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Rob Partridge: an unsung hero of music

Gwenda Evans may be known to many as the mother of U2 guitarist, The Edge.But after almost 50 years in Malahide, the Welsh native has established herself as an artist in her own right, as Robin Kiely found out.

Tell me about yourself and how you came to live in Malahide?

My husband Garvin and I are both Welsh and he was working for the Plessey company in London. They asked him to come over to Swords when Plessey was there, to run their factory.

It was suggested that we live in Malahide, because there were a lot of a lot of other nationalities living there at the time, funnily enough. Scottish people from Aer Lingus and that.

These houses were being built at the time, 45 years ago. Garvin booked one, I came over, looked at it and said yes and we’ve been here ever since.

Plesseys didn’t last, Garvin started his own firm then of consulting engineers and hes just about to retire, he keeps telling me. The two boys were born in England and when we came over, our daughter Gill was born here.

Was it a much different place back then?

It was a village then. It still keeps that sort of atmosphere. If you go down to the local shops here, youve got to allow at least another hour to two, because you always meet somebody and have a chat.

Its a very nice neighbourhood and we were very fortunate, because we didnt have a clue about anywhere really.

When you first came here, would it have reminded you of Wales?

Not really, because where came from in Wales, Llanelli, was quite industrial and an old town, while Malahide was fairly new. They were building quite a lot of houses then. The people were very, very friendly and more like the Celts, the Welsh.

We just felt at home here, whereas we hadnt felt that in London. We felt it was more like coming home.

Before we go on to mention your famous son, what do you call him?

I call him Dave, but most of the time when Im talking about him, I call him Edge because people know him as that.

What was he like as a child and when did he first show an interest in music?

Both my husband and I are very musical, in that we both sing in the local choir, Enchiriadis. Weve got a concert coming up in The Helix on December 6th. Were doing the Messiah.

Music was always part of our lives. I used to sing to the children, so he had a good ear for music at a very young age. All three of them have. People say to me I must be very proud of Edge and I tell them Im proud of all of my children.

Its obviously a Welsh thing as well, with the strong history of singing?

Well in Wales they do sing, yes. All my family sang in choirs and the same with Garvin. The churches we went to, the whole congregation sang in harmony and a lot of hymns would be part of our service. I suppose its grown into you.

Did Edge play many instruments when he was younger?

He played the piano and had piano lessons. He started playing guitar when he was about 14, I suppose, 15. Richard, his elder brother, taught him a few chords, which he had picked up from a chap down the road.

Once Edge got the guitar in his hands, he wouldnt put the blooming thing down. And wed be saying, Œwould you shush now a minute, we just want to hear the news. He obviously enjoyed it.

What did he want to be when he was younger?

I dont think it was very clear. As you know, he went to Mount Temple and then did his Leaving Cert, but by this time the band had started. He was about 15, 16. He got his Leaving Cert and was accepted into Kevin Street to do general science or something like that, but he asked could he have a year off school after his Leaving so that he could see whether the band was going to go somewhere or not. We said Œokay, if then at the end of that year and nothings happened, then go to college. He did take a year off and did a lot of work with the band. And eventually, he hadnt got a recording contract, so he went to Kevin Street, for only about six weeks and then the record contract came through. He stopped and the rest is history.

Was that when you realised he could have a career in music?

We thought he could give it a go. We said, Œwhat happens if the band doesnt [make it] and he said, dont worry he could earn enough to live on as a session musician. He really wanted to give it a go.

At first we felt the band was a great hobby and we really enjoyed the fact that he had something to occupy him really. We didnt expect the career its turned out to be at the time. We were quite prepared to let him have a go and we encouraged him in fact.

Did you go to the early shows?

Oh yes. I was his first roadie! No, Im laughing. I had an old Beetle and wed be able to get the equipment in it. He wasnt driving at that stage, so we used to go and pick him up and usually drop him off and then listen for a few and then go off and do something and then come back. So, right from the start I enjoyed their music and what they were doing, right from the beginning. I still do.

Do you still listen to them?

