Saturday, December 07, 2013

Rocket from the Crypt cover My Blues Away

San Diego legends Rocket from the Crypt have recorded a Boomtown Rats cover for a special tour single. The cover of The Boomtown Rats' My Blues Away can be heard here. My Blues Away


Sunday, November 10, 2013

Sunday 10th November 2013 - Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, UK

Well, the train is leaving Boomtown, so I guess this is the end of the line.

In case, any of the band happen upon this blog, I'd like to thank them for everything they have ever done.

And a very big thank you for the last twelve months from Blackheath to The Roundhouse via Dublin, The Polo Club, Cork and Cambridge.  I have had the best time being a fan of this marvelous band.

Don't know what I'm going to do now...

They played.

Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap

Encore

Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Saturday 9th November 2013 - Fat Sam's, Dundee, UK

They played.

Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap

Encore

Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Thursday 7th November 2013 - Dome, Doncaster, UK

They played.

Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap

Encore

Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Wednesday 6th November 2013 - 02 Academy, Birmingham, UK

Loud and proud in Birmingham.  Did consider going, but rather than returning to Euston after the last tube had long gone, I stayed in and watched the football!  However it sounds like Geldof has got the same bug I have, but whilst he troops on with his tonic (groan), I curl up on the sofa.

They played.

Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap

Encore

Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Support: Patrik Fitzgerald

Monday, November 04, 2013

Monday 4th November 2013 - 02 Academy, Newcastle, UK

Fleeing from the Scots, the Rats return to England!  Very well informed review from The Shields Gazette even mentioning previous Rats visits to the Mayfair Ballroom and the more recent gig at The Sage, Gateshead.

They played.


Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap



Encore


Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Support : Patrik Fitzgerald

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Sunday 3rd November 2013 - 02 Academy, Glasgow, UK

The Rats head further north to Scotland.  As far as I know no bagpipes used this time around unlike their trip to Loch Lomond in 1979.

They played.


Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap



Encore


Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Support : Patrik Fitzgerald

Friday, November 01, 2013

Friday 1st November 2013 - Academy, Manchester, UK

Another big night in the north. The Manchester Evening News' cub reporter enjoyed it!

They played.


Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap



Encore


Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Support : Patrik Fitzgerald


Thursday, October 31, 2013

Thursday 31st October 2013 - 02 Academy, Leeds, UK

Early start in Leeds due to a 10pm curfew.  Whatever happened to my rock 'n' roll?

They played.


Eva Braun
Like Clockwork
Neon Heart
She's Gonna Do You In
Someone's Looking
Joey's On The Street Again
Banana Republic
I Don't Like Mondays
She's So Modern
Close As You'll Ever Be
When The Night Comes
Mary of the Fourth Form
Looking After Number One
Rat Trap



Encore


Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
Diamond Smiles
The Boomtown Rats

Support : Patrik Fitzgerald


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tuesday 29th October 2013 - Rock City, Nottingham, UK

Very little to add to this, nothing too unexpected in the set, but a wild and enthusiastic audience and a great review in the Nottingham Post

Reunion tours are always risky propositions, but as this unexpectedly thrilling show demonstrated, The Boomtown Rats have absolutely made the right call.

They played.


  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • I Don't Like Mondays 
  • She's So Modern
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap



Encore


  • Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats




Support: Patrik Fitzgerald

Monday, October 28, 2013

Monday 28th October 2013 - 02 Academy, Bristol, UK

Another big crowd and another little surprise.  In tribute to the late Lou Reed they played White Light/White Heat.  Also a welcome return of Never Bite The Hand That Feeds to the set.

Bristol Post ..we Bristolians were treated to a superb live show, which included a cover of White Heat/White Light in tribute to the late, great Lou Reed.   You could question the motives for coming out on tour after all this time, but why bother? For those who turned out it felt good, really good. And that is the point, right?

They played.
  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • She's So Modern 
  • I Don't Like Mondays 
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap


Encore


  • White Light/White Heat
  • Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats



Support: Patrik Fitzgerald

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Saturday 26th October 2013 - The Roundhouse, London, UK

Another superb show from the Rats.   A very busy Roundhouse, so much so that instead of my usual position about three from the front, there were up to twenty people of so in front.  Still close enough to see everything but with the added improvement of sound and a better overall view of the stage. Plenty of profanity for Geldof and a interesting tale about his fuck off snake skin suit.  Buy the CD if you want to hear it all.

