Sony Music is pleased to announce the CD and Digital Download release of Killing Bono: The Original Soundtrack Album on Monday March 28th 2011. Killing Bono is the critically acclaimed rock ‘n' roll comedy, based on the true story of two Irish brothers struggling to forge their path through the 1980's music scene, whilst the meteoric rise to fame of their old school pals U2 only serves to cast them deeper into The Shadows. Killing Bono will be released theatrically by Paramount Pictures in the UK and Ireland on April 1st.
Neil McCormick always knew he'd be famous... A young Irish songwriter and budding genius, nothing less than a life of rock 'n' roll stardom will do. But there's only room for one singer in school band The Hype and his friend Paul's already bagged the job. Neil forms his own band with his brother Ivan, determined to leave The Hype in his wake.
But there's a problem: The Hype have changed their name... to U2. And Paul has turned into 'Bono'. Naturally there's only one option for Neil: become bigger than U2.
The brothers head to London in their quest for fame, but find their every action dwarfed by the soaring success of their old school rivals. Then, just as they land some success of their own, Ivan discovers the shocking truth behind Neil's rivalry with U2, and it threatens to destroy everything.
As his rock 'n' roll dream crashes and burns, Neil feels like his failure is directly linked to Bono's success. Is he the yin to Bono's yang? Is he forever destined to live in The Shadows of superstardom? And what if the answer lies in... Killing Bono?
Much more than your average movie soundtrack, the Killing Bono OST features eight unique new arrangements written by Grammy-nominated song writer Joe Echo, which have been performed and recorded by Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Robert Sheehan (Misfits TV Series), the actors who portray Neil and Ivan McCormick in the film.
The album also includes an exclusive and previously unreleased track entitled Street Mission, written by U2's first incarnation, The Hype, and performed on the Killing Bono OST by Martin McCann (who plays Bono) and the band portraying The Hype in the film. Killing Bono documents the rise of U2 from their first concert as The Hype to the peak of their fame as the biggest band in the world, and Street Mission is followed on the soundtrack by U2 classic I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, from 1987's landmark album The Joshua Tree, the release of which drives the climax of the film.
Other tracks include the original 1987 recording of Stop The World by Shook Up! (Neil and Ivan's band portrayed in Killing Bono), former Live lead singer Ed Kowalczyk's The Great Beyond, taken from his debut solo album, and music from the film's score, by Academy Award winning British composer Stephen Warbeck. Two songs, Some Kind Of Loving and Sleepwalking, feature original Shook Up! lyrics, with musical re-workings by Joe Echo.
Joe Echo is an acclaimed up-and-coming Irish singer/songwriter, whose collaboration with Madonna on the track Celebration earned him a Grammy nomination in 2010. His song On All My Sundays features on Paul Oakenfold's #1 Dance album Perfecto Vegas, and he has recently worked with Blur and The Verve. He will release his debut solo album later in 2011.
To coincide with the theatrical release of Killing Bono and the CD & Digital Download release of the soundtrack album, a re-issued version of Neil McCormick's memoir I was Bono's Doppelganger will be released on Thursday March 31st, featuring brand new cover artwork and additional material; the book will be repackaged as Killing Bono.
Directed by BAFTA winner Nick Hamm, Killing Bono is based on journalist Neil McCormick's best-selling coming of age novel I was Bono's Doppelganger, with a screenplay by BAFTA winning writers Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais, with Simon Maxwell. Its young cast boasts some of the UK's most promising acting talent, including Ben Barnes as Neil McCormick, Robert Sheehan as Ivan McCormick, and Martin McCann (Clash of the Titans, The Pacific) as Bono. Killing Bono is also the legendary Pete Postlethwaite's last ever screen appearance. Ian Flooks, one of films producers, was U2's agent from 1980 till 1997.