Oh yes, I still go to the gigs. We usually try and pick somewhere exotic that weve never been before in the world and then have a holiday as well.

Whats your own personal favourite memory of the U2 success story?

I think the first time they ever came to Croke Park [in 1985]. Theyd been on tour and Edges daughter, whos now 23, was quite a small baby. It was the crowd and the sheer sort of thrill of them being home, playing in front of their own people. I had a huge lump in my throat and the tears were pouring down my face.

I went backstage afterwards and I said that was tremendous. All the crowd knew the songs and were singing, as theyve always done. It was wonderful. I can remember saying to Edge oh I feel such a fool, I was crying.

ŒDont worry Mum, he said. ŒThere wasnt a dry eye backstage either, with the crew. They still have most of the original crew still working for them.

Its like an extended family.

Youre quite a creative person yourself. Tell me about your projects.

My job was teaching, a primary school teacher. But because, I had no Irish, I couldnt teach in Ireland.

When I was in college in London, I did art as a special subject. When the children were small, I couldnt do it at all. I paint with oils and its messy.

I didnt do anything for years. Funnily enough what started me back was Gill, my daughter, who was 21, she said: Œdo you know what Id love Mum? Id love if you painted me a picture. I got out the old oil paints and I did her a small, little African violet - when I look back now I cringe because it was really awful. But she loved it and that got me interested again.

I went to various classes and tried other mediums, but I came back to oils and Ive been painting ever since. That was about 20-odd years ago.

Im a member of Portmarnock Art Group and we have an exhibition every year in the Links Hotel. I sell my paintings from the house as well and I sell enough to give me encouragement.

Its a lucrative hobby and I enjoy it very much. Portmarnock Art Group is a great group to be in. Were all artists who paint separately, we dont paint together. We have lectures during the winter months and we go into town to the National Gallery as a group, so its very good.

Do you have a preference for what types of paintings you do?

My favourite paintings are the French impressionists and I like realism. Im not very good at understanding modern art, so I would tend to go for local scenes.

I love the sea and I do paint the sea quite often and its various moods.

Although people love painting out of doors, its very difficult because of the weather. But I have painted in the south of France.

I have taken a lot of photographs of the scenes. I like to see where Im painting and I have an idea in my head of what its really like. Its mostly landscapes.

Do you think Malahide and Fingal are quite creative places?

Its amazing how many art groups there are. In Malahide there are three. We have lots of artists living here. Richard Hearns has qualified as an artist and he does wonderful work. Hes very good and I encouraged him right from the start, because I could see his talents as a child.

Have any of your children taken up painting?

No, not my own, but my grandchildren have. Two of them are doing art funnily enough. One of them is in university in Kingston, doing product design. Its amazing the way art goes. Our eldest granddaughter was very artistic and they all have got that little artistic streak.

It seems these days you can throw paint on a canvas and call it art.

I cant understand it. Apparently the intention is to give you a feeling. My own feeling about art is I want to portray Gods wonderful world and the beauty in it. I know there are dark sides as well.

I like my paintings to be very colourful usually. I love colour and light and shade. I feel its nice to portray the beauty of the world.

My granddaughter was explaining to me about urban art. Its a posh word for graffiti. Some of the artists whove done this sort of work are getting huge amounts for their canvasses.

Fair enough, its a trend and its like Picasso, but personally I would prefer Monet. If I hadnt had gone and done art as a special project in teacher training college, I would probably never have painted. So its strange.

Do you go back to Wales?

Not so much now. We do now and again go back to Wales.

You obviously feel very Welsh?

Oh yes. Especially when Wales are playing at Lansdowne Road.

Would part of you feel Irish?

Yes, we do. Were very fond of Ireland and we feel very protective if people are criticising it. But we are Welsh and feel Welsh still.

The children feel more Irish. I once asked Richard if he felt Irish or Welsh. He said he felt European. If anything, they would feel more Irish.

Are you a rugby fan?

I like watching it. Since all the new rules came in, I think it got too physical. I worry sometimes with the rucks and that. The boys both played in school and Garvin used to play in college as well.

