U2-3 London Clubs December 1979
U2-3 London Club Tour 1979
U2 play a brief 12 date tour of the London Club scene called U2-3. The date at Brunell University with The Photo’s is cancelled. An extra date with Doll By Doll at The Venue in Victoria is quickly added. These are U2’s first concerts in the UK.
01/12/1979 Moonlight Club, West Hampstead, London, UK
Support; for Dolly Mixtures
Attendance; unknown
Admission; £1.00
Set List; Out Of Control, Boy – Girl, Concentration Cramp, The Dream Is Over, Inside Out, Shadows & Tall Trees
Like when Bono, at the Moonlight Club the previous weekend, went to take off his sweater, he handed the mike to the nearest “punter”, to hold for him. The guy’s bewilderment changed to amazement, to laughter, as Bono returned to stage front and thanked him for his help. he didn’t stop dancing for the rest of the set. Rock singers don’t do that kind of thing. But who achieves anything worthwhile by
following a bunch of rules?
Hot Press review by Rass Fitz
For their first gig outside London U2 are billed as Capitol U2
02/12/1979 Nashvile Rooms, London, UK
Support; Back To Zero
Attendance; unknown
Admission; £1.00
Set List; unknown
03/12/1979 101 Club, Clapham, London, UK
Support; for The Beat
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; unknown
U2 are listed on the advertising as The U2’s
04/12/1979 Hope & Anchor, Islington, London, UK
Support; unknown
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
U2 are billed the U2’s on the Advertising.
05/12/1979 Rock Garden, Covent Garden, London, UK
Support; for Dolly Mixtures
Attendance; unknown
Admission; £1.50
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
07/12/1979 Electric Ballroom, Camdem, London, UK
Support; for OMD & Talking Heads
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
08/12/1979 Electric Ballroom, Camdem, London, UK
Support; for OMD & Talking Heads
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
10/12/1979 Moonlight Club, West Hampstead, London, UK
Support; Medium Medium
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
10 days after their first London date at the Moonlight club, U2 return, but this time they are the headline act. A couple of days later fellow Dubliners the Vipers also play this venue.
11/12/1979 Bridge House, Canning Town, London, UK
Support; Idiot Dancers
Attendance; 18
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
Only 18 members of the public pay to get in the rest of the audience are made up of the press, family and friends of both bands.
This famous old venue has long since closed.
12/12/1979 Brunell University, London, UK
Support; for The Photo’s
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List;
14/12/1979 Dingwalls, Camden, London, UK
Support; Straight 8
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl,
15/12/1979 Harrow Road, Windsor Castle, London, UK
Support; unknown
Attendance; unknown
Admission; unknown
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl
When I took this photo in 2012 this venue was under a demolition notice.
18/12/1979 The Venue, Victoria, London, UK
Support; for Doll By Doll
Attendance; unknown
Admission; £3.50
Set List; 11 O’clock Tick Tock, Out Of Control, Boy – Girl
U-2 are aware and promiscuous; they’re warm enough, enticing enough to draw people in, yet sufficiently stubborn to deflate a cosy situation when necessary and stick their flag in the painful parts.
At the Venue they’re pulling and pushing the whole time, dropping theatrics into unlikely circumstances: they’re conquered the art of dynamics… they’ve hustled it into the constitution of a remarkably fresh and frisky new rockpop.
In Bono they have a uniquely expressive front figure, an irrepressible schemer and operator ducking and diving his alter ego trough number – apres – number; he can create interest with a flick of the hand, or build a mine (sic) of information into a mike stand.
U-2 are doing things within their chosen format – lyrically, idealistically, visually – that should be apparent to anyone with a sense of imagination or, alternately, a disillusionment with the general bloated rock state of affairs; the blind and deaf are, of course, excused.
Polite applause flickers at the close of their set…Chris Westwood
