U2 have spoken out about the controversy surrounding Macklemore ‘s removal from Ed Sheeran ‘s US tour, insisting that billionaire venue owners have no right to censor musicians.

READ MORE: U2 live in Las Vegas: a dazzling opening night at the $2 billion Sphere

The Irish band discussed the row in a new interview with BBC News , with guitarist The Edge voicing his support for Macklemore while defending Sheeran against criticism.

“We totally support Macklemore’s right as an artist to say what he wanted to say,” he explained.

“I don’t think Ed should be vilified,” he added, acknowledging the difficult position the singer had faced.

The Edge also praised the younger musicians who withdrew from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore, arguing that they had taken a stand in defence of another artist’s freedom of expression, which he considered the overriding issue in the dispute.

Drummer Larry Mullen Jr.…