Rat Trap was enhanced with the saxophone hitherto unheard on the UK leg of the tour, I'm not sure what happened in Ireland.  Gerry Cott came onstage for the final two songs of the set (Lookin' After No 1 and Rat Trap).

They played.

  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • She's So Modern 
  • I Don't Like Mondays 
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap

Encore

  • Having My Picture Taken
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats


Support: Patrik Fitzgerald

Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday 25th October 2013 - University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

As I wasn't there and there aren't any reviews yet, a simple set list for now.

They played.

  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • She's So Modern 
  • I Don't Like Mondays 
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap

Encore

  • Having My Picture Taken
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats


Support: Patrik Fitzgerald

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Wednesday 23rd October 2013 - Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK

Having missed my out on my trip to Dublin for numerous reasons, I headed up the M11 to Cambridge courtesy of National Express to see the Rats live.  The traffic was wild in Cambridge itself, making me half an hour later than expected.  So I  got my ticket from the box office, grabbed a pint at the bar and headed down the front to catch the end of Patrik Fitzgerald's support slot.  I can't really comment on his set, but from what I saw it was one man, a guitar and a sound box busking.

Anyway to the main event.  The Rats came onto the stage to the recording of the eponymous song and video, and then launched into Eva Braun.  From there on song after song followed with the audience in my section,  pretty much centre stage at the front, lapping it up.  Even in the distant balcony, there was a lot of clapping and cheering throughout the set, however it was pretty hard to see to far back on the flat floor of the Corn Exchange but each song was enthusiastically received so I suspect there were a lot of people behind me.  Less talk than expected between songs from Geldof, and they kept all the songs pretty tight, even with the Mary variation of incorporating Boom Boom and I Wanna Be Your Man.  An absolute barnstorming performance all the way through to the sax-less Rat Trap.

I was anticipating them returning to play Never Bite The Hand That Feeds, which I have never heard live before, but when they came back from the encore and Geldof told everyone to get their fucking cameras out, I knew it wasn't going to happen.   So the Rats rounded off the show with Having My Picture Taken, Diamond Smiles with a small break before closing with the eponymous song and Geldof with a towel over his head concluding a very energetic and engaging performance.

They played.
  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • She's So Modern 
  • I Don't Like Mondays 
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap
Encore
  • Having My Picture Taken
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats

Support: Patrik Fitzgerald

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Tuesday 22nd October 2013 - 02 Academy, Bournemouth. UK

First date on the mainland, same set as Belfast, but with the return of the video screen.

They played not necessarily in this order,,,


  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • I Don't Like Mondays
  • She's So Modern 
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap


Encore

  • Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats
Support : Patrik Fitzgerald

Monday, October 21, 2013

Ratlife EP


Now available from all good (and not so good) download stores and also on Spotify.

Sadly, Back To Boomtown aside, it's a bit of a disappointment. The eponymous song is fine for when the band come on stage, but not particularly impressive on your stereo, whilst Ratlife evoke memories of Randy Crawford's Streetlife, which isn't a good thing, and Ratified, which sounds like a bad Oasis track, has lyrics where are possibly the lamest I have heard for a very long time.

Boomtown Ratified.
Lead me back to boomtown and I'll be ratified. 
Boomtown Ratified.

Oh dear!

For the record, Back To Boomtown  is slightly abridged mix of the album version and appears to be the same as the video mix.





  1. The Boomtown Rats5:13
  2. Back To Boomtown (The Remix)4:05
  3. Ratlife4:47
  4. Ratified4:12

Friday, October 18, 2013

Friday 18th October 2013 - Ulster Hall, Belfast, UK

Tonight, a slightly abridged set in Northern Ireland.

They played.

  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In 
  • Someone's Looking 
  • Joey's On The Street Again 
  • Banana Republic 
  • She's So Modern 
  • I Don't Like Mondays 
  • Close As You'll Ever Be 
  • When The Night Comes 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form 
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap


Encore


  • Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
  • Diamond Smiles 
  • The Boomtown Rats

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Saturday 13th October 2013 - Vicar Street, Dublin, Eire


They played a familiar set list, but with one big surprise towards the end which was to play Never Bite The Hand That Feeds for the first time live.  Possibly ever.  Even Garry Roberts can't remember if they ever played it live before.  Now I regret not going.  Still always the hope it will get aired in Cambridge or London.
Next stop, Belfast. But first another great review.

