2FM first to air dizzying new U2 single Vertigo

IRISH U2 fans were given an exclusive airing of the band’s upcoming single from their latest album on the 2FM radio station last night.

The song Vertigo will not be on sale until November 8. But in keeping with a 25-year-old tradition, the Dublin band gave veteran DJ Dave Fanning the first chance to broadcast it. He has been the first person to play each of the band’s dozens of singles since they first sprang to fame in the late 1970s.

The latest single is taken from the forthcoming album, ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’, which is also due for release in November.

While 2FM is normally available to worldwide audiences through the internet, yesterday’s programme was not available on the station’s website, meaning Irish listeners were truly the first to hear the song.

However, Dave Fanning played the upbeat track down the phone to a number of U2 fans around the globe.

The single’s first airing came just hours after the band’s frontman and singer Bono was at the Chilean Embassy in Dublin.

The country’s ambassador to Ireland, Alberto Yoacham, presented him with the Pablo Neruda Medal of Honour. Bono is one of 100 celebrities to receive the award for their contribution to culture.

The award marks the centenary of the birth of Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda.

Bono was accompanied by his wife Ali Hewson to the ceremony. He said he was a great fan of both Pablo Neruda and Chile, and that he was honoured to receive the award.