Previously unseen footage of U2’s surprise gig on Sheriff Street in Dublin in 1982 has finally been released.
The footage, which was released by the Irish Film Institute (IFI), includes Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton performing in front of 300 people.
The footage has them singing An Cat Dubh, 11 O’Clock Tick Tock, and Let’s Twist Again.
The concert was a part of an inner city festival led by activist Mick Rafferty and Independent politician Tony Gregory.
The footage has been released as part of IFI’s Loopline Film Collection in partnership with Merry Doyle which includes never-before-seen outtakes, interviews and additional material.
The concert was filmed by filmmaker Se Merry Doyle as part of his 1982 documentary “Looking On”, the Irish Independent reports.
He said: “Dublin Corporation decided to demolish the tenements in Gardiner Street and Summerhill and the locals decided to have a festival called 'Looking On' so I documented that over the whole summer.
"There were lots of artists and, without much notice, U2 did a secret gig on Sheriff Street. They had to climb up a rope to get up on stage. It was an extraordinary performance.”
He added that there was no other footage of U2 in that period before they found international fame.
Only a small amount of the footage was used in his documentary but you can watch the extended footage on the IFIPlayer.