Fortitude Magazine - Live Boomtown Rats Dublin

Owning the stage in a flamboyant, snakeskin suit, frontman and Irish legend, Bob Geldof ran the stage like he was back in 1975. Erupting straight into ‘Eva Braun’, quickly followed and topped by the upbeat, well-received ’Like Clockwork’, The Rats had a packed Vicar Street alive and screaming lyrics back at them

Wrapping up the night with ‘Rat Trap’ as a “finish”, the band brought a sax player on stage to join Bob, Simon, Pete and Garry, along with the two newbies. As if anyone believed they would leave it there, back they came for ‘Never Bite The Hand That Feeds’ and  ’Diamond Smiles’, which impressively still encaptured the same mass of energy which was present in the very first song.
Doubting that the fans had had enough excitement, they once again reappeared wanting even more, with a second encore, to really conclude their comeback with one mighty bang. Throwing themselves into what can only be described as a chanting, almost heavy cheerleading-like anthem, creatively entitled ‘The Boomtown Rats’, the show ended here. Show, singular- there will be more.
Quite clearly demonstrated on the Vicar Street stage, and according to the man, Bob Geldof himself- “The Boomtown Rats are back in town”
  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In
  • Someone's Looking
  • Joey's On The Street Again
  • Banana Republic
  • Having My Picture Taken
  • She's So Modern
  • I Don't Like Mondays
  • Close As You'll Ever Be
  • When The Night Comes
  • Me & Howard Hughes
  • Mary of the Fourth Form
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap

Encore

  • Never Bite The Hand That Feeds
  • Diamond Smiles
  • The Boomtown Rats

SUPPORT : The Mighty Stef

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Saturday 12th October 2013 - Vicar Street, Dublin, Eire


Due to personal circumstances my seat on Ryanair was left vacant last night, so I have no idea how it went. And I won't be there tonight either.

Never mind my bollocks, here's a four star review from the Daily Telegraph

So it was all the more striking that, despite the songs inevitable dating, the performance itself never felt like an exercise in nostalgia. In recent interviews Geldof has asserted that he is as angry now as the day he stepped off the ferry from Dublin in 1976 and that chip-on-shoulder chutzpah blazed all evening. After all he has been through and achieved, Geldofs ability to tap the inchoate rage of his youth was remarkable.

They played a familiar set list, with no surprises..
  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In
  • Someone's Looking
  • Joey's On The Street Again
  • Banana Republic
  • Having My Picture Taken
  • She's So Modern
  • I Don't Like Mondays
  • Close As You'll Ever Be
  • When The Night Comes
  • Me & Howard Hughes
  • Mary of the Fourth Form
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap
Encore
  • Elephant's Graveyard
  • Diamond Smiles
  • The Boomtown Rats
SUPPORT : The Mighty Stef

Not just one new Rats CD - Ten!!!

After the new less than inspiring hits CD, there are some genuine treats in store coming this October.

First up, tonight's Vicar Street sell out date will be on CD available as soon as the gig finishes.

And the Roundhouse will also be recorded as well.




And if that's not enough, the six Rats albums are all getting another release, this time as a box set.


Only disappointment is that these are the remastered albums from 2005 rather than the originals, but the box does retail for less than £20, so a great deal if you don't have the albums already.

Back to Boomtown video

Here's the latest video from the band.  A good song as well!

Sunday, October 06, 2013

Boomtown Rats night on BBC4 - Sunday 6th October

To celebrate Bobby Boomtown's Sixty Second birthday, they are having a couple of broadcasts of great interest on BBC 4

First up at 9pm...

Mark Lawson talks to Sir Bob Geldof about his life and career. From the formation of the Boomtown Rats in the mid 1970s to his work with Band Aid and Live Aid in the 1980s and his continuing influence on key figures on the world stage, Geldof has been a key figure in music and politics over several decades. In 2013, the Boomtown Rats reunited for the first time in over 25 years and Geldof talks candidly to Mark about his career in music, his activism, his family and his very public personal traumas


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ctzdw

But as good as that is, even better they are broadcasting the Rats from 1984 at 10pm!

Pete Drummond introduces a 1984 concert by the Boomtown Rats from Goldiggers in Chippenham.


