artist and a musician in his own right, Dublin born Steve Averill has designed every album cover for U2, from Boy to Songs of Innocence. Here, Steve recollects how the seminal cover of The Joshua Tree was created – and emphasises the fresh relevance of the album today.
Read MoreOn March 9, it will be 30 years since the release of The Joshua Tree, a record that transformed U2 into the biggest rock band in the world. In this issue of Hot Press, we look back to the genesis of the album, how it was put together and and what made it work. And ask: has it stood the test of time?
Read MoreDay 2 of our countdown to the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, where we bring you some key tracks that didn't make it onto the final cut of the album.
Read MoreThere were a number of key tracks from The Joshua Tree sessions that didn’t make the final album cut. Today, we unveil the first in a series of seven.
Read MoreWe've the Insiders' Story of how Bono, Edge, Larry & Adam scored one of the fastest-selling albums in rock history...
Read MoreLongtime U2 fans have launched a campaign to make a film dedicated to U2's most dedicated followers.
Read MoreFollowing the announcement that U2 will be embarking on an American and European tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking fifth album, The Joshua Tree has sailed in at No. 3 on this week's Irish Album Chart.
Read MoreU2 fans will get the chance to party away in the company of a great tribute band at a special two night event being organised at The Church Bar venue in Dublin on the weekend of the historic Croke Park gig to celebrate the seminal classic album 'The Joshua Tree' in July, it has just been announced.
Read MoreSadly for fans who missed out on tickets for July 22's homecoming, Bono & Co. won't be doubling up at Croker...
Read MoreHaving yesterday announced a North American and European tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking album The Joshua Tree, we can now reveal ticket prices for the July 22 concert at Croke Park and when they can be purchased.
Read MoreThe Edge has revealed that controversial President-elect Donald Trump’s shock election victory was a contributing factor in U2’s decision to postpone their eagerly anticipated new album, ‘Songs of Experience.’
Read MoreThey've been known to bash out a mean 'One' cover...
Read More"The Joshua Tree documents a cultural as well as musical watershed, bookended by the band’s momentous homecoming gigs at Croke Park in ’85 and ’87," he wrote in 2002.
Read MoreIt took the combined force of Hot Press' Editor Niall Stokes and U2 journalist extraordinaire Bill Graham to thrash it out with the four members of U2 back in 1987 to uncover the method and the magic behind their seminal album THe Joshua Tree.
Read More"It clarifies how U2's vocation has become the revival and renewal of rock and the recovery of its most romantic values," said our man Bill Graham.
Read MoreThe Joshua Tree Tour 2017 is on! The full details have now been announced, with a Croke Park date included...
Read MoreSpeculation has been rife that a Croke Park date would be included in the rumoured U2 'Joshua Tree Anniversary' tour. PLUS full details of North American Joshua Tree Tour & European Joshua Tree Tour
Read MoreSpeculation has been mounting about a special U2 tour that would celebrate the release of their global smash hit album The Joshua Tree, 30 years on. Well, the announcement will be made this morning...
Read MoreU2 usually play some of the biggest venues in the world, but they’re now going to give some of their lucky fans the chance to watch them perform in one of the most intimate settings possible for a very worthy cause.
Read MoreU2 have posted a very interesting Christmas teaser on their website, remarking on the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree and hinting about a new album – and all that goes with it
Read MoreIn our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, here on hotpress.com we are featuring a stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2. As part of that extravaganza, for your delight and delectation, we've been highlighting obscure U2 tracks!
Read MoreIn our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, here on hotpress.com we are featuring a stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2. As part of that extravaganza, for your delight and delectation, we've been highlighting obscure U2 tracks!
Read MoreIn our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, here on hotpress.com we are featuring a stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2, over the 7 days of 'U2 Week’. As part of that extravaganza, for your delight and delectation, we are nominating an obscure U2 track every day! Your guide to the vaults: Valentina Magli
Read MoreIt is just over 40 years, since Larry Mullen put the note on the noticeboard in Mount Temple Comprehensive, which led to the formation of U2. As various contributions to this special issue of Hot Press confirm, that gesture changed the world for millions of people all over the globe. But that they are still together is perhaps the band’s greatest achievement...
Read MoreIn our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, here on hotpress.com we are featuring a stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2, over the 7 days of 'U2 Week’. As part of that extravaganza, for your delight and delectation, we are nominating an obscure U2 track every day!
Read MoreIn our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, here on hotpress.com we are featuring a stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2, over the 7 days of 'U2 Week’. As part of that extravaganza, for your delight and delectation, we are nominating an obscure U2 track every day!
Read MoreMcGonagles, in South Anne Street, Dublin, was one of the vital breeding grounds for young rock bands in Ireland towards the end of the 1970s. It was there that U2 did their ‘Jingle Balls’ gigs, which were a crucial formative moment for the band. But negotiating their way through those early days wasn’t always entirely straightforward…
Read MoreIn our celebration of the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, here on hotpress.com we are featuring a stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2, over the 7 days of 'U2 Week’. As part of that extravaganza, for your delight and delectation, we are nominating an obscure U2 track every day!
Read MoreTo celebrate the 40th Anniversary of U2’s first rehearsal in Larry Mullen’s kitchen, we will be featuring a steady stream of articles, recollections and opinions about U2, over the next 7 days of 'U2 Week', here on hotpress.com.
Read MoreOn September 25, 1976, a bunch of young Dublin teenagers, ranging in age from 13 to 16, gathered in a house in Artane to see if they could make a decent noise. Among those present on the day were Larry Mullen – who had made the call for like-minded souls by pinning a note pinned to the notice-board in Mount Temple Comprehensive – Paul Hewson, Adam Clayton and Dave Evans. Also there was Ivan McCormick, an aspiring guitar player, who wanted in on the action…
Read MoreIn the new issue of Hot Press, Olaf Tyaransen chats with the award-winning filmmaker about the extraordinary events leading up to U2's triumphant gigs in Paris, now immortalised on iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live In Paris
Read MoreThe band's unforgettable Paris visit to be released next month
Read MoreI never met Mozart, I never met Duke Ellington or Charlie Parker I never met Elvis But I met Prince - Bono
Read MoreBono, Adam, Larry and the Edge are sitting pretty at Number 3.
Read MoreThe follow-up to Songs of Innocence will be called Songs of Experience
Read MoreU2 guitarist honours Irish musician, and explores what guitars mean to him - especially his Signature Stratocaster
Read MoreThe album will be a companion piece to 2014's Songs of Innocence.
Read MoreStep this way for a bumper crop of tuneage...
Read More24 days after the Bataclan tragedy in Paris, U2 gave back to Eagles Of Death Metal the stage that was "stolen from them", as Bono put it, by inviting the five members to join his band in front of 20,000 people. Jean-Pierre Sabouret, who was in The Bataclan on November 13, writes...
Read MoreVeteran rock journalist Jean-Pierre Sabouret was at Le Bataclan the night of the horrific attack that left 89 dead. He checks in with Hot Press having been there to see the return of Eagles of Death Metal last night
Read More'People Have The Power' was well and truly kicked out & jammed!
Read MoreWe have to say they made beautiful music together!
Read MoreThe 2FM man checked in with Hot Press following the first of U2's shows in the City of Light. The reaction to the band's much-anticipated return to the French capital, he says, was something special...
Read MoreThere were extraordinary scenes tonight in Paris as Bono, Adam, Edge and Larry took to the stage in AccorHotels Arena
Read MoreAs the iNNOCENCE and eXPERIENCE tour finally comes to Paris, it's sure to be an emotional night. We'll be updating throughout the evening as the City of Lights welcomes Dublin's finest to the first of 2 nights at the AccorHotels Arena. [photo by Eoin McLoughlin]
Read MoreOne of them forgot the words to 'One', but it was still an amazing jam!
Read MoreLast week, from Monday 23rd November to Saturday 28th November we had the most incredible experience with U2 taking over Dublin in the most thrilling way. Each of the four shows were unique, each night was spectacular.
Read MoreIt was a night full of emotion & great music
Read More'Angel Of Harlem' becomes 'Angel Of Dublin'!
