Monday, December 02, 2024

2025 Dates

 50th Anniversary dates, London date is exactly 50 years after first gig in Dublin.

  • Sun May 25 2025 - LEYLAND Lancashire - Music in the Park festival
  • Fri October 10 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall
  • Sat October 11 2025 - BIRMINGHAM Symphony Hall
  • Fri October 17 2025 - ABERDEEN Music Hall
  • Sat October 18 2025 - GLASGOW Barrowlands
  • Fri October 24 2025 - SHEFFIELD City Hall
  • Sat October 25 2025 - CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
  • Fri October 31 2025 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
  • Sat November 1 2025 - SOUTHAMPTON O2 Guildhall
  • Fri November 7 2025 - MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall
  • Sat November 8 2025 - GATESHEAD Glasshouse
  • Fri November 14 2025 - YORK Barbican
  • Sat November 15 2025 - LIVERPOOL Olympia


Friday, March 08, 2024

2024 Dates

Friday 26th April - BOOMTOWN RATS - Tvornica Kulture, Zagreb 

Saturday 15th June - BOOMTOWN RATS - Lets Rock Northampton

Saturday 29th June - BOOMTOWN RATS - Lets Rock Exeter

Saturday 20th July - BOOMTOWN RATS - Let's Rock Wales

Sunday 21st July - BOOMTOWN RATS - Rewind Scotland Scone Palace, Perth

Thursday 25th July - BOB GELDOF - Manefestivalen Gamle Fredrikstad, Norway 

Thursday 1st August - BOOMTOWN RATS - App Fest, Gloucestershire 

Saturday 24th August - BOOMTOWN RATS - Sunshine Festival, FISH MEADOW.UPTON-UPON-SEVERN.WORCESTERSHIRE.WR8 0PF 
Sunday 25th August - BOB GELDOF - The Pairc Festival, Kings Heath, Birmingham 

Also check https://www.theboomtownratsofficial.com/tour


Tuesday, September 05, 2023

2023 Dates

 Fri 10 Mar Kulttuuritalo Helsinki - CANCELLED

Sat 20 May Lets Rock The Moor, Cookham, Berkshire

Sat 8 Jul Lets Rock Southampton

Sat 15 Jul Lets Rock Shrewsbury

Sun 29 Jul Cavan, Ireland - SOLD OUT

Sat 5 Aug Lets Rock Northern Ireland, Bangor, County Down - CANCELLED

Sun 6 Aug Rewind North,  Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire  

Fri 18 Aug Weyfest, Farnham, Surrey

Sat 19 Aug Lochore Meadows Country Park, Fife.


2022 Dates

Sat 16 AprMoray's Easter Fest, Elgin Cooper Park, Elgin, Scotland
Sun 29 MayRiverside Park, Highworth Road, Lechlade, Glos, England https://lechladefestival.co.uk/
Sun 5 JunBigStage@1886, Villiers Square, Douglas, Isle of Man https://1886bars.com/product/mad-sunday/ 
Fri 17 JunSWR Summer Festival 2022, Speyer, Germany
Sat 2 JulSign of the Times Festival - LITTLE HADHAM HERTS SG11 2DY, England
Sun 17 JulForever Young Kildare, Ireland
Fri 5 AugMallorca Country Club, Spain https://www.legendsvip.com/event/the-boomtown-rats/
Sun 7 Aug  Stone Valley North  Durham DH7 7DW, England
Sun 28 Aug Stone Valley Midlands  Newark, Notts NG22 9EQ, England
Tue 30 AugMallorca Country Club, Spain (Postponed to 2023)
Sat 1 OctGreat British Alternative Festival, Skegness, England https://www.bigweekends.com/great-british-alternative-music-festival-skegness-300922

 

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Garry Roberts RIP

 Sad news that Garry Roberts has died, aged 72.  RIP The Legend.