Monday, September 09, 2013

Back To Boomtown - Classic Rats Hits

A new greatest hits album with two newly recorded tracks.
BACK TO BOOMTOWN : CLASSIC RATS HITS



Tracklist


  1. The Boomtown Rats
  2. Mary Of The Fourth Form
  3. (I Never Loved) Eva Braun
  4. Neon Heart
  5. Like Clockwork
  6. She's So Modern
  7. Lookin' After No. 1
  8. Someone's Looking At You
  9. Me And Howard Hughes
  10. Joey's On The Street Again
  11. I Don't Like Mondays
  12. Having My Picture Taken
  13. Banana Republic
  14. Diamond Smiles
  15. Rat Trap
  16. Back To Boomtown
  17. Drag Me Down (Digital Only)
  18. House on Fire (Digital Only)

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Out on the Winding Sunny Moors

Having not spent a weekend at home for the last month or so, and with a trip to Dublin to pay for, I elected to forego my trip to glorious Devon for the Chagstock Festival to see the Rats cause the first storm on the mainland this summer.

From the second hand reports, The Rats played


  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In (with Geldof on harmonica)
  • Someone's Looking At You
  • Joey's On The Street Again
  • Banana Republic
  • Having My Picture Taken 
  • She's So Modern
  • Mondays
  • Close As You'll Ever Be
  • When The Night Comes
  • Howard Hughes
  • Mary of the Fourth Form (interspersed with I Wanna Be Your Man and Boom Boom)
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap
  • Diamond Smiles
  • The Boomtown Rats

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Back To Boomtown - Tour Dates 2013




Ratified (public rehearsals)
Saturday 4th May 2013 - Hurtwood Park Polo Club, Surrey, UK
Friday 7th June 2013 - The Gate, Ifield, Sussex, UK

The Boomtown Rats
Sunday 16th June 2013 - Isle of Wight, UK ~ Isle of Wight Festival
Friday 5th July 2013 - Cork, Ireland - Live at the Marquee, Cork
Sunday 7th July 2013 -  Seenland Festival, Germany
Saturday 20th July 2013 - Chagford, Devon - Chagstock Festival, Devon EX20 2PR
Saturday 12th October 2013 - Vicar Street, Dublin
Sunday 13th October 2013 - Vicar Street, Dublin
Friday 18th October 2013 - Ulster Hall, Belfast
Tuesday 22nd October 2013  - 02 Academy, Bournemouth
Wednesday 23rd October 2013  - Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Friday 25th October 2013  - University of East Anglia, Norwich
Saturday 26th October 2013  - The Roundhouse, London
Monday 28th October 2013  - 02 Academy, Bristol
Tuesday 29th October 2013 - Rock City, Nottingham
Thursday 31st October 2013  - 02 Academy, Leeds
Friday 1st November 2013 - Academy, Manchester
Sunday 3rd November 2013 -  02 Academy, Glasgow
Monday 4th November 2013 -  02 Academy, Newcastle
Wednesday 6th November 2013 -  02 Academy, Birmingham
Thursday 7th November 2013 - Dome, Doncaster
Saturday 9th November 2013 - Fat Sam's, Dundee
Sunday 10th November 2013 - Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen

Friday, July 05, 2013

Up All Night - Live At The Marquee - Cork

A large crowd (estimated 2-3,000) turned up to see The Rats play their first gig with Geldof and Briquette in tow since 1986.  After 27 long years, the band played a barnstorming set and created a lot of buzz in the city centre post gig. A very tight set, so much so that Having My Picture Taken got dropped and the mooted Kicks wasn't played, even the new additional verse for She's So Modern was dropped and Banana Republic stripped to the bare bones.  The gig was all the better for it giving the enthusiastic audience some superb entertainment.

The Rats Rock Out!
Courtesy Jules- The Hippy Angel - https://www.facebook.com/thehippyangel?fref=ts



Personally, it was a very long day, staying up all night in order to catch the 8am flight back to London. Fcuk knows what happened to my banana.

