Hot Press special edition hits shelves with exclusive cover story written by U2's The Edge

In the piece, the guitarist – and producer of Songs Of Surrender – writes passionately about the inspiration behind the upcoming album, and the process of re-imagining some of U2's most beloved tracks.

He says: "I think 'Stories For Boys' is probably the most surprising because that song in its early form was like full on, post punk energy... A song written by boys about their interests and the place they find themselves in... This is completely reimagined and in fact, it's me singing which is quite unusual... The lyric is a complete rewrite and we wanted to write it about those boys but from the perspective of now, our perspective.." “It is an amazing exercise for any band to revisit their catalogue in this way,” said Hot Press editor Niall Stokes.

“Of course, for many artists, there is the fear of alienating fans – or at least of messing with their memories. But Bob Dylan has shown definitively that people who love music, and who are interested in an artist, are open to different ways of looking at, at entering into and interpreting – or re-interpreting – songs. It’s great to get a sense from The Edge of the thinking behind the record, and how it fits into the U2 canon generally. "Having the piece by The Edge as the cover story on our Irish Music Month special feels especially appropriate,” he added.

“U2 have continually set new standards in contemporary music, and shown just how high Irish artists can aspire, in creative terms but also in winning the hearts and minds of fans all over the world.

"That is the benchmark for all of the brilliant new artists Ireland is producing across all genres and styles right now."