Read MoreBono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen knew that when they took the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour to Dublin, it would be an emotional time. But even their expectations were surpassed – and then some – on a spectacular final night...
Read MoreNoel Gallagher and Matt Damon were in the audience as the four-piece from the North side played a final triumphant Dublin show...
Read MoreThey came from all over the world to see U2 in 3Arena: Here's just a taste of the fans who got to enjoy one of iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE TOUR's most incredible nights!
Read MoreAhead of the next U2 gigs this weekend, read about Olaf Tyaransen's slightly awkward backstage encounter with Bono and the boys at Paris's exclusive Man Ray Club.
Read MoreThey came from all over the world to see U2 in 3Arena: Here's just a taste of the fans who got to enjoy one of iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE TOUR's most incredible nights!
Read MoreIn the run up to their Irish sojourn, The Edge spoke to Hot Press in an exclusive interview, in which the U2 guitarist gave an extraordinary insight into the band's meticulous approach to their Irish shows, talks openly about the state of the music industry, the bad luck that seemed to stalk the band at the start of the tour cycle and the benefits of that Apple deal - as well as the rise of Donald Trump and repealing the 8th amendment.
Read MoreWhoever was privy to U2's gig last night must have been in awe of the incredible show the band put on this time. The designer Willie Williams lifts the lid on conjuring up one of the most captivating shows of the band's career.
Read MoreIt was a very special sort of homecoming...
Read MoreFollowing the tragic events in the French capital 10 days ago, the band were forced to cancel two shows on their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour; now, they've announced the new dates for the gigs
Read MoreThe announcement by U2 that €2million from their Irish concerts would be donated to the educational intuitive Music Generation has been followed with a €1million commitment from The Ireland Funds.
Read MoreWhile the countdown to their 3Arena shows is in full swing, we occasionally like to look back at where our fantastic four came from - and some never-seen-before shots in the current issue of Hot Press bring the memories flooding back
Read MoreAt the SSE Arena in Belfast tonight, Bono, Adam, Larry and the Edge were in scintillating form, mixing classic U2 hits with tracks from the acclaimed Songs of Innocence. But the ultimate show-stopping moment was their performance of ‘Raise By Wolves’. And relax: there was no riot... Report: Edwin McFee
Read MoreBarney blew with all its might, but nothing could compare to the hurricane that stormed through Belfast’s SSE Arena tonight. For the first time in almost two decades, U2 were back in town.
Read MoreThe U2 man has spoken of the "direct hit on music" following the mass shootings at the Eagles Of Death Metal gig
Read MoreThe band say they're "devastated by the loss of life"
Read MoreAs the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour finally approaches Irish shores, it's time to once again celebrate U2 - not just the best of Irish, but the greatest rock band in the world.
Read MoreIn our U2 Special Collectors’ Issue, long-time sound whizz for the quartet reveals some of the secrets of their state-of-the-art show, and explains the challenges of breaking down barriers to create something never seen before
Read MoreIn today's Hot Press we speak to Edge before the Irish shows and he confirms that work on Songs Of Experience is gathering apace
Read MoreThe new Hot Press (out now) is a Special Collectors’ Edition looking forward to the touchdown of U2’s Songs Of iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour in Belfast and Dublin.
Read MoreFormer Lord Mayor of Belfast Jim Rodgers had wanted them to drop the song from the SSE Arena set
Read MoreAhead of the band's glorious Irish homecoming, we're celebrating our Fab Four in the new issue of Hot Press, where Olaf Tyaransen talks to Edge and a galaxy of stars celebrate our very own rock gods
Read MoreIn his now-traditional interview with Larry Gogan.
Read MoreThere have been big changes in the show between the opening date of U2’s Innocence + Experience tour in Vancouver, and last night’s show in London.
Read MoreTheir "Experience Bus" at a recent London show allowed you to immerse yourself in 'Song For Someone'.
Read MoreFans were treated to double-handed versions of 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' & 'All You Need Is Love'
Read MoreBono's thrilled with recent live reviews, while The Edge promises that immortality will be invented in 27 years...
Read MoreThe band are performing two songs this week on the Chris Evans reboot
Read MoreThe band’s Swedish appearances may have been disrupted by a security alert, but they turned in four blistering performances in Stockholm, which underlined their status as the greatest rock ’n' roll band on the planet. PHOTO: J. Lundgren
Read MoreIt was back to rock 'n' roll business last night in The Globen
Read MoreFans had to be evacuated from the packed Globen arena last night
Read MoreTickets appear on online reselling sites with an eye-watering mark-up
Read MoreNo cash will be accepted for general admission tickets for U2’s upcoming shows in 3Arena, Dublin and the SSE Arena, Belfast...
Read MoreOlaf Tyaransen looks forward to the appearance of U2 at 3Arena in Dublin and SSE Arena in Belfast.
Read MoreLooking at the various schedules, we're reckoning on a November 22 kick-off in the 3Arena
Read MoreAdam, Bono, Edge and Larry have done New York! Rowan Stokes was there the night they were joined by Lady Gaga, in what was a triumphant run of shows, in the heart of the Big Apple...
Read MoreIt really was a beautiful meeting of musical minds!
Read MoreLast night Lady Gaga teamed up with U2 for their Madison Square Gardens residency show to perform a duet of their song 'Ordinary Love'
Read MoreFirst shows of Madison Square Garden residency wows Big Apple
Read More"Just go if you have the cash," implores the Boston Herald
Read MoreThe 'Song For Someone' promo seriously tugs at the heartstrings!
Read MoreLong-time tour manager was found dead hours before LA Forum performance
Read MoreThe death of the former Led Zeppelin tour manager has rocked the music world. "He was a legend," said Bono...
Read MoreThe U2 singer declared on Saturday: "On this very day we have true equality in Ireland."
Read MoreIt was the beginning of a long year’s journey into night. Here, Olaf Tyaransen reflects on what U2 mean to him – and how the portents are increasingly positive for the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour
Read More...But the U2 guitarist has shown the world his nasty bruise.
Read MoreWith the performance "tight" and the production "stunning", the world's biggest band get off to a terrific start in Vancouver.
Read MoreU2 kick off world tour in Rogers Arena, Vancouver
Read MoreWe've some early shots and the setlist from the recent action in Rogers Arena.
Read MoreThe band will also be using three stages, to ensure that all ticket-holders can participate fully in the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE. From Olaf Tyaransen, in Vancouver…
Read MoreAnd on Same Sex Marriage Referendum, Bono says: “As far as I know, Jesus was never married."
Read MoreThe U2 singer speaks out on the forthcoming same-sex marriage referendum.
Read MoreThe band were in top form last night as they returned to US network TV
Read MoreUnsuspecting New York commuters stumbled up Bono, The Edge, Larry, Adam and Jimmy at the start of their work week.
Read MoreIn a wide-ranging, engaging interview, the U2 frontman told Tony Fenton about his hopes for Dublin shows: "Let's do something we're not going to do anywhere else in the world."
Read MoreBono speaks about his desire to play Dublin in a pre-recorded interview with the late Tony Fenton aired today, but nothing concrete has been put in place.
Read MoreYou could be heading to Vancouver to catch the Dublin band kick off their tour in Vancouver.
Read MoreU2 are releasing a 2 x 12", 6,000 limited-edition Deluxe version of Age Of Innocence as their contribution to Record Store Day 2015 on April 18.
Read MoreWhat our team of critics made of the records in the running for Irish Album Of The Year 2014.
Read MoreNew video features footage from Irish filmmaker Aoife McArdle's short film of the same name, depicting a love story set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles
Read MoreMinister Jan O'Sullivan announces four new ventures to receive funding
Read MoreBill Clinton, Daniel Day Lewis, Neil Jordan and Gabriel Byrne are also involved with the Bono-inspired Sons+Fathers.
Read MoreChoice cut from Songs of Innocence grabs top spot in our end-of-year poll The release of Songs of Innocence may have caused a storm at the time, but now that the dust has settled, the quality of U2’s newest LP is clear for all to see.
