U2 Days of Ash EP is accompanied by the return of ‘Propaganda’, a one-off digital zine, published forty years after the first edition of U2’s original fan magazine was issued in the spring of 1986. ‘Propaganda’ was always about much more than the band, born out of the punk-era D.I.Y. zine culture that embraced attitude, ideas and dialogue.
In the spirit of those early issues, this special publication of ‘Propaganda’ titled ‘U2 - Days Of Ash: Six Postcards From The Present… Wish We Weren’t Here’ explores the human stories that inspired the tracks on the Days of Ash EP.
Days of Ash EP available now. Read Propaganda here: https://t.co/JRVoserTUo
On this Ash Wednesday, Days Of Ash is released as a self-contained collection of five new songs and a selected poem - American Obituary, The Tears Of Things, Song Of The Future, Wildpeace, One Life At A Time and Yours Eternally (ft. Ed Sheeran & Taras Topolia). This new EP is a response to current events, inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom. Four of the five tracks are about individuals – a mother, a father, a teenage girl whose lives were brutally cut short - and a soldier who’d rather be singing but is ready to die for the freedom of his country.
Days of Ash EP available now. Listen here: https://t.co/OB3mVe69vu
"The album contenders are very different in mood and theme than the ones we've chosen to put out on the 'Days of Ash' EP," says Bono. "More songs of celebration than lamentation."
Read more: https://t.co/b1mQQEi3Hn
.@U2 surprise release politically-charged 'Days Of Ash' EP: "These songs were impatient to be out in the world. They are songs of defiance and dismay�� https://t.co/eHqDFYnG43
We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob. For now there are no words but there will always be songs. Love Always from Jim, Martin & Pete.
After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain - ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’. He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to @Pankind_Aus or @SupportAct.
From Live Aid to Kill Aid.
U2 were excited to play a small part in this gigantic moment forty years ago. We spotted a fair few white flags in the crowd (a theme from the War album still gathering pace on Unforgettable Fire) and sensed LIVE AID was a coming of age for our audience as much as our band. A day when everyone seemed to agree that where you live should not decide whether you live. In the next years, many of us would come to understand that if the first step in fighting the depravity of starvation was charity, then the hard yards and the long road would be fighting extreme poverty as injustice…we would learn to ask more demanding questions of how in a world of plentiful resources and intelligence so many sentient souls could perish for the dumbest of reasons… Bob Geldof and the spirit in Wembley Stadium and RFK that day sent our band (and our fans) to places and possibilities we would never have known to move from “agonising to organising” and exploring innovative platforms like Jubilee 2000, DATA ONE RED. Same spirit giving us instructions today louder than ever. As it says in the good book: have a mullet, will travel. Make Poverty History.