Saturday, October 08, 2022

Out The Back Of Boomtown

Released: 8 Oct 2021 

1 And I Do - Geldof 4:01 
2 Against The World - Geldof 3:04 
3 Man Like Me - Geldof 3:18 
4 Three Dogs - Geldof, Briquette, Crowe 3:27 
5 The Zone - Geldof, Briquette 3:55 

Thursday, January 14, 2021

2021 Dates

Fri 13 Aug Stone Valley South, Ware
Sun 15 Aug Roundhouse Music Festival, Dagenham
Sat 25 Sep Let's Rock Norwich
Tue 12 Oct The Hawth, Crawley
Thu 14 Oct London Palladium (support Gabi Garbutt & The Illuminations)

The Boomtown Rats - UK Singles Discography


  • Rats UK Discography with UK label/tracks/entry date/highest chart position/positions made/weeks on chart thanks to polyhex.com. Non-UK catalogue numbers have been added where known.

1977

ENY4 Looking After No.1/Born To Burn/Barefootin' (live) (NL Mercury 6008 507)
  • 27-Aug-1977
  • 11
  • 47-28-17-13-{11}-14-15-34-25
  • 9 weeks
  • ENY9 Mary of the 4th Form/Do The Rat (NL Mercury 6008 513)
  • 19-Nov-1977
  • 15
  • 44-23-20-{15}-15-16-16-21-36
  • 9 weeks
  • 1978

    ENY13  She's So Modern/Lying Again (NL Mercury 6008 521)
    • 15-Apr-1978
    • 12
    • 23-19-15-15-{12}-14-17-33-39-61-70
    • 11 weeks
    ENY14 Like Clockwork/How Do You Do ? (NL Mercury 6008 526) FLEXIPOP3 D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E.*
  • 17/June/1978
  • 6
  • 54-26-13-8-{6}-6-6-8-15-26-36-52-73
  • 13 weeks


  • ENY16
    Rat Trap/So Strange (NL Mercury 6008 530)
  • 14/Oct/1978
  • 1
  • 22-9-7-3-2-{1}-1-2-5-13-28-28-37-50-73
  • 15 weeks
  • 1979

    ENY30 I Don't Like Mondays/It's All The Rage (NL Mercury 6008 550)

  • 21/July/1979
  • 1
  • 15-{1}-1-1-1-2-2-8-16-24-55-74
  • 12 weeks

  • I Don't Like Mondays
  • Entry Date - 19/Feb/2005 
  • Highest Chart Position - 22
  • 31-{22}-32R(20)
  • 3 weeks on chart

  • ENY33
    Diamond Smiles/Late Last Night (NL Mercury 6008 553)
  • 17/Nov/1979
  • 13
  • 35-23-{13}-15-16-27-27-43-53-72
  • 10 weeks
  • 1980

    ENY34/ENY3412 Someone's Looking at You/When The Night Comes (NL Mercury 6008 555)

  • 26/Jan/1980
  • 4
  • 45-14-8-{4}-7-14-22-50-62
  • 9 weeks
  • BONGO1 Banana Republic/Man at the Top

  • 22/Nov/1980
  • 3
  • 23-9-{3}-5-7-11-11-13-30-52-74
  • 11 weeks
  • 1981

    BONGO2 The Elephants Graveyard (Guilty) /Real Different

  • 31/Jan/1981
  • 26
  • 40-{26}-27-32-42-46
  • 6 weeks

  • MER 87 Never in a Million Years/Don't Talk To Me
    • 12/Dec/1981
    • 62
    • {62}-62-70-70
    • 4 weeks

    1982

    MER91 House on Fire/Europe Looked Ugly
    MERX91 House on Fire (dub mix)/Europe Looked Ugly

  • 20/Mar/1982
  • 24
  • 66-44-30-{24}-26-29-42-71
  • 8 weeks
  • MER106 Charmed Lives/No Hiding Place
    MER1062 Nothing Happened Today (Live)/A Storm Breaks (Instrumental)
    MERX106 Charmed Lives/A Storm Breaks (Instrumental)

  • FAILED TO CHART
  • 1984

    MER154/MERX154 Tonight/Precious Times/Walking Downtown**
    • 18/Feb/1984
    • 73
    • {73}-76-83
    • 3 weeks

    MER163/MERX163 Drag Me Down/An Icicle In the Sun/Up All Night (extended)**
    (Special Edition 12") Drag Me Down/Rat Trap/She's So Modern

  • 05/May/1984
  • 50
  • 90-81-56-{50}-66
  • 5 weeks
  • MER179/MERT179/MERX179 Dave/Hard Times/Banana Republic (Live)**/Close As You'll Ever Be (Live)**