Read MoreNew dates added in North America and Europe...but Irish fans left waiting
Read MoreAnd those U2 Films Of Innocence vids just keep on coming!
Read MoreThe videos from U2's Films Of Innocence have been hitting the 'net, and fab looking they are too!
Read MoreGuitarist compares the singer's injuries to those following a car crash, but says "he's doing OK"
Read MoreSpecial Dublin shows are also being planned for the end of next year...
Read MoreBill Clinton, Barack Obama, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Kanye West were in the supporting cast in World AIDS Day celebration...
Read MoreAdam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. will be joined by Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay’s Chris Martin at a special gig to celebrate World AIDS Day in Times Square in New York - live from 12.20 am Irish Time.
Read More“This year is a World AIDS Day like no other,” says Bono. But his injuries will prevent the singer from performing at U2’s planned celebration in New York, that will also star Chris Martin, as well as Kanye West and Carrie Underwood...
Read MoreArtists have been commissioned to create 11 films inspired by Songs Of Innocence.
Read MoreU2 frontman narrowly avoids fatal accident on private jet...
Read MoreWhen U2 released their latest album Songs of Innocence free on iTunes, it sparked a furious and often heated debate. But after 30 million downloads and close to 100 million listens, the attention is finally shifting to the music. On the way to a TV show in Germany, Hot Press caught up with Adam, Bono, Edge and Larry...
Read MoreAnti-corruption legislation, that forces oil companies to declare how much was paid for mining rights, required Irish government support to get through...
Read MoreAdam Clayton's former PA Carol Hawkins has seen her appeal against the severity of her prison sentence rejected by the Court of Criminal Appeal this morning.
Read MoreU2 are to join house band The Roots for a week of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon appearances, kicking off on Monday November 17.
Read MoreOur trip down memory lane continues, we find our current cover stars revitalised at the turn of the century.
Read MoreThe U2 singer says he is unfazed by the controversy over Songs of Innocence.
Read MoreWhen U2 released their latest album Songs of Innocence, it was the subject of heated controversy. While the arguments aren't over yet, the attention is gradually turning to the music...
Read MoreWe go back in time to 1981 and find our current cover stars ready to storm America.
Read MoreBono, Larry, Adam and The Edge open up from a private jet, and that's just the start...
Read MoreWhen Songs of Innocence – and its unorthodox release – became the biggest story in music, it served as reminder that U2 remain the biggest band on planet rock.
Read More“The idea that we trousered 100 million is ridiculous,” the guitarist tells Olaf Tyaransen
Read MoreHigh entries for Slipknot and Ben Howard, but they haven't outsold the Irish.
Read MoreIf you weren’t glued to your telly screen last night, here’s U2 tearing it up on Later… With Jools Holland.
Read MoreThe Irish band got top billing tonight, in a stellar cast that also included Sam Smith and Interpol.
Read MoreFollowing their comprehensive nailing of ‘The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)’ and ‘Song For Someone’ last weekend on the Graham Norton Show, U2 join Interpol, Zola Jesus, Dave & Phil Alvin and Sam Smith tonight at 11.35am on Later… With Jools Holland.
Read MoreIt's a colourfully saturated, retro, VHS-style offering from the Irish rock icons.
Read MoreThe U2 frontman admits to "a drop of megalomania" in giving away Songs Of Innocence to every iTunes user.
Read MoreTo celebrate the physical release today in Ireland of U2's Songs Of Innocence, we're giving away four copies of the extremely sexy looking 2 x 12" white vinyl limited-edition that we unwrapped this morning on hotpress.com...
Read MoreApple have revealed that in addition to it automatically appearing in libraries, 26 million iTunes users have actively downloaded Songs Of Innocence with 81 million ‘experiencing’ the album through iTunes, iTunes Radio and Beats Music.
Read MoreHot Press' Stuart Clark unwraps the stunning vinyl album of 'Songs of Innocence' by U2.
Read MoreU2 are being lined-up for the October 21 and 24 editions of Later… With Jools Holland.
Read MoreCollaboration with Lykke Li soundtracks teaser for Season 5
Read MoreBono confirms the band will be scaling back for their live dates next year.
Read MoreWell known Dublin band are back with a crash, bang and wallop...
Read MoreThe U2 frontman says that the blogosphere is enough to put you off democracy, in an exclusive interview with the renowned RTE presenter.
Read More"Joey would have been honoured," drummer Marky Ramone says of lead single 'The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)'.
Read MoreThe two Irish superstars have been throwing around ideas for some years now.
Read MoreiTunes users now have the option to delete Songs Of Innocence from their accounts.
Read MoreU2 manager Gus Oseary has spoken to American trade magazine Billboard about their $100 million deal with Apple.
Read MoreThere’s been an avalanche of reaction to U2 taking us all unawares, with the release of their Songs Of Innocence album.
Read MoreFormer U2 manager Paul McGuinness has spoken to Irish national radio station Newstalk about the surprise unleashing yesterday of Songs Of Innocence.
Read MoreThere may have been rumours, but U2 still took the world by surprise with what is one of rock’s biggest ever coups...
Read MoreRumours of music video shoots in Dublin that were really iPhone commercials have been dispelled.
Read MoreThere is also speculation that the band will participate in the iTunes music festival in London.
Read MoreTimes aren’t too hard for U2 with the Sunday Times Rich List suggesting that the chaps are collectively worth £428 million.
Read MoreU2 have officially denied reports that they’ve pushed back the release of their new album to 2015 and claims that surfaced in certain tabloids that they’re on the verge of splitting.
Read MoreTop of the Rock, the band were on hand to welcome Jimmy Fallon to The Tonight Show.
Read MoreU2’s ‘Invisible’ managed to notch up over three million downloads during the 24-hour period it was available for free, which the Bank of America matched by donating over $3 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Read MoreThe U2 frontman on Ramones and Kraftwerk influences on their new album, working with Danger Mouse and how he fears his band are "on the verge of irrelevance".
Read MoreYou have up until 5am on Tuesday to get yourself a free iTunes download copy of U2’s ‘Invisible’, which was teaser trailered during this morning’s Superbowl half-time ad break.
Read MoreWe'll get our first taste of 'Invisible' during an ad break, after which free iTunes downloads of the single will raise money for charity.
Read MoreThere was excitement – then much head scratching last night among the U2 community when Dave Fanning announced on his 2fm show “I’m going to give you something now, a brand new, first time play which is from U2. This song here, will it be on the album? Just a blast! Brand new, ‘Invisible.’”
Read MoreLast night turned out to be an extremely good one for U2 with the chaps picking up a Best Original Song Golden Globe with ‘Ordinary Love’.
Read MoreHere the Grammy-winning producer's take on 'Ordinary Love'.
Read More'Original Love', penned for Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, is up for Best Original Song.
Read MoreThe four members of U2 have signed a statement which formalises the beginning of their new deal with Live Nation
Read MoreWith the country understandably gripped by sick rugby-related parotdom, we thought we’d try and cheer you up with the world’s finest karaoke ensemble – Chic plus Bono
Read MoreThe song is taken from the band’s recent sessions with Danger Mouse and will feature in the upcoming film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Read MoreTeam Hot Press is proud to announce North Side Story, a limited-edition book we’ve produced for the good folk at U2.com...
Read MoreWe are loving Jenny & Tyler’s gorgeous cover of U2’s ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, which also features Sara Gloves.
Read More'Ordinary Love' has been penned for a new biopic on the inspiring South African statesman.
Read MoreAmnesty International has announced the early November release of a 2-CD, 6-DVD box-set celebrating 25-years of their Human Rights Now benefit gigs.
Read MoreThe Irish stars join Amnesty International in calling for the two jailed members to be released...
Read MoreBono and Co. will perform Aslan's 'This Is' for audiences worldwide on Friday June 21
Read MoreIt’s in aid of the agit8 campaign, which is calling on western leaders to help end extreme poverty by 2030.
Read MoreToronto Globe & Mail music journalist Brad Wheeler has been tweeting about the interview he’s just conducted with Daniel Lanois.
Read MoreYou can also catch David Gray, Gabriella Cilmi and The Magic Numbers going acoustic for Africa.
