Bono leaks U2’s new album

Bono, lead singer of the Irish rock band U2, is believed to be personally responsible for the leaking of his band's latest album onto the internet – because he was playing tracks too loudly from his French holiday home in Eze, on the Cote d'Azur. According to the Sun, a fan heard Bono playing the music, surreptitiously recorded it and then uploaded four tracks onto YouTube.

The songs are believed to be from the band's eagerly awaited follow-up to How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which came out four years ago. While there is no official title for the album yet, the name No Line on the Horizon has been registered as an internet domain name by the Universal Music Group, owner of the band's record label, Interscope.

The four tracks posted on YouTube included the album's title track and first single, Sexy Boots. The video footage was available for 24 hours, but yesterday a sign on the website said: "This video contains an audio track that has not been authorised by all copyright holders. The audio has been disabled."