  • 24/Nov/1984
  • 81
  • {81}-84-96
  • 3 weeks
  • 1985

    MER184/MERX184 A Hold of Me/Never In A Million Years/Say Hi To Mick**

  • 09/Feb/1985
  • 78
  • 84-{78}
  • 2 weeks
  • 1994

    VERCD87 I Don't Like Mondays/Looking After No.1/Mary of the 4th Form/She's So Modern
    VERDD87 I Don't Like Mondays/Rat Trap/Someone's Looking At You/Banana Republic
    VER87 I Don’t Like Mondays/Born To Burn/Do The Rat

  • 02/July/1994
  • 38
  • {38}-53
  • 2 weeks
  • * - D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. was the B-side to Like Clockwork in Ireland, but released as a cover mount Flexi Disc in the UK

    ** - 12" Only

    In the US, I Don't Like Mondays was their ONLY hit! If you can call number 73 a hit. It entered on 2nd February 1980 and peaked at 73 after entering at 91.

    • I Don't Like Mondays
    • 2/Feb/1980
    • 73
    • 91-80-75-{73}-92
    • 5 weeks

    Tracks in bold were not on any of the recent re-released albums in 2005.

    Tracks in italics have mixes/lyrics that differ from the re-released album.

    2020

    Trash Glam Baby/There’s No Tomorrow Like Today - 7"/download/stream

    • 14/Feb/2020
    • FAILED TO CHART

    Here’s A Postcard (Hot Mix) - Stream only

    • 21/Aug/2020
    • FAILED TO CHART

    Saturday, May 23, 2020

    Citizens of Boomtown: The Story of the Boomtown Rats

    Watch it here...
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000jjr5/citizens-of-boomtown-the-story-of-the-boomtown-rats

    With guests including Bono, Sinead O'Connor, Dave Stewart, Jools Holland, David Mallet and Sting, as well as music writers, photographers and historians, this film explores the musical and social legacy of Ireland's first rock superstars The Boomtown Rats, who changed their own lives, helped to change Ireland and, with Bob Geldof's Live Aid, changed the world.

    In this entertaining, dramatic and absorbing film, director Billy McGrath digs deep into the bands history and remarkable songbook and highlights the key moments of its huge success and subsequent fall in 1985. And after over 30 years, why did the band regroup in 2013?

    Friday, March 13, 2020

    Citizens of Boomtown

    The new LP.  Out Now! 



    And it broke into the top 50 LPs in the UK chart

    26.03.2020 CITIZENS OF BOOMTOWN #48

    Better still #11 in Physical Chart...

    https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/physical-albums-chart/20200320/2/

    1 Trash Glam Baby 03:54


    Sweet Thing 03:11


    Monster Monkeys 04:25


    She Said No 03:56


    Passing Through 04:36


    Here's a Postcard 03:52


    K.I.S.S. 03:11


    Rock 'n' Roll Yé Yé 04:55


    Get a Grip 04:00


    10 The Boomtown Rats 05:20


    Deluxe Edition Additional Tracks


    11 K.I.S.S. (Remix) 06:01


    12 Trash Glam Baby (Live at the Palladium) 05:08


    13 Someone's Looking at You (Live at the Palladium) 06:10


    14 Monster Monkeys (Live at the Palladium) 05:05


    15 Like Clockwork (Live at the Palladium) 03:59


    16 And I Do 04:02


    17 Against the World 03:04


    18 Man Like Me 03:19


    19 Three Dogs 03:28


    20 The Zone 03:55

    21 There's No Tomorrow Like Today 03:34

    Saturday, February 29, 2020

    2020 Year of The Rat Dates

    SUN 1 Mar 2020 Great British Alternative Festival Minehead, Somerset
    FRI 2 Oct 2020 Cardiff University Great Hall
    TUE 6 Oct 2020 London Palladium
    WED 7 Oct 2020 Brighton Dome
    MON 19 Oct 2020 Manchester O2 Ritz
    WED 21 Oct 2020 Liverpool Grand Central Hall
    MON 26 Oct 2020 York Barbican
    WED 28 Oct 2020 Birmingham Town Hall
    TUE 3 Nov 2020 Sage, Gateshead
    WED 04 Nov 2020 Glasgow Old Fruitmarket
    MON 09 Nov 2020 Cheltenham Town Hall
    WED 18 Nov 2020 Cambridge Corn Exchange

