U2

U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976. The group consists of Paul “Bono” Hewson on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, David “the Edge” Evans on lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums and percussion. The band forms at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where the members are teenagers with limited musical experience.

Musical style and development

U2 begin with a post-punk sound and develop over time while keeping an anthemic style built around Bono’s vocal delivery and the Edge’s chiming, effects-driven guitar work. Bono’s lyrics often use spiritual imagery and address personal and political themes. The band is also known for elaborate live shows and large-scale tours.

Early releases and international breakthrough

Within four years of forming, U2 sign to Island Records and release their debut album, Boy (1980). War (1983), their first UK number-one album, helps establish their reputation as a politically and socially conscious group, alongside singles including “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)”. Their fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire (1984), is their first collaboration with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose influence leads to a more abstract and ambient sound.

By the mid-1980s, U2 become internationally known for their live performances, with their appearance at Live Aid in 1985 standing out as a major moment. The Joshua Tree (1987) makes them international stars and becomes their greatest critical and commercial success. It is one of the world’s best-selling albums, with 25 million copies sold, and it produces their only US number-one singles to date: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.

1980s and 1990s reinvention

After the reaction to the documentary and double album Rattle and Hum (1988), the band faces creative stagnation and reinvents itself in the 1990s. Achtung Baby (1991) and the Zoo TV Tour introduce a new direction influenced by alternative, industrial and electronic dance music, along with a more ironic public image. This approach continues on Zooropa (1993) and extends through Pop (1997) and the PopMart Tour, which divides opinion among audiences and critics.

2000s onward

U2 return to a more conventional mainstream sound on All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), both of which are critical and commercial successes. Later album sales decline, but the band remains a major live attraction. The U2 360° Tour, running from 2009 to 2011, holds records for the most-attended and highest-grossing concert tour until 2019.

The band releases Songs of Innocence (2014), the first of two companion albums in the 2010s, and later Songs of Experience (2017). In 2023, U2 release Songs of Surrender, a set of re-recorded songs, and begin the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live concert residency to open Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley. U2 have released 15 studio albums.

Recognition and legacy

U2 are among the world’s best-selling music artists, with estimated worldwide sales of 150–170 million records. Their awards include 22 Grammy Awards, eight Brit Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. They are inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Pollstar ranks them as the second-highest-grossing live music artist from 1980 to 2022, with earnings of US$2.13 billion. Rolling Stone places them at number 22 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Activism

Throughout their career, both as a band and individually, U2 campaign on human rights and social justice issues. Their work includes involvement with Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, DATA/the ONE Campaign, Product Red, War Child and Music Rising.