1979-12-04

Hope & Anchor, London, England

Set List of Show:

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

Show Details:

U2’s fourth show in as many days takes place at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. U2 are listed as “The U2’s” in ads in both NME and Time Out, and simply “U2’s” in Sounds. The gig guides for the shows in the various publications also list “The U2’s.” Admission for the show is £0.75.

U2 play to a very small crowd at this show, and they are the headliner. It was unlikely that there was an opening act. The crowd include a number of people from the British press, as well as a number of guests visiting U2 from Dublin. U2’s guests for the night include Philip Chevron and Pete Holidai, fellow musicians in the Dublin scene. Chevron would be the lead guitarist for the Pogues, but at the time was part of The Radiators. Holidai is also a member of The Radiators. Stories say after the press, and the guests on U2’s list, there are only nine paying customers in attendance at the show.

Despite the support of friends from home, the show doesn’t go smoothly for U2. The Edge has been struggling with his hand during these early shows, and at some point at the Hope & Anchor he broke a string on his guitar and decides to call it an early night. U2 decide to finish the show early, following The Edge off stage. Uncut magazine report the incident as follows, “Meanwhile, guitarist Dave “Edge” Evans has been hurt in a minor car crash on the eve of the London dates, leaving him with a bandaged hand. In pain when he plays, Evans snaps a string at the Hope And Anchor show and storms offstage, much to the bafflement of the assembled A&R scouts. After the gig, the Dublin post-punk hopefuls have a furious bust-up with their sound man over their Christian beliefs, the first of many such conflicts between heavenly faith and earthly temptation.” Pat Gilbert tells the story in NME as “when a pain-wracked Edge broke a string mid-set and left the stage for good, much to the confusion of an unimpressed scout from Chrysalis.”

This is the last show where The Edge has his hand in bandages, and photos from the next show confirm it had been removed.

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Officially Released Tracks

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