U2 are The Biggest Rock & Roll Band In The World. They are probably the main reason why there’s an Irish pop scene in the first place. But what do they know about club culture and dance music? Bono and The Edge go dancing with Jim Carroll.

What do U2 mean to you? If Fatboy Slim is ‘the band of the Nineties, man’, U2 were the Band Of The Eighties, the ones who sounded out that decade to such a degree that one listen to “The Best Of U2, 1980-1990″ is certain to throw you back to more earnest times. Forget the likes of Culture Club and the Human League for a moment and remember the decade in the sound of U2’s bites.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday”. That Red Rocks outdoor show. Playing the Phoenix Park in ‘83. The “New Gold Dream” rush of “Pride”. Going moodily epic with “The Unforgettable Fire”. Live-Aid. Conquering America. Playing Croke Park. Standing around in a desert looking moody for Anton Corbijn’s Instamatic. Cowboy hats. Lots of cowboy hats. Discovering the blues. Hanging with BB King. “Rattle & Hum”. More cowboy hats. The Love-Town tour. Bringing in the Nineties in the Point in Dublin after an almighty kerfuffle about ticket prices. And cowboy hats. Read the rest of this entry »