Do you have any idea when the new U2 album is coming out?

They hope in about February. Theyre still working on it, would you believe, and they decided to go back and polish up some of the stuff. And as we speak, theyre working on finishing off the album.

They hope to have it finished in December and then of course it takes ages for it to get off the ground. Theyre talking about the end of February, but your guess is as good as mine.

Theyve been working on it now for I dont know how long, two years I think.

Are you looking forward to it as much as everyone else?

Yes. Itll be interesting to see, because they went off on a tangent a while ago, but the last album was back to their original as I call it and what I enjoy.

Do you ever give them advice?

They wouldnt take it. When they were little I used to say, turn that blooming noise down. But no, theyre pretty good. One of the things Im proud of them about too, is that they use their fame for good.

Bono especially is such a marvellous talker. He doesnt mind who he talks to to get the point over about Africa and the terrible stuff thats happened because of AIDS and so on.

He uses his name to open doors for him and hes very good at that. And hes their frontman, they all feel the same, but Bonos able to put their point of view very well to people and hes prepared to spend the time. And it is time and effort and energy. Edge is involved in Music Rising, a charity to get new instruments and schools in New Orleans. All the musicians lost their instruments and their homes and everything. Im pleased they dont just sit on their bottoms.

-Fingal-Independent.ie

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Gwenda more than just a famous mother

U2 were today unveiling a new recording to launch a new charity music service.

The (Red)Wire digital service - which launches today - also features the premiere performance of a collaboration between The Killers, Elton John and Neil Tennant with the track Joseph, Better You Than Me.

The new service has been launched by Bono’s charity organisation (Red) and takes the form of a digital magazine which it is hoped will raised cash to to save lives in Africa.

Each Wednesday, subscribers will receive an issue which will feature exclusive music from some of the world’s biggest artists, with half of the monthly fee of £4 going directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Members who join before the first issue is released on Wednesday, December 10, will become “founding members” of (Red)Wire and will receive a bonus song from Jay-Z along with the first copy of the magazine.

To sign up, visit www.redwire.com. And to hear the music lined up for today’s launch - which will be continually updated throughout the day - you can go to red.uk.msn.com.

Other acts which were due to unveil new tracks include Dixie Chicks, Death Cab For Cutie and Coldplay.

- Q4Music.com

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U2 and Killers unveil new tracks online today

Bono’s (RED) organization is at it again with a new digital music magazine that will donate a portion of subscription fees to the fight against AIDS.
MSN Music will host the (RED) Wire launch party Dec. 1, the 20th anniversary of World Aids Day, with exclusive songs and videos from artists including U2, Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie, Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks, John Legend and Jay-Z, according to USA Today.

Subscribers, who’ll pay a monthly fee of $5 for the service, will receive weekly e-magazines with exclusive songs, videos and slide shows from participating artists.
“The goal was something that wasn’t just a one-off CD, but an ongoing service that would generate an ongoing flow of money,” Hear Music founder Don MacKinnon, who engendered the project, told USA Today.
Upcoming issues of the magazine will reportedly include a song featuring Elvis Costello and The Police, a Christmas number with Elton John and The Killers and tracks by Bob Dylan and R.E.M.

The service will also provide subscribers with frequent updates regarding the organization’s efforts, MacKinnon said. Part of proceeds will go toward providing medicine to those affected by AIDS in Africa.
“So many charities show a picture of a dusty village and ask you to send $10,” MacKinnon told the paper. “We want to give people a real window into the culture of Africa, something that can help them understand in deeper ways. We’re trying to get cameras to teenagers, so they can show us their lives.”

More information is available at red.msn.com.

- Pollstar

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Putting AIDS In The (RED)

But Edge confident as deadline looms, learns MOJO’s Danny Eccleston.

WITH THE RELEASE of U2’s 12th studio album delayed until February, and the band still mixing furiously in a London studio MOJO are unable to name for fear of an instant fan-siege, guitarist The Edge has called the MOJO office with a progress report.

