(Bob Geldof, Garry Roberts, Pete Briquette & Simon Crowe)
When he came off the Isle of Wight Festival stage in 2013, Bob Geldof cheerfully exclaimed "Funny. I'd forgotten what a mighty band the Rats are!" Others hadn't forgotten. It was supposed to be just a brief "reunion", but it turned into the triumphant return of the Boomtown Rats.
formed in Dublin in 1975, the Boomtown Rats '76 burst from Ireland - their fast, loud, blustery music and fast, loud, blustery attitude making them part of the growing punk scene. Singer Bob Geldof's arrogant rebel snark and disrespect for authority figures endeared him and his band to any youth who felt stifled by the heavy-handed coaxings of church and state.
In the UK, the Boomtown Rats first toured with the Ramones and Talking Heads, shaking and mocking the status quo alongside the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam and The Stranglers. They became one of the biggest bands of the late 70s/80s with a string of top ten hits and platinum albums, winning Brit Awards, Ivor Novellos and Grammy Awards. In the UK they made history as the first Irish band to have a number one ("Rat Trap"), then topped the charts in 32 countries with "I Don't Like Monday" and released six epoch-making albums.
Lyrics source and more information about this event: https://batschkapp.tickets.de/de/events/9672-THE_BOOMTOWN_RATS
