Credit: Far Out / Phillip Lebowitz
Thu 30 July 2026 12:00, UK
When you look through the discographies of different rock bands, you’ll struggle to find a group that has the same amount of versatility as U2.
Look, I’m not saying that it’s a career that hasn’t come with some controversy. I mean, who could forget when they put their new album onto everybody’s phone without consent? The move, which some called an advancement in music distribution, was seen as a breach of privacy by many and a devaluation of the art form by others.
On top of these controversial business decisions, U2 have also changed their style up a great deal, dabbling in various different styles from rock to dance to disco. There’s plenty of time to admire those who are willing to take a risk and pursue making a new style of music, but it hasn’t always been the most well-received by U2 fans, as a lot of people have stopped listening to the band completely throughout different points in their creative trajectory.
Taylor Hawkins went on record to say how much he hated some of the different directions that U2 went in throughout their time as a band. While he was a fan of some of the earlier rock music they had put out, as soon as they dabbled in the world of disco and started releasing music videos that expressed as much, he was clocking out.
“Let me start out by saying that I love U2,” he said, “I really do, especially the first four records. They’re very, very important records. They were super, duper important to me growing as a musician, whether I was ten or 12 or 14. Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, and The Joshua Tree, those records, they’re part of my musical DNA and structure. Then they did Achtung Baby. I was like, ‘OK. I get it, sort of’. And then they did fucking ‘Discothéque’.”
You have to admire these different attempts at various genres, even if you’re not a huge fan of listening to them. It takes a lot to attempt to reinvent a band and branch out into various genres, knowing that it might frustrate some fans. At least they were being true to their own creative vision, no matter how many times it might have backfired.
It’s interesting, when you consider how many different styles of music U2 have dabbled in, that Bono’s initial love of music stemmed from rhythm rather than melody. The first instrument he was ever obsessed with, and the sound that made him realise he wanted to start a band, was the drums. These are the foundation of lots of different genres, but they don’t necessarily separate too many styles individually, and so the fact these were the first things that Bono was enamoured with feels like a contrast somewhat, and yet, it’s the truth.
Further reading: From The Vault
To find Bono’s musical origin, you need to travel back in time, all the way to Glasnevin National School in Dublin, which locals referred to as “The Ink Bottle”.
This is where Bono saw one of his first-ever gigs, and without it, he and U2 simply wouldn’t exist. He loved the whole sound, but it was the drums that really caught his attention. The name of the band has been lost in time, but somewhere out there, there is a mysterious drummer who is responsible for one of the biggest rock acts on the planet. That must have been one hell of a school assembly to have such a huge impact.
“There was a cabaret band that played our primary school, the Ink Bottle in Glasnevin,” recalled Bono, “I was eight, and I never quite got over the sound of the drums. When we made our first album, I would have dreams about the bass drum. Drums got me into rock’n’roll. I mean, it was Larry who put together U2, he was the only one who could play, and it was enough just to listen to his drums.”