In line with U2’s late preference for enigmatic titles, the album seems certain to be called No Line On The Horizon – although Edge insists that anything can still change (U2 have even been known to record backing vocals in the mastering suite).

He goes on to reveal that they’ve shelved the songs recorded with Rick Rubin in 2006 and that much of the material dates from sessions with stalwarts Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who co-write. Confirmed track titles include Moment Of Surrender and Unknown Caller.

There follows the director’s cut of the interview reported in the issue of MOJO magazine that’s on the shelves right now…

MOJO: Well, my first question has to be, have you finished yet?
Edge: [Coolly] Not quite. That’s why we’re here.

So, why finish up in London?
Well, it’s good to get out of familiar surroundings when you’re looking for a different perspective. Get out of the comfort zone.

If you’d stayed in Dublin, would you have just carried on producing material rather than bringing everything to a conclusion?
Maybe. Also, a good mix room is always important. Our studio in Dublin is more like a glorified rehearsal room really. It doesn’t have proper acoustic treatments for mixing and whatever. So we always mix in a studio that’s properly set up for that process.

Is the album still going to be called No Line On The Horizon, or is that a red herring?
It’s not totally firmed up but it’s still the working title.

So, what the hell does it mean?
It’s an image. It’s an image, Bono tells me [laughs]. It’s like when you’re moving forward, but you’re not exactly sure what you’re heading towards – that moment where the sea and the sky blend into one. It’s an image of infinity, I suppose – a kind of Zen image.

Is it a metaphor for how U2 make their records? No deadline on the horizon?
[Laughs] Guilty your honour! We were talking about this. Our work process is all about allowing inspiration to arrive at any time during the process. So there’s no finality, there’s no formality, until it’s in the shops. U2 albums never get finished; they just get released.

So do you think that helps the record? You can use material you started months ago, but as long as you’re re-examining it right at the last it can still sound contemporary?
Yes, I think that’s true. Song titles, lyrics, melody lines can change right up until the last minute. I think our records are always… it’s the last few weeks when things really come into focus. It might take us a long time to establish the basis of the record musically, but then a lot of stuff will change.

Famously, Chris Blackwood came down when we were doing Achtung Baby and with a week to go he said, There’s just no chance you’re gonna finish this album; I’ll come back in a month’s time and check on your progress. So he left town, and sure enough we finished at the end of that week! It’s like this ground rush. You seem to be going nowhere and then suddenly you hit the last period and then everything starts to move and everything clicks into place. It’s just the way we do it because I suppose inspiration is the ultimate thing for us. It’s not craft. So when things start to really get close, it’s a really inspiring time and everyone just gets onto a whole other level of creativity and we go into overdrive and all these ideas start coming through.

Has anything survived from the first bout of sessions [from September 2006], the Rick Rubin material?
We actually laid all that stuff to one side. Really out of deference to Rick and that set of songs we just said, Ok, that’s that, and we drew a line. So none of the Rick material went into this project. Everything has been written subsequently.

Is that because you weren’t that keen on it in retrospect?
I think there are some fantastic ideas there and they will, I’m sure, be finished off and see the light of day. We just felt like we wanted to put off the decision about what kind of record we wanted to make. And then we went in with Brian [Eno] and Danny [Daniel Lanois], literally just as an experiment to see what would happen. And suddenly there was this excess of stuff, ideas… and we just thought, OK, this is clearly where we are at our most potent at this moment, working with Brain and Danny, so let’s follow that idea down the road and we’ll get back to the material we started with Rick at some point.

What were the Rubin tracks like? Were they unusual for U2? He’s quite hands-off isn’t he, as a production “entity”?
Rick’s just an amazing intelligence and a guy with a huge love of music and an instinct for it. He gave us great advice as much as anything. His whole thing is, Don’t go near the studio until you know exactly what you want to do… which of course is the opposite of how we usually work.