    Sunday, December 17, 2017

    2018 Dates

    Friday 19 January 2018 Pier 2, Bremen, Germany
    Saturday 20 January 2018 Sporthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
    Monday 22nd January 2018 Batschkapp, Frankfurt, Germany

    Saturday 2nd June 2018 Holywood Harmony Festival, Co Down,
    Saturday 16th June 2018 Lets Rock, Temple Newsham, Leeds
    Sunday 8th July 2018 Marlay Park, Dublin (Support for Queen)
    Thursday 12th July 2018 Roots Festival Norway http://www.rootsfestivalen.no/
    Sunday 22nd July 2018 Rewind Scone Palace, Perth Scotland
    Saturday 28th July 2018 Lets Rock, Clapham Common, London 
    Sunday 5th August  2018 Rewind Capesthorne Hall, Chester
    Saturday 11th August  2018 Kubix Festival New Herrington Country Park,Sunderland
    Sunday 16th September 2018 Ramsbottom Festival
    Sunday 22nd September 2018 MTV presents Gibraltar Calling music festival
    Sunday 7th  October 2018 Great British Alternative Festival Skegness
    Saturday 27th October 2018 Sligo Institute of  Technology
    Sunday 28th October 2018 Wexford Spiegeltent
    Thursday 6th December 2018 Aria Complex, Triq Hal-Gharghur, Iklin, Malta

    Sunday, March 12, 2017

    2017 Dates


    Sunday 5th March Sporthalle,  Krochmannstraße 55, 22297 Hamburg, Germany.
    Monday 6th March Pier 2, Gröpelinger Fährweg 6, 28237 Bremen, Germany
    Friday 24th March The Mandela Hall, 79 University Rd,  Belfast
    Saturday 25th March The Olympia Theatre,72 Dame St, Dublin, Ireland
    Friday 7th April The Olympia Theatre,72 Dame St, Dublin, Ireland (Rock Against Homelessness)
    Fri 21 April Famagusta, Cyprus
    Saturday 1st July Prekyfest, Totally Wicked Stadium, McManus Drive, St Helens WA9 3AL   (Support includes ABC, Midge Ure, Paul Young, Dodgy and  Toploader)
    Saturday 8th July  One Live Festival, Stoke Park, Parkway, Guildford, GU1 1ER,  UK   (Support includes The Darkness, Reverend & The Makers, Toploader)

    Thursday 3rd August  Wacken Open Air 2017, Germany
    Saturday 5th August  Amphitheater, Hanau, Germany
    Saturday 12th August Nostalgie Beach Festival, Ostend, Belgium (with UB40 and Banarama) www.nostalgiebeachfestival.be/nl/
    Saturday 9th September Worcestershire County Cricket Grounds http://wccc.co.uk/concerts

    Tuesday, May 17, 2016

    2016 Dates


    Dates for your diaries

    Friday 26th February 2016 Grosvenor House Hotel, London W1, UK
    Saturday 26th March 2016 San Sebastian, SPAIN Cancelled due to weather
    Friday 29th April 2016 The Stage, Basingstoke, Hampshire UK
    Saturday 4th June 2016 Queen of the South FC , Palmerston Park, UK Cancelled due to low ticket sales http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-36274818
    Saturday 18th June 2016 Hurtwood Park Polo Country Club,Ewhurst Green, Surrey GU6 7SW UK
    Saturday 25th June 2016  Donauinselfest, Vienna, AUSTRIA
    Friday 1st July 2016 Godiva Festival, Coventry, West Midands UK
    Saturday 9th July 2016 Midnattsrocken 2016, Lakselv NORWAY
    Saturday 16th July 2016 Wellow Fest, Chapel Farm. Wellow, Newark Nottingham NG22 0EJ, UK
    Sunday 17th July 2016 Brentwood Festival, Essex, CM15 9NN, UK
    Friday 29th July 2016 Silverstone, Northamptonshire UK
    Thursday 11th August 2016 Leopardstown Racecourse, EIRE
    Sunday 21st August 2016 Weyfest, Farnham, Surrey UK
    Saturday 27th August 2016 Victorious Festival, Portsmouth, UK
    Saturday 12th November 2016 Riesa, GERMANY










    Friday, February 26, 2016

    The Great Room, Grosvenor House, 86-90 Park Lane, London


    W2 Foundation was set up by Keith Wood as a benevolent fund for Sport, Community, Education and Rugby Player Welfare. The W2 Foundation sits within The Ireland Funds and has raised over €1.5m to date. With no operational costs, all proceeds raised from the event go directly to the Foundation.

