1980-10-19

Lyceum Ballroom, London, England

Set List of Show:

Additional Music

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

Show Details:

U2 are on the bill with three other bands for this performance at the Lyceum in London. Slade are the headlining band, and have three opening acts, The Last Words, Discharge and then U2. U2 are billed as U.2. on the advertisements for this event.

The show costs £3.00 and tickets are sold in advance at the Lyceum box office.

This show takes place the night before U2’s album Boy is released, and is the night after the band returns from continental Europe. The band are tired and the performance isn’t well reviewed. After this show U2 take a bit of a break, and don’t return to performances until November 7.

In a review of this show for Sounds magazine, Garry Bushell writes: “U2 came as a brief relief, sounding initially so much more positive than all that puerile pretend punk. But the magic soon wore thin as the cracks beneath the bands polished edifice became more and more apparent. Firstly the newer material confirmed the impression that U2 are letting their pretensions run away with them, moving from the joyous pop gems that made their initial appearances so refreshing to tedious drawn out yawns that even the Edge’s often breathtaking fretwork fluency couldn’t compensate for. And secondly Bono’s glum, self satisfied pronouncements became increasingly offensive as the night progressed. It seems like he’s beginning to believe the messianic treatment he’s getting from the self styled radical press—-a real cotton wool job that lets him get away with outrageous nonsense, advocating Adam and Eve over Darwin, without being pulled up about it. Underneath the glittery surface U2 would appear to be nurturing some severely unhealthy elements.”

Bono looked back in 2002 at that early show at the Lyceum with Slade in an interview with GQ magazine:

“By way of illustration, he recalls U2 supporting Slade at the Lyceum in London, prior to the release of their first album. ‘We thought it might be an odd move,’ he muses. ‘But I remember just being amazed by Noddy Holder in full flight. The man has an astonishing voice. Really pared-down sound with no artifice whatever. It didn’t really strike us as a naff thing to do. We just figured it might be interesting, educational even. And it was.’”

Slade, interviewed in Melody Maker don’t get the kindest words from the band. Jim Lea of the band said, “Bands like that, get five page features in the papers and maybe I’d go along if they were playing at the Lafayette or something, but to be honest I don’t give a shit about U2. That sounds awful doesn’t it?” He also admits that Slade did not watch U2 when they opened for the band at the Lyceum.

Officially Released Tracks