Read MoreThe Department of Education are to start helping fund the Music Generation project, which U2 and The Ireland Funds have bankrolled to the tune of €7 million since 2007.
Read MoreCarol Hawkins, the former personal assistant to Adam Clayton of U2, has been found guilty of stealing almost €3 million from him.
Read MoreA stripped down 'Original Of The Species' appears on thew new Every Mother Counts 2012 compilation.
Read MoreThey’ll be recreating the infamous Achtung Baby cover design with sixteen winning entries…
Read MoreThe sound of four men chopping down the joshua tree - over then discs!
Read MoreIt's part of a 20th Anniversary Achtung Baby tribute compilation.
Read MoreFrom The Sky Down will be shown on BBC One this Sunday, October 9.
Read MoreCheck out a sneak peak of From The Sky documentary which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last week.
Read MoreAccording to a statement made to The Mirror Bono is in good health, despite recent press stories to the contrary.
Read MoreContrary to reports in the Irish Independent this morning Bono says he did not suffer a heart scare while in the South of France.
Read MoreThe investment vehicle involving Bono has seen the value of their Facebook stake increase dramatically.
Read MorePlus your chance to finally see the world through Bono's eyes.
Read MoreA further big screen outing for Bono and the boys is in store.
Read MoreThe alien-like works of art are set to live on!
Read MoreBroadway musical triumphs over adversity
Read MoreMeanwhile, there's the small matter of tonight's Glasto headliner!
Read MoreLouth, Mayo and Sligo set to receive up to €1.6 million in funding over three years from U2 and Ireland Funds supported venture
Read MoreThe record was beaten last night in Brazil.
Read MoreThe late, extremely great Bill Graham joined U2 on the American tour promoting Boy, their classic album, which turns 37 today...
Read MoreOver 98,000 people watched their gig last night in the FNB Stadium.
Read MoreU2 brought their high octane show to Brussels for two nights to make amends for skipping them the last time around
Read MoreAccording to Paul McGuinness, it's likely to land in early 2011.
Read MoreBono and the boys rocked the foundations of the famous city and our man was there to catch the best bits
Read MoreThe band went on to play a blinder in the Luzhniki stadium.
Read MorePaul McGuinness talks to Hot Press after U2’s triumphant Turin show.
Read MoreHot Press talks to Paul McGuinness minutes after their Turin show.
Read MoreThe penultimate gig from the groundbreaking tour last year saw U2 making history on a number of fronts
Read MoreU2 have however been forced to cancel their Glastonbury headliner & postpone 16 US dates.
Read MoreOnly one of them will be happening before June!
Read MoreU2360°At The Rose Bowl is due in June and features a host of extras.
Read MoreThrough ten years of extraordinary turbulence, other contenders have squared up to U2 – but the Irish four-piece have seen them all off to retain their crown as the biggest, and millions would agree the best, band in the world.
Read MoreThe band's trans-Atlantic exploits earned them $108 million in 2009.
Read More‘Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)’ will be available soon for iTunes download.
Read MoreU2, Jay-Z & Rihanna are collaborating on a tie-in single.
Read MoreIt Might Get Loud, the movie featuring Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White, got its first Irish airing last night at the IFC in Dublin – to a hugely positive reaction.
Read MoreU2 have yet again claimed first place in Fanning’s Fab 50 on RTÉ 2fm, with the extraordinary 'One' – which first appeared on the Achtung Baby album, and has since gone on to become U2's most popular and enduring song.
Read MoreNo Line On The Horizon and ‘I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight’ are both up for awards!
Read MoreWith the crowd having waited patiently through snow, rain and wind on a bitterly cold Berlin night, U2’s arrival on stage was greeted with joy and jubilation.
Read MoreU2 will headline the Pyramid Stage on Friday night (June 25) at Glastonbury 2010.
Read MoreU2 played an electrifying mini-set to an audience of 10,000 at Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) this evening, to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Read MoreU2 will perform a free show at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to mark the 20th anniversary of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Read MoreIt's taking place in the early hours of Monday morning.
Read MoreThey've also announced more European tour dates.
Read MoreThe economy may be swirling down the plughole, but Ireland has a rich history of entrepreneurship. We need to build on this.
Read MoreUS university to host a conference on 'U2:The Hype and The Feedback'
Read MoreIn rock terms, that's what U2 are, having successfully defended their crown against all-comers since The Joshua Tree crashed to No.1 in the US in 1987.
Read MoreThey came from the four corners to see U2 at Croke Park. Our reviewer caught the opening night of the 360º tour’s Irish leg.
Read MoreU2 pitch up to Croke Park for the final night of their Dublin jaunt with a little help from fellow locals The Script and Bell X1
Read MoreBono and the lads are back in Croke Park for the second night of their 360 Tour visit to Dublin
Read MoreBono and co play the first of three nights on the banks of the Royal Canal...
Read MoreSome of the many faces that travelled from all corners of the globe to see U2 play a triumphant hometown gig
Read MoreThe party's taking place in New York in October.
Read MoreThe current issue of Hot Press includes an exclusive interview with The Edge in which he talks about meeting Michael Jackson, the singer's death, criticism of U2 in Ireland, blogging and the controversy over U2’s carbon footprint. He also gives a unique insider’s view of how U2’s 360º Tour works.
Read MoreThe opening night of a U2 tour can be fraught with peril. But in the Camp Nou in Barcelona tonight they exorcised the demons of previous tours and started on a winning note. Report: Olaf Tyaransen
Read MoreThey have just been confirmed to play on Kenny's last show
Read MoreAlready all over the Irish airwaves, U2's 'Magnificent' track will be the second single from their recent No.1 album.
Read MoreAs predicted by Hot Press, U2 have confirmed a third date in Croke Park this July.
Read MoreAs U2 gear up for the release of No Line On The Horizon, they meet HP to talk about the creation of their latest masterwork, meeting world leaders, the way they’re perceived in Ireland, the current state of the music business and their future plans.
Read More...so says School of Seven Bells frontman Benjamin Curtis, as he recounts how he was given a sneak listen to the No Line On The Horizon by his mates Edge and Bono.
Read MoreAs their album reaches the No.1 spot in the UK and Ireland, U2 have announced details of their 360° Tour, which is being sponsored by Blackberry.
Read MorePaul McGuinness has been talking to Hot Press about the imminent announcement of U2’s world tour, which is likely to include three Croke Park stop-offs in July.
Read MoreRTÉ 2FM's Larry Gogan will play his recent interview with U2 drummer Larry Mullen this Sunday.
Read MoreIt's a taxing life being a rock star – as The Edge talks to Hot Press about the controversy over U2's tax situation.
Read MoreHMV's social networking site getcloser.com are asking U2 fans to vote online for what they think is the band's best song.
Read MoreHot Press was granted unique access to U2, interviewing all four members as they rehearsed for their recent Brit Awards appearance. They talk about No Line On The Horizon, how they're viewed in Ireland, the current state of the music business and more...
Read MoreFans will be able to get hold of No Line On The Horizon within minutes of its Irish release.
Read MoreThe boys are playing a five-night residency on the Letterman show.
Read MoreThe No Line On The Horizon title-track gets its world premiere on the rock station on Thursday.
Read MoreThe video for U2’s new single, 'Get On Your Boots', will be premiered today on U2.com, with a television premiere on RTÉ’s Six One News.
Read MoreU2's new single 'Get On Your Boots' has shot straight to No.1 in the Irish airplay charts.
Read MoreU2 have confirmed the cover artwork & track-listing of their No Line On The Horizon album.
Read MoreThe Garda Fraud Squad investigate online ticket scam
Read MoreThere's plenty of exciting Irish releases to look forward to in the coming months, including new records from U2, The Answer, Laura Izibor and more...
Read MoreThe new U2 album is to be called No Line On The Horizon, and is due for release next March.
Read MoreU2, The Clash and Elbow have joined War Child's Heroes project to raise money for children living in the world's most dangerous war zones.
Read MoreHot Press is delighted to bring you this peek at U2 applying the finishing touches to their new album in London.
