THIS IS THEIR GOLDEN AGE

U2 ARE CELEBRATING 50 YEARS. MARION MCMULLEN LOOKS AT A NEW BOOK MARKING THE HISTORY OF THE IRISH ROCK BAND

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BONO once said U2 were “a band before we could play”.

Larry Mullen Jr was just 14 when he posted a note on the community board of his school saying, “Drummer seeks musicians to form band”.

It led to Paul “Bono” Hewson, David “The Edge” Evans and Adam Clayton joining him for what was to become U2.

Larry remembers: “This odd group of people convened in my kitchen in Artane. And that's where it started.”

New book U2 Until The End Of The World by music journalist Bradley Morgan is celebrating 50 years of the Irish band and draws on interviews, photos and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to show how four school friends in the 1970s from the bustling streets of Dublin ended up playing the biggest arenas on the planet.

From the band’s early days, they have gone on to Live Aid and albums including The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

Larry started his musical education early in life, learning piano and then drumming before turning 10 years old. He played in marching bands, first for an all-boys outfit (before quitting over disagreements about his hair length), then performing orchestral percussion in a post office ensemble.