But we were following Rick’s approach with Rick and we were working on songs and working on ideas and they’re still there. So I’m still excited by the possibility of trying that approach. It reminds me of what happened on our first album [Boy, 1980]. We went in, we had all the tunes – although even then we didn’t have all the lyrics – we had all the arrangements down to the point where we could just go in and record the album. We could have done it in a day, and of course the backing tracks had a great completeness, because we knew exactly what the tunes were.

The way we do things now, there are drawbacks. I feel for Larry [Mullen, drums] sometimes. He’ll be playing drums to Song A and then somewhere along the line the whole song gets thrown out, but we keep the drums, and then something else happens over those drums. Then sometimes we’ll replace those drums at the very end because he plays differently depending on what the vocal is. So even if it’s the same tempo, the same backbeat, the same chords, if the vocal’s different, the drums don’t feel quite right. So, there is something to Rick’s approach and it just means you make all your decisions early… for better or for worse. Ultimately, I feel, for us, it is those last couple of weeks when you get those amazing new ideas.

How would you describe the overall personality of the new album?
It’s a record of two halves. One half is songs that came virtually fully-formed out of sessions we did with Brian and Danny – stuff we’ve only played once or maybe twice and that’s it: just the raw moment of creation. Then the other half is material we’ve kicked around a while and went through the usual cycle of versions and incarnations. It sounds like a U2 album but it doesn’t sound like anything we’ve done before and it doesn’t really sound like anything that’s happening at the moment.

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U2 Album Still Not Finished

In September, U2 frontman Bono informed fans through the band’s website that they would delay plans to release their forthcoming album till 2009. While the news came as a disappointment to fans, the band claims that their latest sessions have brought brought newfound success. Already, the band has worked on fifty-plus songs during sessions across the globe. So when we talked with the band’s longtime producer Daniel Lanois last week regarding his upcoming show and in-residency at Berklee College of Music, we had to sneak in a few questions about his work on the forthcoming album from the Irish rockers.

“We just did two weeks in New York,” Lanois informed Boston Music Spotlight. “We mixed in New York for two weeks and that went great. I’m seeing them right after Boston, in fact. I’m going to see them in England and we’re going to do another ten days there.” A short video clip of the recent sessions is now on U2.com.

When asked about how he and co-producers Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite work together, Lanois explained that each brings his own strengths to the studio. “Eno and I very much work together” he said. “In fact, that’s probably Eno’s most exciting position. He’s a great catalyst at the front end of the project, he’s a model ingredient, a highly intelligent one, and a non-stop source of sonic surprises.”

“What usually happens then is Eno stops coming by and then I take over and do more of the, you know, take care of the many chores that pile up that don’t have anything to do with spontaneous initial moments - vocal comps, remembering the best guitar riff moments,” Lanois continues. “I put a lot of time into chores. Lilywhite’s involvement historically has been at the back end, so he’s coming to help us out with mixes.”

Further describing his own role in the process, Lanois says, “I’m a very committed and dedicated worker and so my constancy, or consistency, is contagious in the room. I’ll be there on the front line with the footsoldiers.”

Those footsoldiers, Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, and Adam Clayton, have made the front lines for this album Morocco, France, and their hometown of Dublin, among other places.

Meanwhile, Lanois is gearing up for his upcoming appearance in Boston this weekend. Besides performing a rare solo show at the Berklee Performance Center on Sunday, Lanois will serve as an artist-in-residence from November 16 to 18. Stay tuned for a full feature later this week from our interview with Lanois.

- Boston Music Spotlight

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Producer Daniel Lanois gives update on new U2 album

Happy 47th Birthday to the one who gave Bono his first (and only) job!!

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Happy Birthday, Boss man!

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — Plans to build the tallest building in Ireland - with new recording studios for Irish supergroup U2 on top - were suspended Friday because of Dublin’s slumping property market and slide into recession.

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority said it remains committed to building the long-planned U2 Tower, but a souring economy at home and abroad means the project must be shelved. It expressed hope of reopening negotiations with potential developers within 12 months.

“The objective is to see this landmark project completed. However, given the current unfavorable economic environment, more time is needed at this juncture,” the Dublin development agency said in a statement, adding it was “confident that these economic uncertainties are short- to medium-term.”