    The Rats played

    • She's So Modern
    • Like Clockwork
    • Neon Heart 
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In
    • Someone's Looking (at You)
    • Banana Republic
    • I Don't Like Mondays
    • Close As You'll Ever Be
    • Mary of the 4Th Form
    • Lookin' After No 1
    • Rat Trap
    • The Boomtown Rats 


     From twitter...

    Sunday, December 06, 2015

    Olympia, Dublin, Ireland - Sunday 6th December 2015

    The Rats are playing a homecoming 40th anniversary gig on Sunday 6th December 2015.  Support from The Trouble Pilgrims aka The Radiators from Space playing their 1977 album TV Tube Heart in its entirety (all 33 minutes of it).

    Last tickets remaining in the upper circle for 39 euro via Ticketmaster Ireland and doubtless other ticket agencies.




    Thursday, October 22, 2015

    A Night at The Opera - Thursday 22nd October 2015

    The Rats will be appearing at The Cork Opera House on the Thursday 22nd October 2015 as part of the Guinness Jazz Festival.

    Rats, Jazz, Opera! That statement ranks as the greatest oxymoron I have ever written!



    Still a very good excuse to head to Cork where their last gig in a tent went down a storm.  The Opera House sounds like another interesting venue.

    Sunday, September 06, 2015

    Electric Picnic, Laois, Ireland

    Sold Out already, even before they added The Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band In The World!


    Friday, August 28, 2015

    Carfest South, Laverstoke Park Farm Hampshire, UK


    They played


    • She's So Modern 
    • Like Clockwork 
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In 
    • I Don't Like Mondays 
    • Mary of the 4th Form 
    • Looking After No. 1 
    • Rat Trap 
    • The Boomtown Rats

    Monday, August 10, 2015

    The Imelda May Show

    Imelda May was joined by The Boomtown Rats, For those in Ireland you can watch on RTÉ

    For the rest of us, a couple of minutes from the show and a trailer...



    Monday, August 03, 2015

    Friedberg, Germany

    They Played

    • (I Never Loved) Eva Braun 
    • Like Clockwork 
    • Neon Heart 
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In 
    • Someone's Looking at You 
    • Banana Republic 
    • She's So Modern 
    • I Don't Like Mondays 
    • Close as You'll Ever Be 
    • Mary of the 4th Form
    • Looking After No. 1 
    • Rat Trap 

    Encore:

    • Diamond Smiles 
    • The Boomtown Rats 

    Sunday, July 19, 2015

    Latitude, Suffolk, UK


    They played

    • She's So Modern
    • Like Clockwork
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In
    • I Don't Like Mondays
    • Mary of the 4th Form
    • Looking After No. 1
    • Rat Trap
    • The Boomtown Rats
    Noel Gallagher wouldn't let them play just before him nor let them do an encore.


    Apologies for the length of this post, but it is one helluva poster!


    Sunday, June 07, 2015

    Let's Rock Bristol, Ashton Court, Bristol, UK

    The Rats played an abridged set...

    • Mary of the 4th Form
    • Someone's Looking (At You)
    • Rat Trap
    • I Don't Like Mondays
    • Lookin' After No 1
    • She's So Modern
    • The Boomtown Rats
    • Like Clockwork
    Other acts look like Hell on Earth..






    Friday, June 05, 2015

    Kivenlahti Rock Festival, Helsinki, Finland


    They Played...


    • (I Never Loved) Eva Braun 
    • Like Clockwork 
    • Neon Heart 
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In 
    • Someone's Looking at You 
    • Banana Republic 
    • She's So Modern 
    • I Don't Like Mondays 
    • Close as You'll Ever Be 
    • Mary of the 4th Form / I Wanna Be Your Man / Boom Boom 
    • Looking After No. 1 
    • Rat Trap 

    Encore of Me and Howard Hughes, Diamond Smiles and The Boomtown Rats in the setliste but were not played due to curfew.