Read MoreThe group took part in the effort to raise £500,000 on Monday at a fundraiser in London for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the BRIT School.
Read MoreU2 are to receive 1.56 million shares worth around $18.5 million in American concert promoters Live Nation Inc.
Read MoreU2’s tour manager Dennis Sheehan has been selected for this year's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Parnelli Awards Board of Directors.
Read MoreFollowing on from Bono's comments that 2009 will be their year, it's confirmed: there will definitely be no new U2 album this year.
Read MoreBono has been talking up the new U2 album, which appears to have been pushed back to early 2009.
Read MoreHot Press understands that there’s absolutely no concern in the U2 camp over four tracks from the band’s new album which leaked onto YouTube over the weekend.
Read MoreU2's Live At Red Rocks DVD and the Under A Blood Red Sky album will now get the re-release treatment on September 26.
Read MoreThe U2 reissue onslaught continues with a digitally overhauled version of their 1983 live album, Under A Blood Red Sky, out here on September 20.
Read MoreColdplay's Viva La Vida is likely to see the end of its current reign at the top of the Irish charts as U2 release re-mastered versions of their classic albums Boy, October and War.
Read MoreU2 fans are going to have to do some serious shelling out over the next few weeks if they want to keep their collections up to date.
Read MoreU2 manager Paul McGuinness has been dropping hints about the release of the new U2 album, which is provisionally planned for October.
Read MoreU2 have announced details of the bonus tracks gracing the Deluxe format version of their Boy, October and War album, which is out in July.
Read MoreU2 soundman Joe O’Herlihy has revealed that following a stint in Dublin’s Windmill Lane Studios, the band are set to do some warm weather recording overseas.
Read MoreU2 producer Daniel Lanois has been talking about the recording of the band's new album, which resumes this week in Dublin’s Windmill Lane studio.
Read MoreWell, some of the time! U2 3D has just hit the screens and it takes our appreciation of Bono and the boys into another dimension.
Read MoreU2 manager Paul McGuinness has expressed interest in the band playing in London's O2 Arena this autumn.
Read More1,200 people packed into Park City, Utah’s Eccles Theater last night for the world premiere of 'U23D'.
Read MoreGet out your calendars and mark these dates, as we give you the run-down of the key albums due to hit shelves in 2008.
Read More3D-equipped cinemas are to show the new U2 concert film 'U2 3D' beginning on February 22.
Read MoreU2 have set a date for the release of their 3D concert film 'U2 3D'.
Read MorePaul McGuinness has revealed that there are more U2 remasters in the pipeline.
Read MoreU2's manager Paul McGuinness is to be interviewed on Dublin's Phantom 105.2 this Sunday as part of a special programme looking back at the band's Joshua Tree album.
Read MoreU2 have quashed rumours of a residency in London's O2 Arena next year.
Read MoreFor many people it is U2's greatest album. Twenty years on, to mark it's re-release, Colm O'Hare talks to Daniel Lanois and reflects on the extraordinary background to a monumental album.
Read MorePreviously unreleased U2 track 'Wave Of Sorrow,' which will be included in the new re-issue of The Joshua Tree, is now available online through iLike.com
Read MoreU2 have discussed the details of never-before heard tracks to be included on the forthcoming deluxe edition re-release of their 'Joshua Tree' album.
Read MoreU2's classic album 'The Joshua Tree' is set for a re-release to mark its 20th anniversary.
Read MoreLegendary producer and musician Daniel Lanois has revealed that big strides are being taken in the recording of U2's new album.
Read MoreU2 are set to feature prominently in Here Is What Is, a new fly-on-the-studio-wall documentary that’s been put together by their long-time confidante Daniel Lanois.
Read MoreAccording to well-placed sources the world’s highest-paid supermodel, Gisele Bundchen, has agreed to star in the video for the next U2 single – whenever and whatever that is.
Read MoreThere are plans to release U2’s Mexico PopMart concert from 1997 on DVD later this year.
Read MoreWhen fans were asked to choose a theme song for Hilary Clinton's Presidential campaign, it seems U2 didn't quite cut it.
Read MoreIn time for our birthday issue, The Edge talks exclusively to Peter Murphy about 30 years of Ireland's premier music mag, and reveals that they're working on a "project" rather than a new album.
Read MoreU2 are back in Dublin following a songwriting sojourn in the medieval Moroccan city of Fez.
Read MoreFans and festival folk heading to see the world premiere of U2 3D at Cannes Film Fest got more than expected when the world's most famous Irishmen played an impromptu set on the red carpet.
Read MoreIconic memorabilia belonging to Bono and The Edge helped to raise €1.8 million in an auction to benefit musicians left with nothing after Hurricane Katrina.
Read MoreU2 stars Bono and The Edge are in negotiations to write the score for a new musical on Spiderman.
Read MoreTurning 30 has made Hot Press feel a bit geriatric, but we’re mere kids compared to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year.
Read MoreFans can get a close-up look at The Edge’s 1975 Gibson Les Paul from April 3 to 6 when it goes on display in Dublin’s Clarence Hotel.
Read MoreThe much-anticipated results of the HOTPRESS Readers’ Poll are announced in the new issue published Thursday, January 25.
Read MoreA speech by Bono at a 2005 White House conference on extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa is to be published in book form.
Read MoreThe world's biggest band finished their tour with a little help from their friends.
Read MoreU2, Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams and other notables have called for a change to extend the length that copyright laws apply.
Read MoreNiall Stokes draws on his best-selling book Into The Heart: The Stories Behind The Songs Of U2 to offer a unique insight into the way in which some of the greatest songs in the history of popular music came into being.
Read MoreU2 have won their legal battle against their former stylist, Lola Cashman.
Read More'The Saints Are Coming', the new single by U2 and Green Day, has debuted at No.1 in Ireland.
Read MoreThe next issue of Hot Press, out on Thursday November 16, finds Ireland’s most fortnightly magazine celebrating the release of U2 18 Singles.
Read MoreDemons for new technology that they are, U2 are planning to release a 3-D Vertigo concert film, which will premiere next year.
Read MoreWith the publication of U2 By U2, the band have finally got to tell the story of their success from their own perspective. It’s got some great pictures too.
Read MoreU2 have announced that after 26 years they're to part with Island Records, though they're now moving to another subsidiary of Universal.
Read MoreA lucky 250 U2 fans got the chance to meet their idols at a book signing in Eason's on O'Connell Street yesterday (September 24). View our photo gallery direct from Dublin 1.
Read MoreU2 manager Paul McGuinness has broken the band's silence about the decision to move their financial operations to the Netherlands. The decision inspired considerable criticism in Ireland, notably from the Labour spokesman on Finance, Joan Burton TD. In an interview that will appear in the new edition of Hot Press, McGuinness defends the band's position in a strongly worded statement of the underlying logic.
Read MoreU2 are set to follow in the Rolling Stones’ steps by transferring the music publishing wing of their operation to the Netherlands.
Read MoreBono has revealed that U2 are planning to start work on a new album.
Read MoreAmerica’s ESPN cable sports network has enlisted U2’s help to promote its live World Cup coverage.
Read MoreThey've accomplished more than many other bands but until now there was still one field not yet tackled by U2- the western theme song.
Read MoreThose left disappointed with the postponment of the band's last dates for the Vertigo tour will be glad to know that they're busy rescheduling the concerts.
Read MoreU2 have been forced to pull out of the last shows of their Veritgo world tour.
Read MoreIrish rockers U2 cleaned up at the Grammys in Los Angeles last night, winning gongs in all five of the categories for which they were nominated.
Read MoreThe Meteor Awards took place in Dublin last night and U2 were the clear winners, winning in all three categories they were nominated in.
Read MoreBono was on hand today as a new initiative to fight HIV and AIDS was announced at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Read MoreThe Brazilian contingent of U2's global following were left disgruntled after the allocation of tickets for their Sao Paolo show descended into chaos.
Read MoreThe nominations for the 2006 Brit Awards have been announced, and it's no surprise that U2 are waving the Irish flag.
Read MoreThe US's Billboard magazine have charted U2's as the highest grossing tour of 2005.