Yours truly with a banana!
Courtesy of Joke


Support :Fred  (the band)


The badly numbered setlist.
Courtesy Jules- The Hippy Angel - https://www.facebook.com/thehippyangel?fref=ts



The Rats played

  • Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In (with Geldof on harmonica)
  • Someone's Looking At You
  • Joey's On The Street Again
  • Banana Republic
  • Having My Picture Taken (on set list, not played)
  • She's So Modern
  • Mondays
  • Close As You'll Ever Be
  • When The Night Comes
  • Howard Hughes
  • Mary of the Fourth Form (interspersed with I Wanna Be Your Man and Boom Boom)
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap


And came back for an encore, playing

  • Elephant's Graveyard
  • Diamond Smiles


And back for a second encore before they pulled the plug

  • The Boomtown Rats

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Absolutely Fcuking Mega

Saturday 16th June 2013 - Isle of Wight Festival

Mega or What?
Courtesy Jules- The Hippy Angel - https://www.facebook.com/thehippyangel?fref=ts

The Boomtown Rats are back!  Dublin's finest graced the stage at the Isle of Wight festival and treated the masses to an absolutely fcuking mega show.

The following were broadcast on You Tube.
  • Eva Braun
  • Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In
  • Someone's Looking At You
  • Lookin' After No 1
  • Mondays

with the unbroadcast She's So Modern, Mary and Rat Trap to rounding things off.

Friday, June 07, 2013

I Remember You

The Gate, Ifield - Friday 7th June


At a pub in the middle of the fcuking countryside
Courtesy Jules- The Hippy Angel - https://www.facebook.com/thehippyangel?fref=ts
Ratified had a band practice in the beer garden of The Gate in Ifield and around 300 people turned up to see them.

They played their prospective Isle of Wight set namely


  • I Never Loved Eva Braun
  • Like Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In
  • She's So Modern
  • Mary of the Fourth Form
  • Diamond Smiles
  • I Don't Like Mondays
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap


And they also played some additional songs for their fans who traveled from far and wide to see them

• Elephant's Graveyard
• Close As You'll Ever Be
• Banana Republic
• Joey's On The Street Again
• When The Night Comes
• Having My Picture Taken
• Someone's Looking At You
• Back In The Night

Saturday, May 04, 2013

Alive and Kicking at The Country Club


Hurtwood Park Polo Club - Saturday 4th May

Now the cat is well and truly out of the bag...

Anyway, for those not in the know, Ratified (Crowe, Roberts, Geldof, Briquette, Beale and Dunn) played a full set at Hurtwood Park Polo Club.  Who the fcuk are The Boomtown Rats?  This band is far better.

They played (not necessarily in this order)
  • Eva Braun
  • Clockwork
  • Neon Heart
  • She's Gonna Do You In (with Geldof on harmonica)
  • Having My Picture Taken
  • Someone's Looking At You
  • Mondays
  • Joey's On The Street Again
  • When The Night Comes
  • She's So Modern
  • Howard Hughes
  • Close As You'll Ever Be
  • Banana Republic 
  • Mary of the Fourth Form (interspersed with I Wanna Be Your Man and Boom Boom)
  • Looking After Number One
  • Rat Trap

And came back for an encore, playing
  • Elephant's Graveyard
  • Diamond Smiles

They were absolutely superb.  Geldof sans guitar in a snake skin suit and looking like he was really enjoying it.  The small stage meant little room to run around on, so Geldof did a bit of jogging on the spot and at the end Garry Roberts threw his guitar up in the air only to miss his catch and have it crash into Alan's keyboards.  When The Night Comes sounded better than on record and hearing Howard Hughes for the first time in many a year was a highlight.  The set was nice and tight with little rambling in the songs, and aside from Geldof's longish introduction to Banana Republic there wasn't too much talk between songs.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Rats at Shag Fest in Devon

or so Geldof thought...



Saturday 20th July 2013.  Tickets available from http://www.chagstock.info/


Bob Geldof said: "The second I heard the name 'Shagstock' I knew that was THE festival for The Boomtown Rats.Only later when we agreed and signed contracts did Simon, the Rats drummer, point out it was in fact 'Chagstock', his local summer Music Fest. Oh well... I will do my best to personally attempt to do everything in my power to have the name revert to my far better original mistake.It’s a beautif ul part of the world. Billy Bragg is a hero. The Rats are a great band. It will be a pleasure to do the Rat in Devon again."
Simon Ford from Chagstock Festival added: "We are delighted to announce The Boomtown Rats will exclusively headline our main stage at Chagstock. They are a classic band with a string of memorable hits. Combined with Billy Bragg’s performance immediately before the Boomtown Rats, Chagstock 2013 is shaping up to be our best line up ever - and we still have a number of major artists to announce! We can’t wait!”
Chagstock’s capacity is once again capped at just 5,000 tickets to ensure that its intimate, family-friendly atmosphere is maintained.


