Interviewed after their recent trip to Fez, the U2 guitarist has spoken of their decision to seek inspiration in North Africa.
"It was one of those ideas that wouldn’t go away," he tells Hot Press. "We were there during a festival of sacred music in Fez, so we saw some amazing artists. It’s all stuff that just takes you out of your comfort zone, and we seem to thrive in that situation, where expectations are really disregarded and you’re there to explore and discover new things."
He also reveals that their new work is not necessarily the start of a follow-up to 2004's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: "One of the luxuries we’ve afforded ourselves is not to have to think about exactly what it will be or how it’ll be finished or when it’ll be released."
The full interview will be printed in Hot Press's 30th birthday issue, out on Thursday June 14. In it, he commemorates the influence of Hot Press, both on U2 and music in Ireland.
"I think it made a huge difference in that it kind of legitimised the local scene," he reflects. "Seeing something in print is proof that you actually exist outside of your own head, that there is something you’re part of, something going on, subcultural as it might be."
Also included in the bumper collectors' edition are interviews with Damien Dempsey, Bryan Ferry, Geoff Travis, David Gray, Bell X1, Louis Walsh, Ash, plus a look back at the best and most memorable moments of the past 30 years.