Four photographic archives of previously unseen images of U2, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones will go under the hammer at Bonhams' Entertainment Memorabilia auction on June 23.
In 1978, a band called The Hype entered a competition as part of the Limerick Civic Week - but when the night came on March 17 1978, they changed their name to U2.
Emerging victorious, with £500 and studio time to record a demo which was heard by CBS Ireland, the drummer Larry Mullen is later quoted as saying: "We had no real idea how winning in Limerick would change our lives," and the band went on to become a worldwide sensation.
 Their first step on the ladder... rock giants U2 back in 1978 |
Bonhams are now auctioning thirteen black and white photos from this crucial turning point in their career. One of these images has been previously published, but the rest are all unseen.
There are several of the band offstage, whilst the remainder show them performing at the Stella Ballroom. They are estimated at £10,000-15,000 and are to be sold with copyright.
"It is very exciting to be able to offer such a variety of unseen images, taken on what proved to be such a pivotal night in their early career," said Stephanie Connell of Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Department.
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