The project shelving caps a six-year struggle and three rounds of architectural competition to build a U2 Tower. It raises doubts about whether the current lavish design, by world-renowned British architect Norman Foster, will ever get beyond the draftsman’s board.

The projected 200 million euro ($250 million) construction would have dominated the low-rise skyline of Dublin, where conservationists have successfully shot down other skyscraper projects.

But Foster’s U2 Tower presumed the sale of more than 180 apartments at more than 1 million euros (US$1.3 million) each. That might have been easy as recently as a year ago - when Irish investors were still pouring money into luxury apartments and town houses - but seems far-fetched now.

Ireland this year became the first member of the 15-nation euro zone to fall into recession and a decade-old boom in property prices fell swiftly into reverse, bringing sales activity to a standstill. An estimated 20,000 newly built residences lie unsold in this country of 4.2 million.

Foster envisioned a 120-meter (400-foot) triangular tower on the south bank of Dublin’s River Liffey with an egg-shaped pod housing U2’s new recording studios on top. That would give Bono and his bandmates a view at least twice as tall as any other building in Dublin.

The proposed roof also would house wind-generated electrical turbines and solar paneling, while two sides would be metal-paneled to look like fish scales. Riverside traffic would be permitted to flow through the base of the building.

Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen all would have had a financial stake in the U2 Tower because they are partial owners of a development consortium awarded the construction contract last year. That agreement now has been set aside.

The U2 band members are among Ireland’s wealthiest citizens and have invested together in a wide range of Dublin properties, including a luxury riverside hotel that is earmarked for its own futuristic Foster overhaul.

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK
Associated Press Writer

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Dublin shelves plans for U2 Tower

October 27th 2008: Bono & Edge perform When Love Comes to Town with BB King at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA. Originally recored & uploaded by U2Mel

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When Love Comes to Town with BB King

U2 will still be rocking and coining it when they approach their 60s, after the fine print of their lucrative new deal was revealed this week.

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The billion dollar band

The U2 frontman will wax lyrical on Africa, poverty and Frank Sinatra – and he’ll be doing it for free. Expect future contributions from Brian May and Bruce Springsteen. No, really

A new writer will be joining the New York Times editorial staff, issuing literate meditations on the issues of the day. He’s Irish. He wears wrap-around sunglasses. And his name rhymes with “Oh no!”

Yes, U2’s Bono is the latest columnist to be hired by New York’s esteemed newspaper. Editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal announced the decision at Columbia’s School of Journalism this week, saying that the former Nobel Peace Prize nominee will pen between six and 10 articles over the course of 2009.

Bono will wax lyrical (or actually, less lyrical than normal) on the topics of Africa, poverty and Frank Sinatra, Rosenthal said.

The appointment of Bono may have been spurred by Rosenthal’s fascination with learning the guitar – he showed students several sheets of guitar tablature he had downloaded. But more likely it was inspired by, er, Bono’s celebrity status. And by his pay demands; Bono will be paid exactly “nothing”, Rosenthal said.

The New York Times also expressed an interest in bringing Queen’s Brian May back to the pages of the paper. The guitarist – who recently earned his doctorate in astrophysics - has already written about space for the New York Times website. Rosenthal said he was a fan, too, of previous op-eds by Bruce Springsteen.

Though rockers and pop stars are welcome, another group faces an uphill battle on to the New York Times’ editorial page - conservatives. “[US Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice is a particularly bad op-ed writer,” Rosenthal said. However, the problem doesn’t end there. “The problem with conservative columnists,” Rosenthal said, “is that many of them lie in print.” And they can’t sing.

- Guardian

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Bono to become New York Times columnist

From the beeb website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7652337.stm

Emily Eavis, daughter of Michael, told the BBC news website in September that the headliners for next year should be announced “pretty soon”.

She declined to name them, but did say: “It’s not Coldplay, it’s not U2 and it’s not the Rolling Stones.”