Read MoreU2 have been honoured with an accolade from campaign group Amnesty International.
Read MoreMonday night saw Bono paying tribute to Mo Mowlam at a remembrance event for the former Northern Ireland Secretary in London’s Drury Lane Theatre.
Read MoreIrish rock gods U2 have confirmed their first dates for next year's Vertigo 2006, now that Vertigo 2005 has nearly run its course.
Read MoreThe Edge is spearheading an initiative to supply instruments to Gulf Coast musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Read MoreBono has given his blessing to a Mary J. Blige cover of ‘One’.
Read MoreHot Press is delighted to bring you this sneak preview of the Vertigo 2005 – U2 Live From Chicago cover artwork.
Read MoreU2 have hit out at former first lady Hilary Clinton after it was revealed that she is using their Washington concert as an opportunity to fundraise for the Democrat Party.
Read MoreAs if they didn't have enough achievements under their belt already, U2 are to be the first muscial guests to 'take over' the prestigious Late Show With Conan O'Brien in the US.
Read MoreU2 have confirmed ‘All Because Of You’ as the fourth single to be lifted from their Vertigo album.
Read MoreIn one of the starriest line-ups we've seen since Live 8, celebs and artists led by U2 are rallying together to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. A special telethon will be aired on all six US networks as well as Sky One tonight.
Read MoreU2 are to be honoured by the Portugeuse government this weekend when the Vertigo tour stops off in Lisbon.
Read MoreGlastonbury organiser Michael Eavis has described U2 as “blighters” after the band rejected an offer to play at the 2005 festival.
Read MoreCosts have been awarded against U2’s former stylist Lola Cashman in a hearing at the Dublin Circuit Civil Court today.
Read MoreIn what is almost certainly an all-time record, U2 currently have no less than eleven albums in the Irish Top 75, as compiled by IRMA.
Read MoreU2 have won their court battle with former stylist Lola Cashman over tour memorbilia and clothing they claim she stole while employed by the band during their Joshua Tree world tour in 1987. The verdict was announced this morning (Tuesday July 5) to a packed Dublin Circuit Civil Court by Mr Justice Matthew Deery. Neither Ms Cashman nor members of U2 were present to hear the verdict.
Read More"Tonight it’s impossible to resist the tune’s Spielbergian scale.House lights full on, Mr Hewson looks like he’s being borne up by 80,000 voices."
Read MoreThe stage times for the three Dublin shows have been announced
Read MoreSteve Lillywhite, who produced U2's first three albums – and has featured on the production team of almost all of their records – looks back over the band's career and recalls the highs... and the lows
Read MoreThere could be no better illustration of how U2 have become global icons. Kick-starting the European leg of their Vertigo tour in Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium on June 10, the old anti-sectarian favourite ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ electrified the crowd like no other. Here, however, it had been transformed from its original intent as a plea to end bloodshed in Northern Ireland into a hymn for religious harmony among the ‘sons of Abraham’ – Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Read MoreTickets for U2's concerts in London and Manchester are now available online
Read MoreU2 have been talking about revisiting their album Pop, which Bono says is "not what it was intended to be"
Read MoreU2 have confirmed that they will not be playing a fourth date in Dublin
Read MoreChicago fans took a double-take recently when U2 played 'Vertigo' twice during their set
Read More‘City Of Blinding Lights’ is the next cab off the Vertigo rank
Read MoreU2 have added a third Dublin date to their Vertigo world tour
Read MoreBackcombed bouffants, mullets and white boy Afros. No, we’re not talking about The A – Z Of Really Bad Haircuts, but the new Anton Corbijn photo-book, U2 & I, which serves up a pictorial history of the band from February 1982 (New Orleans) to April 2004 (Portugal). Pictures supplied courtesy of Anton Corblin/ U2 & I published by Schirmmer/Mosel
Read MoreDateline San Diego, March 28th: with seven songs from their world-beating Vertigo album in the set, on the opening night of their world tour, it quickly became clear that – the occasional glitch notwithstanding – U2 have re-imagined their live set with remarkable success. Tara McCarthy asks: how do they do it?
Read MoreWith band currently involved in rehearsals in Canada, U2 manager Paul McGuinness (and an eavesdropping fan with super hearing) has revealed some details of what's in store...
Read MoreHarperCollins have unveiled a microsite to prime U2 fans for their new book, U2 By U2
Read MoreU2 was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in a memorable ceremony held in New York
Read MoreAs U2 get ready to launch their Vertigo World Tour in San Diego, a whole gaggle – or should that be whoop? – of Irish artists have covered their songs on the Today FM supported Even Better Than The Real Thing.
Read MoreA Bono aid says that the singer has no intention of taking over from James Wolfensohn as the leader of the World Bank.
Read MoreNext month sees U2 inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in New York
Read MoreU2 got their fair share of limelight at last night's Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles
Read MoreToday FM listeners have voted U2's 'One' as the Best Irish Song From The Past 25 Years
Read MoreAnton Corbijn's long-awaited photography book U2&I is now available for fans to purchase
Read MoreU2.com has posted "An Open Letter From Larry Mullen" in which the drummer addresses both "long-time U2 fans" and "so-called U2 fans"...
Read MoreWhen presale tickets for the U2 tour went on sale, the demand far exceeded the supply – and the technology wasn’t up to it!
Read Morehotpress.com looks at how U2's Vertigo tour has been selling so far, and confirms details of their two Irish dates, which go on sale Friday
Read MoreTickets for U2's dates in the UK went on sale this morning and was, predictably, met with huge demand
Read MoreHaving been forced to postpone the first batch of dates due to a family illness, U2 have confirmed that their 2005 Vertigo World Tour will kick off in San Diego on March 28.
Read MoreU2 have confirmed some details of their Vertigo world tour, including the much coveted support slot
Read MoreUncertainty still surrounds U2's plans for their world tour, which had been due to kick off in March 2005.
Read MoreU2 manager Paul McGuinness has confirmed that details of their 2005 world tour have yet to be finalised.
Read MoreWith How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb dominating the Christmas sales rush, U2 have firmly re-established their place at the top of the rock tree. Now comes further evidence of the expanding ambitions of Ireland's biggest ever showbiz export.
Read MoreThere was much celebrating in the U2 camp this week as How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb sold its millionth copy in the UK.
Read MoreNot content with picking up two Grammy nominations for 'Vertigo', Bono will be a geust presenter in the forthcoming Christmas Today series on BBC Radio
Read MoreHow To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb has finished up a week of global sales with results that are nothing short of phenomenal
Read MoreU2 are about to unleash their new album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. The world’s media are descending on Dublin. And Bono is back at the punch-bag, getting into fighting shape before the shit storm really explodes. The gloves are off. He’s got work to do. And he’s going to do it. Words Stuart Clark, additional reporting by Niall Stokes.
Read Morehotpress.com reveals the tracklisting of the complete U2 digital download which, since going on sale last week, has been exceeding predicted sales figures
Read MoreLook what's just come through OUR door - the special edition of U2's new album...
Read Morehotpress.com brings you images of the packaging of U2's black Apple iPod and the wait is nearly over to get the new album. [Pics from ipodlounge.com]
Read MoreLast night began a momentous chapter for the world’s biggest band. For U2, it was the first live airing and radio/internet broadcast of material from their eleventh studio album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. For those in attendance, it was an opportunity as rare as they come. The location: Dublin, Ireland. More specifically, at the album’s birthplace, in their Hanover Quay studios. Hot Press editor Niall Stokes was in attendance to feel the impact and capture the aftershock. [photos by John Dardis, courtesy of U2]
Read MoreWith their album release only days away, U2 have been speaking to Hot Press about their upcoming world tour and the likely candidates for the prestigious support slot
Read MoreExclusive! Our crime correspondent gets to the bottom of Bono’s briefcase.
Read MoreAtomic Bomb is positively Spector-esque in its ambition, although curiously enough, it’s not a showy record, the playing being mostly subservient to the songs.