    Friday, May 29, 2015

    Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, Germany

    Schlachthof translates as Slaughter House, which equates to Meat Factory, so most appropriate they ended the set with Rat Trap!




    They played...

    • (I Never Loved) Eva Braun 
    • Like Clockwork 
    • Neon Heart 
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In 
    • Someone's Looking at You 
    • Banana Republic 
    • She's So Modern 
    • I Don't Like Mondays 
    • Close as You'll Ever Be 
    • Mary of the 4th Form 
    • Looking After No. 1 
    • Rat Trap 
    Encore:
    • Diamond Smiles 
    • The Boomtown Rats 

    Thursday, May 28, 2015

    Friday, May 22, 2015

    Nöjesfabriken Karlstad Sweden



    If a picture paints a thousand words, then this video must be showing a million! 
    In lieu of any reviews, just watch the first 2015 date from THE BOOMTOWN RATS!


    Monday, November 24, 2014

    Festival Dates 2015

    Friday 22nd May 2015 - Karlstad Sweden
    Wednesday 27th May 2015 Munich, Germany (CANCELLED)
    Thursday 28th May 2015   Swiss Festival Winterthur, Switzerland
    Friday 29th May 2015 - Wiesbaden, Germany
    Saturday 30th May 2015 - Cologne, Germany (CANCELLED)
    Friday 5th June 2015 Kivenlahti Rock Festival, Helsinki, Finland 
    Sunday 7th June 2015  Let's Rock Bristol, Ashton Court, Bristol, UK
    Thursday 18th June 2015 Live Earth, Paris, France  (CANCELLED)
    Sunday 21st June 2015  Lublin Festival, Poland
    Sunday 19th July 2015 Latitude, Suffolk, UK
    Friday 31st July 2015 Carfest North, Oulton Park, Cheshire , UK
    Monday 3rd August 2015 Friedberg, Germany
    Saturday 8th August 2015 Rebellion Festival, Blackpool, UK
    Sunday 9th August 2015 Rewind North, Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, UK
    Friday 14th August 2015 Kartfestivalen, Norway
    Friday 28th August 2015 Carfest South, Laverstoke Park Farm Hampshire, UK
    Saturday 29th August 2015 Watchet, Somerset, UK
    Sunday 6th September 2015, Electric Picnic, Laois, Ireland
    Sunday 13th September 2015, Reload, Norwich, UK

    Tuesday, November 18, 2014

    Rats return to Maida Vale

    Tonight, of all nights, The Boomtown Rats were the featured artists on BBC Radio 4s Mastertapes, the series which looks back at a key album from an artist's career.

    This recording of the programme took place at the BBCs Maida Vale studios where the band recorded their Peel sessions back in the late 1970s.



    I arrived at about 4.30pm with no one waiting outside the studio.  So I headed to the local and was quite well oiled when three of us headed to the venue at about 6.15pm, a whole quarter of an hour before the doors were due to open only to be told it was full and no one else was getting in!

    We were late because we were sent emails saying "You and those on your ticket will be given priority entrance to the event." so saw no need to get there that early.






    I was a bit hacked off at that point thinking I had made a massive mistake considering I could have queued for a couple of hours, but then someone confirmed we had questions and were to be admitted, so we were taken down into the bowels of the studio where we waited outside the studio door to be let in.   No queuing for us!

    We politely let the others with questions in ahead of us.  They all filed into the second row from the front, and as we were sitting down in the third row, we were told to get up and go and sit in the front row!

    Turned out these were pretty much the best seats in the house, as the way the stage was set up John Wilson who was doing the interviewing had his back to us, but Geldof whilst side on to much of the audience directly faced us.

    The Rats kicked off with the riff from Rat Trap which we were told to applaud enthusiastically, absolutely no issue for me.   They opened with She's So Modern.  I noticed various audience members recording and taking photographs which I didn't believe was permitted,   Anyway as everyone was seated, and there was no one in front of me, I got my iPad out (which I had only taken along to stave off boredom in the queue) and recorded Rat Trap, Like Clockwork, Howard Hughes and Eva Braun.



