U2 ARE PERFORMING a ‘secret’ gig this afternoon to mark the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.

The concert kicked off within the last few minutes. 

The four-piece are performing in the yard at Mount Temple, the north Dublin school where they first formed in 1976 after 14-year-old Larry Mullen posted his ‘drummer seeks musicians’ message on the school noticeboard.

They played their last gig as Mount Temple students in the school yard in 1978. 

Bono introduced Larry Mullen as “the man who pinned the note on the noticeboard” and Adam Clayton as “the streaker of the green corridor”.

The band opened with I Will Follow and performed hits Vertigo, Beautiful Day and Out of Control, a track from their debut EP U2 3 in 1979.

They also gave the first live performance of their new single Silencio.

Microphones were set up on top of a porta-cabin earlier this morning, with a drum kit on a nearby platform. 

Around 1,000 students are watching the gig, with some waving towards cameras and holding pieces of paper and homemade placards. 

“Thanks for showing up,” Bono told the students. “I suppose you’d nowhere else to go.”

Friends and family of the band are seated in a separate section.

This includes their former manager Paul McGuinness, painter and sculptor Guggi, who grew up with Bono in Glasnevin, and broadcaster Dave Fanning, who was among the first to play the band’s music on radio and has premiered several of their tracks over the years. 

Over 100 invited journalists are also present, alongside around 100 members of staff. 

The group announced a new album, Carnaval De Luz, earlier this week. Their first studio album in nine years, it will be released in November.