Read MoreIn what could prove to be one of the year's biggest marketing coups, Apple Computer Inc. have inked a deal with U2 which sees the band putting their name to a customised iPod. [pics courtesy of Apple]
Read MoreGlastonbury organisers have confirmed that U2 will not be headlining next year's festival
Read MoreInside the Terenure lair of the resident grand wizard of live sound engineering on Planet Earth.
Read MorePaul McGuinness has spoken out against websites selling tickets for unconfirmed U2 dates in the UK and Ireland
Read MoreWith first single 'Vertigo' now spinning high on radio playlists, U2 have announced details of their Dublin tour dates
Read MoreIrish audiences will hear U2's first single ahead of its worldwide release
Read MoreU2 fans can finally revel in some official news: the title and release date of the new album
Read MoreAs first revealed by hotpress.com "Vertigo" has been confirmed as the first single to be taken from the band's as yet untitled 11th studio album. Due to hit the racks on November 5th, 'Vertigo' is an epic U2 track laced with big guitars and soaring vocals.
Read MoreTop musicians Bono and Larry Mullen appear in film to celebrate Oscar Wildes 150th birthday.
Read MoreAnton Corbijn's collection of photographs has been given the U2 seal of approval
Read More... And it's not called Vertigo! The man otherwise known as "Bono's doppelganger", Neil McCormick, talks sounds, songwriting and stadium-sized pressure in the most revealing U2 album preview yet.
Read MoreThe new U2 photobook, U2 Show: The Art Of Touring, is being published by Riverhead on October 21.
Read MoreBono was among the stars and prominent politicians paying tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy on Wednesday in Boston's Symphony Hall.
Read MoreFrench police have been alerted after a CD of new U2 songs went missing during a band photo shoot in Nice.
Read MoreUnless 2 Unlimited are thinking of reuniting, it would seem that Bono and co. are Glastonbury-bound next year...
Read MoreThis year it's Silicon Valley, next year it's quite possibly Glastonbury and apparently we can expect a new single soon enough
Read MoreU2 took everyone – including their Portuguese record company – unawares this week when they arrived in Lisbon to do a photo-shoot with official band snapper Anton Corbijn
Read MoreWhile 2004 has not been an especially spectacular year to date, there is good reason to believe that rocks big guns are likely to deliver the kind of records that will revive spirits in the industry. Chris Donovan previews some of the albums that are likely to top the sales – and the critical – charts before 2004 is out...
Read MoreWhile 2004 has not been an especially spectacular year to date, there is good reason to believe that rocks big guns are likely to deliver the kind of records that will revive spirits in the industry. Chris Donovan previews some of the albums that are likely to top the sales – and the critical – charts before 2004 is out...
Read MoreGarrett "Jacknife" Lee is the latest person to assist U2 with the recording of their somewhat overdue new album
Read MoreSteve Lilywhite is “an additional producer not a replacement” on U2's new album
Read MoreThe CDs and DVD from the Nelson Mandela AIDS awareness show will be heavily Irish in their content; Plus more news from the U2 camp with a photo retrospective tipped for publication
Read MorePaul McGuinness has confirmed that it's full steam ahead, not back to the drawing board, for the next U2 record
Read MoreFormer producer Steve Lillywhite is in the studio with U2 but cannot reveal the expected finish date for the album
Read MoreBono’s plan to highlight the AIDs epidemic in Africa at this year’s Superbowl has sadly been scuppered.
Read MoreRussian cosmonauts, mexican desperadoes and cranky italian elephants – it’s all in a day’s work for solo too supremo Ned O’Hanlon, the man entrusted with documenting the multi-media extravaganza that is the U2 live experience.
Read MoreAfter 18 years with Principle, Managing Director Sheila Roche has decided to leave the U2 camp
Read MoreColm O’Gorman explains how U2 helped the abuse victims’ organisation one in four to survive
Read MoreU2 have put out big money to secure the future of the Dublin-based sexual abuse support centre
Read MoreReports that U2 are suing Nancy Sinatra are completely unfounded
Read MoreU2 will take on the world for the release of their upcoming album, but not before a stop-over in Nashville...
Read MoreGet excited people - we bring you the track-listing of the U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle DVD
Read MoreFans can relive U2's 2001 Slane spectacular with the release of the DVD in November
Read MoreExtra, extra special: we're delighted to bring you a sneak peek at seminal new U2 graphic-design-retrospective collectors' book, Stealing Hearts At A Traveling Show: The Graphic Design Of U2
Read MoreU2 designers Four5One and label boss deny that leaked posters for the band's new album are official
Read MoreEdge reports that the new U2 album is coming along swimmingly - and that it will be accompanied by a tour in 2004
Read MoreU2 to be given a special tribute by a stellar cast of musicians at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards later this month
Read MoreU2 scoop Golden Globe for Best Song From A Motion Picture with 'The Hands That Built America'. Next stop: the Oscars
Read MoreAt the end of an exciting, painful and earthshaking year, Bono reflects on the political and the personal – from drop the debt, September 11, Afghanistan and Genoa to the death of his father Bob, the birth of his son John and the enduring friendship which underpins U2’s music and career. Interview: Niall Stokes [this interview originally appeared in the spectacular Hot Press Annual 2002 - used in the pictures below - a very limited number of this unique collectors item will shortly be on sale - email [email protected] to reserve a copy]
Read MoreU2 frontman speaks about "the biggest pandemic since the bubonic plague" and urges middle America to use their nation's huge financial power and get involved. "Our age will be remembered," he says, "for three things: the war against terror, the Internet, and how we let an entire continent burst into flames and stood around with water in cans"
Read MoreWith a new 'best of' bringing the band's story up to date U2's guitar man steps forward to riff on good times and bad, the private life of a public figure, discovering the secrets of the universe on mushrooms and why, after all these years, few things match the high of being a member of U2. Special hotpress.com members edition: "director's cut" featuring interview sections unavailable anywhere else.
Read MoreWith a new ‘Best Of’ bringing the band’s story up to date, U2’s guitar man steps forward to riff on good times and bad, the private life of a public figure, discovering the secrets of the universe on mushrooms, and why, after all these years, few things match the high of being a member of U2
Read MoreAt its best, Zooropa is sky-funk, music from a band who, permanently or temporarily, have renounced the old folkways for the new airways
Read MoreBill Graham reviews a new book by Boston D.J. Carter Alan, which sheds considerable light on U2's American breakthrough
Read MoreU2 announce details of the construction of a penthouse studio to be built at Britain Quay
Read MoreU2 are still determined to be better than the best in his class, and to produce music that is genuinely transcendent
Read MoreEdge waxes lyrical on the power of a "raw band sound"
Read MoreWith the launch of a commemorative series of Irish postage stamps celebrating four of the nation's most important rock legends, we revisit some of the seminal moments in the careers of Phil Lynott, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison and - first - U2
Read Morehotpress.com is offering YOU the chance to snare a copy of the now-out-of-print The U2 File signed by each member of the band
Read MoreThe insomniacs at HMV Grafton St do another midnight-opener - on Sunday, November 3rd - for the release of U2's Best Of 1990-2000
Read MoreEdge talks about the new album, Bono scoops 'MusiCares' award and guests on Elvis tribute TV show
Read MoreGet a headful of this: a sneak preview of U2's Best Of 1990-2000 album artwork, featuring extra ram (guffaw)
Read MoreThe planet's most famous lead singer continues his humanitarian campaign, contributes to fundraising book project and appears on Oprah. Oh, and a Frank Sinatra cover and landmark U2 memorabilia exhibition are also en route
Read MoreU2 Live: A Concert Documentary - possibly the definitive book on U2's history as a live band - to be given an update and re-release following the tragic death of its compiler
Read MoreWell, look what we've got here: exclusive peeks at both the U2 single's sleeve artwork and the piccie from the new Samantha Mumba 45 as well. Don't thank us, we're just doing our job
Read MoreImminent new single 'Electrical Storm' can only mean one thing: the U2 Best Of 1990-2000 CD/DVD is here - and boy is it ever chocca with cool extras. Read on for details
Read MoreU2 to release new single 'Electrical Storm' in October - the leader track from this autumn's Greatest Hits 1990-2000
Read MoreHot Press readers worldwide want to know about Bono for president, Larry for lead singer, that mysterious tattoo, the greatest book, and more. Bono and Larry smoulder on the coals of the hp mixed grill
Read MoreIn answer to a fan's question in the Hot Press Mixed Grill (see current edition of HP), Bono dismisses rumours that he will run for the Irish presidency
Read MoreWorkaholics to a man and clearly unable to grasp the concept of time off, U2 already have much of their next album (due out in '03) in the bag - and apparently it's poppier and "more immediate" than All That You Can't Leave Behind
Read MoreWhat's Bono doing on the cover of international news magazine Time? Talking politics ("the art of the possible"), that's what
Read More...quoth Drew Carey, master of ceremonies, when the glitterati gathered in Los Angeles last week to pay tribute to the many humanitarian endeavours of Bono, lead singer of popular Irish beat combo U2
Read MoreU2 and Oasis: together at last... The ultimate double-header stadium tour confirmed (but with no UK or Irish dates, mind)
Read MoreHotpress.com investigate the rumours of U2 & The Phoenix Park ... (they just don't go away you know)...