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No Glastonbury 09

U2 guitarist The Edge has revealed how he has fulfilled a dream by buying a £12m luxury yacht.

It was recently claimed that Bono had splashed out a small fortune on the Cyan, a 140-foot yacht with six cabins and accommodation for 12 guests.

But Edge spoke out last night to the Irish Independent to put the record straight.

“It’s not Bono’s yacht at all, it’s mine. Bono doesn’t know a thing about boats,” he said.

“For years it was a dream of mine to own a yacht, but to be honest, it was a bit out of my league. So myself and a few friends got together, chipped in, and bought the Cyan. I don’t know where the story that Bono owns it came from.”

And Edge’s wife Morleigh Steinberg has spent the past few months in the south of France overseeing a total redesign of the yacht, which included a new paint job.

Edge added: “She’s now been totally refurbished and we’re really happy with her. Morleigh has totally overseen all the work onboard and it’s great. So it’s now a really hip ship!”

The Cyan has a long list of luxuries, including an on-deck jacuzzi, a state-of-the-art music system, a swimming platform, large dining area and a luxury bar. It was built in 1997 by Codesca Yachts and commanded a charter price of between e140,000 and e175,000, depending on how long it was being hired for.

Edge and Bono own a luxury villa beside the beach in Eze-sur-mer on the French Riviera, where neighbours include superstars Elton John, Tina Turner and Michael Flatley.

While Bono has often been snapped on the beach or entertaining friends during his annual break, Edge and his family are very rarely pictured on their holidays there.

Edge also owns a home in Killiney in south county Dublin, as well as a property near Malibu in America.

And the guitar ace, who recently starred in a documentary film with guitar greats Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Jack White of The White Stripes, is now dividing his time between enjoying the yacht and finishing the next album.

A spokeswoman for the band revealed: “There won’t be much public activity from the band until next year. They’re still perfecting the album, which won’t be released until next year.”

And she said that their office was receiving constant queries from fans and reporters alike over whether the band would play Croke Park, the Phoenix Park or the O2 venue as part of next year’s world tour.

“The tour plans haven’t been confirmed at all, but they certainly will be playing Dublin. It is their hometown after all,” she added.

- Belfast telegraph

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U2 guitarist splashes out on £12m yacht

Bono is writing a daily blog from the Millennium Development Goals summit in New York for The Financial Times.

So far, the U2 singer has written about why he thinks Europe needs Africa, as well as why aid should be seen as “a leg-up, not a hand-out”.

He also revealed details of a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

He said: “Sarko is a real physical presence in a room. He might even be taller than me…animated, funny one minute; annoyed the next.”

The Millennium Development Goals are set out by 189 United Nations member states. The eight separate goals aim improve international development by 2015.

Writing on the blog, Bono said that he wants to meet with US Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama in the near future.

- NME

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U2’s Bono turns blogger

Legendary Irish band U2 are to return to Portugal sometime in “2009 or
2010”, but tickets that are currently being promoted and sold on a
Dutch website for a U2 concert in Oporto in 2009 are a scam.

This was confirmed by the band’s representative in Portugal, Nuno
Braancamp, of agency Ritmos & Blues.

Ritmos & Blues is responsible for every U2 concert ever held in
Portugal, with the exception of a 1982 performance at the Vilar de
Mouros festival. Nuno Braancamp guaranteed the tickets that are being
sold on a Dutch website for two U2 concerts next year, in the Dragão
Stadium, Oporto, on August 11th and 12th are bogus.

“They’re fake.
It’s all a scam”, he said, reminding the public that the band
themselves warned fans not to purchase tickets before the official
confirmation of the upcoming tour dates was announced. He further
stressed that should the band return to Portugal it would be highly
unlikely they would ever play in Oporto. “It will always be in Lisbon
and for Portugal it does not make sense to hold more than one
concert”. On the Dutch website tickets for the Oporto concert are
being sold at €239.

Braancamp believes U2 will not be back to Portugal
before 2010, as the editing of their new album has been postponed
until next year.

- Portugal News

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U2 tickets for Oporto concert “are fake”