The Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats are an Irish group associated with punk, new wave, art punk, post-punk, pop rock and power pop. They form in 1975 and remain active until 1986. The band is led by Bob Geldof, whose full name is Robert Fredrick Zenon Geldof; he is born on 5 October 1951.

Origins and name

The band comes from Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland. Before adopting their final name, they use the name The Nightlife Thugs. The name The Boomtown Rats comes from a gang of down-and-outs mentioned in Woody Guthrie’s autobiography Bound for Glory.

Line-up

The core line-up consists of Bob Geldof, Pete Briquette, Gerry Cott, Simon Crowe, Johnnie Fingers and Garry Roberts. Gerry Cott leaves in 1981, after which the band continues as a quintet. Other listed members include Gung-Ho.

Career and songs

The Boomtown Rats become known for cynical, story-based songs, often written in the third person and using double meanings. Their commercial peak comes in the late 1970s, when they score several UK Top Ten singles. Their best-known songs include “Rat Trap” and “I Don’t Like Mondays”, both UK number ones, with “I Don’t Like Mondays” becoming their biggest hit and attracting international attention. “Dave” is another example of the band’s narrative songwriting.

Bob Geldof and later activity

Geldof gains wider international prominence through famine-relief campaigning, including organising the Band Aid single and the Live Aid concerts, which raise over 100 million dollars for famine relief. The band disbands in 1986 after a charity concert in Ireland. It later reforms in 2013, returns to touring, and releases Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits, a best-of collection that includes two newly recorded tracks.