Becoming U2: The Untold Story Of The Night That Changed Music History | Brian O’Connell | 2026

Brian O’Connell

Becoming U2: The Untold Story Of The Night That Changed Music History Brian O’Connell | 2026

€16.99
SKU: 9781739387273
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Becoming U2: The Untold Story Of The Night That Changed Music History

The book tells the extraordinary story of the night that the fourpiece from the North side of Dublin played their first ever official gig as U2, in a band competition - and won! - thereby changing the course not just of Irish music but of popular music across the world.

"It was a classic sliding doors moment. And yet very little was known – or has been written - about it...” Brian O’Connell says. Until now, that is…

WHO DARES WINS...

On Friday 13th January 1978, a short news story appeared on the front page of the Irish newspaper, the Irish Press. It announced a competition, under the immortal headline: £500 Prize for Top Pop Group.

Sixteen months previously a fourteen year-old by the name of Larry had placed a handwritten ad on the noticeboard at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, on the north side of Dublin, bearing the legend “Drummer seeks musicians to form band.” Progress in the interim had been slow, but a band now existed, with the selfsame Larry bashing the skins.

First, they were called Feedback, then The Hype. Larry consulted with the rest of the band members and they decided to enter the Limerick competition. For what promised to be an adventurous trip, the outfit known as The Hype changed their name and settled on a four-piece line-up.

For this, it turned out, was the first time that Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, The Edge and a boy who had changed his name to Bono, would play their first ‘official’ gig together under the moniker U2.

THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

The stars aligned that night for a band who, by their own admission, could barely play. When the result was announced, and U2 were declared winners of the £500 prize there were boos as well as cheers from the audience. “What the hell is going on?” , one disgruntled muso asked. “They can’t even play their instruments.” “We had no real idea, ” Larry Mullen would reflect later, “how winning in Limerick would change our lives”…

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ‘BECOMING U2’

"Becoming U2 is a lovely reminder of the pure undistilled excitement we felt at winning the Harp Lager Talent Competition in Limerick all those years ago. There was a lot of talent in the Stella Ballroom that night and to come away with the top prize of £500 and the opportunity to enter a real recording studio... It was such an important moment for the band and set us on our way.” - Adam Clayton, U2

"I knew this story. Then I read this book. I didn't know the story at all. It's great and brilliantly told by Brian O'Connell. Lots of drama… and very funny! Becoming U2 is a must-have for every fan of Irish music." - Dave Fanning, RTE

“Becoming U2 is an inspiring read for any young musician finding their way, and a great reminder that every band has to start somewhere. I loved it.” - Noel Hogan, The Cranberries

“What a wild snapshot of pop history, a mad escapade capturing the exact moment a gang of precocious Dublin schoolboys turned into one of the greatest rock groups in the world. Fascinating, thrilling, absurd and hilarious. Essential reading for U2 fans - and anyone who has ever wondered what it really takes to make it in the music business.” - Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph Chief Music Critic and author of U2 By U2

"Reading it, you can see and hear and feel what it was like in the Stella Ballroom on that fateful night." - Niall Stokes, Editor, Hot Press