Inside the Bali Home of Multi-Grammy-Winning U2 Producer Steve Lillywhite
Plus, an exclusive update on The Pogues Fairytale of New York Live Recording Revival 2025
By Des Res Bali
In conversation with Steve Lillywhite at The LillyPad
Steve Lillywhite’s certainly earned a break. With six Grammys under his belt, he’s helped shape the sound of post-punk and alt-rock, and produced legends like Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthews Band, The Pogues, Morrissey, The Rolling Stones, U2, Simple Minds, Phish, and countless others. So, what’s left? Steve calls it a permanent gap year in paradise — and that’s exactly what he’s doing, while still dipping his toes in the occasional project.
Steve Lillywhite Revives The Pogues’ First Live Performance of Fairytale of New York, 2025
Most recently, he’s restored and revived a newly unearthed recording of the first-ever live performance of Fairytale of New York — captured at Glasgow Barrowlands in 1987, just after the song’s original release. This performance marks the first time Kirsty MacColl joined The Pogues onstage for the now-iconic duet.
Lillywhite also produced the original studio version of the track, along with the entire album it appears on, If I Should Fall From Grace with God — one of the most defining records of The Pogues’ career.
Sourced from a forgotten desk tape and lost for decades, the live recording has been carefully rebuilt using modern tools while preserving its raw intensity. It now exists as both a historical document and a rare musical moment — released via limited-edition vinyl EP and digital platforms worldwide.
Producers Steve Lillywhite & Neil McLellan reviving Fairytale of New York
The Lilly Pad
Des Res Bali was granted an exclusive tour of his home, The LillyPad, where he gave us the lowdown on his incredible career and building his dream house on the Island of the Gods.
Steve Lillywhite isn’t what you’d expect from someone with a legacy this large. No airs and graces. Just warmth, humour and an easygoing groundedness. His home, while impressive, still mirrors his personality.
Concrete and lighting detail at The LillyPad
Bali-Based Architecture
The LillyPad was designed by Ketut Agus of Altar Studio (@altar_studio), with architecture that seems to draw on elements of tropical brutalism — concrete forms softened by airflow and greenery, then carefully revealed at night through architectural lighting by GPD Lighting (@gpdlighting). It feels modern, but never cold.
Custom Art Installation
The main living room features an installation by Indonesian contemporary artist Rangga Maulana Koto (@rangranggaga). His work contrasts beautifully with the LillyPad’s strong geometry, adding texture and movement while subtly nodding to Steve’s musical world, including a line from a Pogues lyric woven into the piece.
Art installation by Indonesian contemporary artist Rangga Maulana Koto
Indonesia
Steve first came to Indonesia over a decade ago to work with local band Noah. Since then, his creative footprint across the region has only expanded — collaborating with Indonesian icon Iwan Fals, working with Thai rock band Slot Machine, and continuing to shape major international projects, including U2’s recent Las Vegas Sphere residency.
Over Covid, Bali became home for Steve — a base that offers space, perspective and a different pace.
The LillyPad feels less like an escape and more like a settling into something he’s earned, with ocean air, temple smoke, and the soft (and sometimes not-so-soft) buzz of Bali as the backdrop. We think this feels exactly right for the man who helped give the world Fairytale of New York.
