U2 sitting on chairs in front of a red brick wall and a stage containing guitar amps and a drum kit
Image caption,

U2 speaking to BBC News in Dublin, 2026 (L-R): Larry Mullen Jr, Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton

ByMark SavageMusic correspondent
  • Published13 minutes ago

U2 are at their best when they act on instinct.

Their biggest songs are fuelled by fiery indignation (Pride, Sunday Bloody Sunday) or sudden inspiration (One, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own).

When they overthink, they misfire. An attempt to marry grunge and hip-hop on the 2006 single Get On Your Boots was, in the words of drummer Larry Mullen Jr, "a catastrophic choice".