U2

When drummer Larry Mullen advertised for musicians on the Dublin Mount Temple Comprehensive School message board in 1976, he couldn't have imagined he was lighting the flame for one of the biggest bands in rock history. The advert was answered by singer Paul Hewson aka Bono, guitarist David Evans aka The Edge and bass player Adam Clayton and, after initially playing covers, they began writing their own material and became U2.

In 1978 they won studio time to record their first demo at a talent show in Limerick which led to the release of their first EP Three. This in turn led to a major label deal and their debut album Boy was released in 1980. Dynamic live shows and epic, powerhouse songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" attracted a fanatical following, which escalated dramatically following a memorable set at Wembley's Live Aid concert in 1985.

One of their biggest-selling albums, The Joshua Tree, was released in 1987 and featured some of their best-known singles including "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and "Where the Streets Have No Name." The double album Rattle & Hum followed the year after with nine studio tracks and six live performances of tracks from The Joshua Tree. They received heavy criticism for the album and hit back with Achtung Baby in 1991. The album put forth U2's change in musical direction, as they channelled inspiration from industrial and dance music. Zooropa followed in 1993 with Pop in 1997 and All That You Can't Leave Behind in 2000. 2003 saw their next award-winning album in How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. They followed up with No Line on the Horizon in 2009, Songs of Innocence in 2014 and Songs of Experience in 2017. U2 kept the era moving with the 2018 Experience + Innocence Tour, then revisited their back catalog on the 2019 leg of The Joshua Tree anniversary tour across Oceania and Asia.

In 2020, they marked the 20th anniversary of All That You Can’t Leave Behind with a major reissue, and in 2021 they returned with the standalone single “Your Song Saved My Life,” written for the Sing 2 soundtrack, while Bono and The Edge also appeared on Martin Garrix’s “We Are the People.” In 2023, U2 released Songs of Surrender, a 40-track set of re-recorded and reimagined songs curated by The Edge, then inaugurated Las Vegas’ Sphere with the 40-show residency U2:UV (September 2023–March 2024), built around a full performance of Achtung Baby and supported by the new single “Atomic City.” In February 2026, U2 issued the Days of Ash EP—five new songs plus a poem—while also signaling a full-length studio album later in 2026.