    The interview was captivating. Geldof dominated proceedings, but the other three did chip in from time to time.  There was a lot about Mutt Lange and his input with Pete admitting that Mutt came up with the bass line in Rat Trap and Bob playing the song acoustically to explain what Mutt brought to the song.  I also recorded that bit.  Bob talked about writing Eva Braun and Howard Hughes in the same day. If only he could have more days like that.



    I even got my moment in the sun when I asked my question.  I even had to stand up so people could see me in my full Dennis the Menace regalia.   I was a little apprehensive as I was asking if Geldof was the best singer in the Rats.  He said no, and then gave a really interesting answer about how Simon and Mutt Lange provided the harmonies, Garry interjected to say Geldof's presence and performance made him a great front man which I wholeheartedly agree with.




    I suspect there will be a fair amount of cutting, Some of Bob's more colourful answers definitely won't be broadcast, because John Wilson repeated a couple of questions saying that his first answer wouldn't be going out on Radio 4 at three in the afternoon!

    The show ended at 9pm, which left two hours of further drinking time with friends, where we looked back at my footage and talked music until closing time.

    It was an absolutely superb evening on a par with getting to play at Highbury and meeting Charlie George before they dug up the pitch.  Truly a once in a lifetime money can't buy experience, well except for those good people who bid £550 to win the eBay/Children in Need auction. The best night out this decade!

    The show will be broadcast on Radio 4 in two parts on the 1st and 2nd December 2014.




    Friday, November 07, 2014

    Friday 7th November 2014 - LONDON Kentish Town Forum

    As Kentish Town is a quick jaunt around the overground, this was a nice easy trip.  Met up with some old (and young as it happened) fellow Rat fans at the local, prior to heading in and getting a prime viewing spot two or three from the front, just in time to see Republica who were great support and played this superb set
    • From Rush Hour With Love 
    • Out Of The Darkness 
    • Drop Dead Gorgeous 
    • Try Everything 
    • German Accent 
    • Hallelujah 
    • Christiana Obey 
    • Ready To Go 
    Not wishing to leave my vantage point, I didn't worry about heading to the bar as the crowd grew ever denser around me.  At about 9pm, The Rats came onstage and played
    • (I Never Loved) Eva Braun 
    • Like Clockwork
    • Neon Heart 
    • (She's Gonna) Do You In 
    • Someone's Looking at You 
    • Banana Republic 
    • She's So Modern 
    • I Don't Like Mondays 
    • Close As You'll Ever Be 
    • Mary of the 4th Form / I Wanna Be Your Man /Boom Boom 
    • Looking After No. 1 
    • Rat Trap 

    Encore

    • Me and Howard Hughes 
    • Diamond Smiles 
    • The Boomtown Rats 

    Aaron Liddard joined the band playing sax on Rat Trap and The Boomtown Rats.

    There was a very lively crowd, self included, at the front. Place was absolutely buzzing at the end of Rat Trap with the whole of the circle stood applauding.

    Headed to the bar for Diamond Smiles, and saw the the rest of the Forum was very crowded.


    Monday, November 03, 2014

    Monday 3rd November 2014 - CAMBRIDGE Junction

    Support: Republica

    My second annual pilgrimage to Cambridge to see the Rats in a smaller venue than those I would normally see them in London. A slow train journey allowed me to consume the best part of a nice bottle of rjoca, however it did mean I missed Republica and ended up a little away from the stage, however, The Junction is pretty compact, so even if you had your back to the wall, you'd still be as close as you could ever get to the stage at The O2 or a festival.

    The Rats had a new swanky video to replace the projections of the last tour, even if the visuals are more or less identical, except a montage of them playing at festivals when introduced by Geldof during the encore of Diamond Smiles.  Also a new twist on the snakeskin suit story which was welcomed by those who had undoubtedly seen the Rats last year at the nearby Corn Exchange.

    The set was the standard that had preceded it on the tour to date, which meant no Joey (boo) but a welcome return for Howard Hughes (hurray).   It was the show that met expectations, in front of a quite subdued audience bar the odd pocket of excitement. Nevertheless, good to see the Rats at a venue where you can see the reds of their eyes and get involved.