Formed in 1976, U2 are a rock band who originate from Dublin Ireland. The four members of the band - Bono (Paul Hewson, vocals), The Edge (David Evans, guitar), Adam Clayton (bass) and Larry Mullen (kit) – met at Temple Mount School, after Larry pinned a 'musicians wanted' ad to the school notice board (U2.com, 2017). Less than four years later, U2 were signed with Island Records and released their debut album Boy in 1980. This offered a unique musical style, making them stand out from the crowd as a band which was rebellious, defiant, socially and politically aware (Andrews et al., 2011).
In 1983, the band released their first UK number-one album, War. This represented an artistic and commercial coming of age with passionate statements about the physical, emotional and social consequences of military conflict. The album’s youthful energy and edgy style flavoured anthems such as New Years Day (about the Polish Solidarity movement), Sunday Bloody Sunday (about the 1972 Bogside killings in Derry) and The Refuge (a general comment on displacement resulting from conflict) (Andrews et al., 2011).
They followed War with 1984s The Unforgettable Fire, which saw their music taking a richer and more ambient sound. The album featured politically inspired anthems likes Pride (a song of hope about Martin Luther King). The release of The Joshua Tree in 1987 marked a continuation of these change, with an even more expansive and ‘cinematic’ song cycle evocative of the desert and mountain landscapes of American West (Andrews et al., 2011).
And this is where we pick up the story…