Clash

U2’s shock-released new album, Songs Of Innocence, is largely themed around the band’s childhoods and adolescence in Dublin, according to Bono. Well, here’s what came next… This is the full story, as told by those who were there, of U2’s rise from indie hopefuls to becoming the Biggest Rock Band On The Planet. Written by Stephen Dalton, and originally published in Uncut’s December 1999 issue (Take 31).

Lykke Li has claimed that Bono told her she "blew everyone out of the water" when she recorded vocals for U2's new album. The Swedish singer appears on the band's free album 'Songs of Innocence', contributing vocals on final track 'The Troubles'. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Lykke Li revealed details of the recording process and also the fact that Bono told her that 'Never Gonna Love Again' is his favourite song from her latest album 'I Never Learn'.

U2 have released their new album Songs Of Innocence and are giving it away for free. The band announced the release at Apple's iPhone 6 launch in California, where they also performed its first single, "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)". The album will be available through Apple alone until October 13. Scroll down for a full tracklisting.

Five CD, 91 track bonanza from reggae’s golden age...

Early '70s touchstone, expanded to 10 discs...

The Manics release their 12th album, Futurology, on Monday (July 7) – here, we head back to the November 2011 issue of Uncut (Take 174) to hear James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore talk us through their history, and introduce us to their next stage, “the third and final great leap forward…” Words: David Quantick

In tribute to Glenn Frey, who died on January 18, 2016, we look back on the legend of Desperado...

Peter Gabriel cancelled Saturday night's (May 10) planned concert in Kiev due to security concerns as violence continues to sweep Ukraine. In a statement on his website, Gabriel said: "Due to the on-going unrest in Ukraine it has become clear that the security of the touring personnel and equipment cannot be guaranteed during the planned visit to the country and this has presented us with significant logistical difficulties that we have been unable to resolve.

I was reminiscing with an old friend over the weekend about The Specials, his favourite band. Our chat brought us to the great 1979 2-Tone Tour that featured The Specials, supported by Madness and The Selecter, a snapshot of which now duly follows.

Damon Albarn is a man of many guises, and it seems he also has an outfit to match them all. In his role as Blur frontman, he consistently favoured Fred Perry tops and oxblood Doc Martens. As a member of Gorillaz, he even went as far as to adopt an entirely different persona – the spiky-haired animated singer 2D (real name: Stuart Tusspot). For The Good, The Bad And The Queen, he favoured a Two Tone-style dark suit and a low top hat, and for his reimagining of the life of Elizabethan mystic John Dee, he went as far as to grow a beard. Tonight, he arrives on stage wearing a simple suit and tie and a pair of desert boots.