Joel (as Bono) Joel has been on the scene for nearly 20 years. He has played in bands that cover electronic synth, to acid jazz, folk rock and more.  Joel gained a degree in music technology from Nottingham University in 2004. He has a great singing voice and also plays acoustic guitar. He is also pursuing a teaching qualification.

 

...Like most bands, this one started out with a different name and line up. The only two remaining original members are Lloyd and Bill. Gerry and Joel came shortly after but not before the first six months of rehearsals when we started to try things out with a live audience. We played our first gig and the results weren't good. No one in the band could settle or relax enough to play with conviction and that distinct U2 sound just wasn't there. Scanning the web sites for guitar players, Bill stumbled across Gerry's add. One section of the advertisement caught Bill's eye. Gerry had written, "U2 a speciality" ...

Gerry (as The Edge) Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Gerry has over 23 years experience playing lead guitar. He was particularly inspired by The Edge's performance on Live Aid back in 1985.  Given this background and his passion for U2 sounds, Gerry can faithfully produce the sounds typical of The Edge using authentic Guitars and Equipment. With a degree in Physics and a Ph.D. in Aerodynamics, Gerry really is the "Scientist of the family".

 

...A short phone call later and arrangements had been made for a get together. (Minus the original Guitarist) The difference was immediate and sensational. Gerry had all the right gear, and knew how to use it. Lloyd was a perfectionist and had studied Larry's drumming with microscopic interest. Bill, who wasn't originally a U2 fan, learned the bass's basic lines with the intention of improving on them as he went. The original front man looked every inch the part of Bono. At last, the band was starting to work...

Bill (as Adam Clayton) Bill’s music career has spanned all genre’s from Pop to Rock. He first started playing as the Bass player with a Reggae band and progressively moved through Blues and Rock styles. Bill had been playing with covers and original bands for a few years and was looking for something different.  As soon as Bill learned to play “Streets” he was hooked on U2. As well as this, Bill lists amongst his favourite numbers, Electric Co, Sometimes, Bad, Kite. The list goes on but “Hey they’re all great”.

 

...After a lot of hard work we had made progress and had managed to get a couple of gigs. The results were really good but unfortunately, no sooner had we started to gig we realised that it wasn't working out with the front man and the band split up, resigned to the fact that personalities were getting in the way. During the bands time gigging, Bill was asked to step in one night for a Bass player from another U2 Tribute Band. It turned out that their player was sick, so Bill stepped in, much to the dismay of our own original front man, who saw it as something akin to sleeping with the enemy. He couldn't see that it was simply an issue of trying to help other musicians...

Lloyd (as Larry Mullen Jr) At just 20 yrs old Lloyd is the youngest (and perhaps the most good looking) member of the band. Lloyd has been playing drums since he was 11. Thanks to his Dad, he has been brought up on U2 and is an avid U2 fan.  Lloyd is currently studying for his degree in Popular Music at the University of Wolverhampton. Lloyd is also an active session player and teaches drums at official Yamaha studios.

 

...Some weeks after our original band split up, the front man from the band who needed a bass player for one night was approached. This was Joel. After careful consideration and lengthy discussions with his own band, which weren't doing a lot of gigs at the time, Joel joined, Bill, Gerry and Lloyd to form Stay U2, who were later renamed to become 'The Unforgettable Fire'...

Paul - LNP Sound Paul ‘Sound Guy’ Spicer is classed as The Unforgettable Fire’s fifth member. After working with the band on one of their shows in May 2007 Paul was asked to come on board as full-time member of the band and has been with them ever since. Paul’s role is a crucial piece of the jigsaw as he brings the rest of the band's sound together so that the audience gets the ultimate U2 expereince. Paul has been a sound engineer for over 7 years now and has worked with numerous artists which include Newton Faulkner & Melanie Blatt (All saints) as well as working the sound desk at numerous venues including the Manchester Evening News Arena, London Astoria, Birmingham Academy 2, The Birmingham ICC and The Cavern Club to name a few.

...So it was back to the rehearsal rooms to pull it all together. This time everything clicked in to place and the band, haven't looked back. Joel's talent of holding an audience and his exceptional vocals with such a fantastic range to his voice, combined with the bands expert musicianship of an extremely accurate portrayal of the U2 sound makes this tribute band stand above all others in their homage to the world's greatest rock band, U2.