Read more: http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Boomtown-Rats-headline-Chagstock-music-festival/story-18392568-detail/story.html#ixzz2NMjzmOTj

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Irish Press Coverage

Lots of press coverage in Ireland at the moment,  nice to see the old Geldof back again being a pain.  Should shift a few tickets for the Cork date.

TV3
Short TV Interview.

Irish Times
Geldof pointed out that he had strong links to Leeside as it was where his father met his mother and where his sisters were born.
"Its over 30 years since the Rats formed but I would defy anyone to go through Banana Republic, Rat Trap or Looking After No 1, line by line and tell me that what we were singing about is still not pertinent and relevant today"

Irish Sun
Speaking to John Murray on RTE Radio One yesterday, Bob said: “I’m going to Australia in a couple of days and to Chicago tomorrow. And I guarantee you I’ll see queueing at the airports — very smart young Irish people who ain’t coming back. That is a grotesque tragedy.”

Cork Evening Echo
"It's time to perform the Rats songs again because of the climate that's in it. Those songs came out of specific social, economic and political conditions.  We knew that this country had betrayed its own people so that they couldnt provide a future for their own children viz us. And why were we quiet?"
"I never thought wed go back to the haemorrhaging of our own talent, never in a million years.  That's why I feel the songs we wrote back in the 1970s and 80s still have a pertinence today, I won't do pantomime. I'm not into nostalgia. I'm certainly not into pretending I'm 23 again but I can guarantee that when you hear those songs like Looking After Number One and Banana Republic, it'll be like 1979 again.  We've only been back together again for a couple of weeks and Ive forgotten most of the words so were learning them all off again but the  creative energy that comes from the people who wrote the songs performing them live is incredible"

Boomtown Rats to play Australia in May - Err no they didn't!

This didn't happen due to poor ticket sales.


A tour of Australia and New Zealand ahead of the dates in the UK and Ireland.

Monday 20th May 2013 - Brisbane, Australia
Tuesday 21st May 2013 - Sydney, Australia
Thursday 23rd May 2013 - Melbourne, Australia
Saturday 25th May 2013 - Auckland, New Zealand
Monday 27th May 2013 - Adelaide, Australia


Thursday 23rd May 2013 - Sydney Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia 
Saturday 25th May 2013 (Rearranged from Tuesday 28th May 2013) - Perth, Australia ~ Challenge Stadium, Stephenson Ave, Mt Claremont, WA 6010, Australia

Friday, February 22, 2013

Friday, February 15, 2013

Live at The Marquee in July (Cork, not London)




The Boomtown Rats will play Live at the Marquee in Cork on Friday 5th July 2013

"The old town looks the same, as I step down from the train, and there to greet me is".er....I won't quote Phillo and say the boys are back in town or the Rats are back in Boomtown (but they are!), I'll just say we fancied getting up there and playing those songs again for the sheer joy of it and we hope some of you would like to hear them from the band that made them. Anyway it'll be good to be back and better to see everyone again!" - Bob Geldof

Tickets go on sale on Friday 22nd February 2013 at 9am

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Live-At-The-Marquee-tickets-Cork/venue/197770

Monday, January 28, 2013

Geldof back with The Rats!


Yes, really.  At the Isle of Wight Festival on Sunday 16th June 2013.  Hopefully the weather will be better this year.

Bob Geldof says: "Playing again with The Rats and doing those great songs again will be exciting afresh. We were an amazing band and I just feel it's the right time to re-Rat, to go back to Boomtown for a visit.  Also, I’ve always fancied playing the Isle of Wight Festival ever since I hitched there in the good/bad days when I was a kid. I saw The Who, Doors (I think) Hendrix and Leonard Cohen, who incidentally blew Hendrix off the stage, and Kris Kristofferson, who was also amazing - God, so many cool bands. I also told several very boring frog anarchist types to go and fuck themselves and then stayed for a night in Hawkwind’s tent. That's pretty IOW. Maybe Hawkwind are playing again this year. Maybe I could use the tent again. It will be a privilege to be on that stage especially with a killer band like The Boomtown Rats."

http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/news/news/the-boomtown-rats-reform-and-play-sunday-227.aspx