Read MoreWill U2's studio homebase be demolished to make way for the neighbourhood's redevelopment (or more specifically, for a "two-million-Euro leisure complex")? The public hearing began this week...
Read MoreVia a petition that has gained signatures from round the world, U2 fans rally to save band headquarters Hanover Studios from mandatory demolition by the Dublin Docklands Authority: "What if Memphis tore down Sun Studios?"
Read MoreU2 - without even releasing an album last year - have walked away with the 2001 Hot Press Readers' Poll. Here's the scoop...
Read MoreU2 release new US-only rarities and B-sides collection. Yank one if you can
Read MoreU2 in talks with DDDA about possible alternative locations for studio headquarters
Read MoreU2’s studio headquarters may face demolition by compulsory public order from the Docklands authority
Read MoreWith eight nominations in the bag, U2 are set to steal the show at this year's Grammys... again
Read MoreBono has talked exclusively to Hot Press about September 11th, Fatherhood, and the US's actions in Afghanistan.
Read MoreAlthough under constant review, the word from the U2 camp is that they are still planning to go ahead with the return visit of the Elevation tour to North America.
Read MoreThe second Slane show was such a spirited and spiritual affair you couldn’t fail to be as uplifted (or should that be elevated?) by it
Read MoreSTUART BAILIE recalls some of the social and political movements that have occupied U2's hearts and minds down through the years... not least, the Springfield Garbage Dump campaign
Read MoreIt's plastic Adam dolls, Zooropa wallpaper and bootleg CDs a-go-go: STUART CLARK knows there's a little U2 cyber-nerd inside all of us
Read MoreOn 25 August 2001 - twenty years after first appearing there in support to Thin Lizzy - U2 play Slane Castle. NIALL STOKES reflects on the extraordinary journey that has led up to this historic, and beautiful, day
Read MoreOpening our U2 special, DERMOD MOORE catches up with ADAM CLAYTON during the UK leg of the Elevation tour, and delves deep into the physics of music celebrity, politics and, er, penises
Read MoreThey may sport one of the most original sounds in rock’n’roll – but along the way they’ve been influenced by some of the greats. STUART BAILIE identifies the ten (plus!) key influences on the music of U2
Read MoreWith their biggest dates ever in Ireland looming, LIAM MACKEY dips into voluminous hotpress archives and selects a small sample of what the paper said about U2 over the years
Read MoreA Peter Frampton cover version, a flautist and female backing vocalists were all elements of FEEDBACK’s first ever live concert performance, yet this was th eoutfit that would eventually become U2. COLM O'HARE recalls the event
Read MoreYou get a continual sense from the entire band that they have rediscovered their love affair with live music
Read More‘Beautiful Day’ is second out of the bag and the band’s, or specifically Bono’s, energy is palpable.
Read MoreThe heart is a bloom, but you knew that already. Bono's lead line on 'Beautiful Day' effectively sets the tone for this new scheme. Great things can be nurtured, he tells us. Scepticism is out and old-fashioned hope is the greatest buzz around. So it's entirely fitting that the stage for the band's Elevation Tour should be framed by a massive, pulsating heart.
Read MoreWhen we last left U2, at the conclusion of 1997’s Pop, they were marooned on a spaghetti Golgotha, shouting, “Wake up dead man!” at a god who had apparently reneged on his promise to live forever. Well pilgrims, here’s the resurrection shuffle.
Read MoreAre Bono and the boys just a really good rock band or have they succeeded where the priests and politicians have failed and unlocked the neuroses of our colonial past? Joe Jackson indulges in a spot of cultural sparring with John Waters and finds the author of Race of Angels: Ireland and the Genesis of U2 well able to maintain his guard.
Read MoreIN THE FIRST PART OF A WORLD EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IN THE LAST ISSUE OF HOT PRESS, BONO UNVEILED THE NEW U2 ALBUM, SPOKE ABOUT ITS GENESIS IN CYBERPUNK LITERATURE AND THE BAND'S HUNGER TO PUSH ROCK'N'ROLL TO ITS LIMITS. HERE HE ELABORATES ON HOW U2 GO ABOUT WRITING THEIR SONGS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF GLOBAL CHAOS, HIS ARTISTIC REFERENCE POINTS OUTSIDE MUSIC, THE SUBVERSIVE POWER OF HUMOUR, AND HOW HE ADMIRES THOSE WHO 'PARTICULARLY AGGRESSIVELY' DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD. AND THEN THERE'S THE STORY ABOUT JOHNNY CASH AND THE EMU. CAN THIS MAN BE FOR SURREAL? INTERVIEW:JOE JACKSON.
Read More...IS COMING TO TAKE YOU AWAY! WHEN JOE JACKSON WENT TO INTERVIEW BONO AT U2'S SECRET DUBLIN RECORDING BASE, HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. WHAT HE GOT WAS A CRAZY ROLLERCOASTER RIDE THROUGH THE EXTRAORDINARY WORK-IN-PROGRESS WHICH WILL BECOME U2'S FOLLOW-UP TO THE ACCLAIMED "ACHTUNG BABY!", WITH BONO AT THE WHEEL AND AN UNSEEN PRESENCE WORKING THE ACCELERATOR LIKE A DEMON. "RECORDS SHOULD BE MORE OF A TRIP," SAYS THE MAN IN THE WRAPAROUND SHADES. FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS THEN. THIS WILL BE NO ORDINARY RECORD. AND THIS IS NO ORDINARY INTERVIEW.
Read MoreThere is no question about it. He may look as if he's been dipped in a bottle of red ink but it is Adam who stands there bollock naked before the camera and the world on the back sleeve of the latest, long playing opus from the band whose name begins with U and ends with 2. And is that Eve who hovers topless behind Bono on the front?
Read MoreWhen Adam Clayton was arrested in Dublin in August of 1989 and charged with possession of 19 grammes of cannabis with intent to supply, it placed U2's immediate future as a live band in jeopardy. Trial report: Liam Fay.
Read MoreSprawling across four restless, angry and sometimes contradictory sides, "Rattle And Hum" is nothing less than U2's most ambitious album yet. Review by Bill Graham
Read MoreAs "With Or Without You" hits No. 1 in the US singles charts, Liam Mackey joins U2 on their biggest - and most successful - American tour to date.
Read More"The Joshua Tree" clarifies how U2's vocation has become the revival and renewal of rock and the recovery of its most romantic values. It also highlights the group's new commitment to the song. Review by Bill Graham
Read MoreAmid rumours and press reports that his career could be at an end, Larry Mullen reveals the truth about the extent of an injury to his hand that is becoming a common problem for rock drummers. Interview: Niall Stokes
Read MoreU2's decision to choose Brian Eno as producer for their new album was a bold move.
Read MoreThis was more than a gig, but it wasn't a party. It was the mutual celebration of an audience and a group.
Read More"U2 make me think", it's been said. That criterion is used a lot these days, because as rock'n'roll gets older, its priorities and values change. It spreads itself out and becomes more adjustable, like a toy.
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