The Boomtown Rats: February 2011

Friday, February 18, 2011

School of Rock

Garrick Roberts is the new Jack Black! For those about to rock, we salute you!

Garrick demonstrated his unique style of electric guitar playing to over 300 puils at a workshop at a Solihull school. Garrick gave a talk on the history of the blues and spoke about being a member of the Rats, before treating his audience to hits like 'Rat Trap' and 'I Don't Like Mondays'.

Garry said: “I have been fascinated by the electric guitar since I was 12 years old and I believe it to be one of the most beautiful, versatile and expressive instruments.
“I am keen to show the exciting potential of the guitar to young people who are about the age I was when I began playing, as this is the time when they are ready to begin exploring and developing their own creative potential.”

Monday, February 14, 2011

Gore fest - Systematic Six-Pack Video

Listen to one of the best tracks off the new Geldof album along with the X-rated video!

Making of - Part One

Making of - Part Two

Making of - Part Three

Read All About It!

The gob is back and in full flow. Three press interviews of note that all have something in them that is worth reading even if it's just the outrageous quotes, particularly in the Quietus.

My favourites ...

"Stop talking about The Boomtown Rats because guess what? It was 30 years ago."

What? Never! I suppose it was all a bit half-arsed from 1981, so I'll give him that. But then he goes on and talks about The Rats outselling The Clash and The Jam, before discussing Red Wedge, Dr. Feelgood, The Ramones, Bob Marley and Dylan...

Bit rich from someone who sings I Don't Like Mondays at the drop of a hat to not want to discuss stuff from 30 years ago.

I suppose I better stop writing here. Sigh - what will I do?

"The sum of my ambition is to play a 2000 seat venue in London. If I could do that and sell it out, I'd like that but that's not possible and I know that."

Well no one is stopping him playing a smaller venue, are they?

And maybe if he plays well people might recommend him to their friends next time and he might get a progressively bigger audience.

I suspect that's the way it went with the Boomtown Rats, though best not talk about them - sore point.

"Creatively, Britain is the only place to be in the world."

Ah yes.
There are no artists anywhere else
nor theatre
nor film
nor software companies
nor television drama
nor televison comedy
nor authors
nor music.
I mean, look at what Britain is doing creatively these days it's the home of the X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Harry Potter and a whole host of wannabes.
Oh bollocks! Get me out of here!

Daily Telegraph
The Guardian
The Quietus

Thursday, February 10, 2011

You Bloom Music Awards - The Cobden Members Club, London Thursday 10th February 2011

This is one of those things where Geldof may or may not play, who knows he might want to give an audience a taster of his new album. Anyway, should you be in London and willing to hang around from 7.30pm you can see what happens for free.

Electro-punk maverick Quilla Constance will perform at You Bloom Music Awards presented by Sir Bob Geldof and A&R genius, Nigel Grainge.

Other acts performing:

Neev Kennedy,
Marina V
Her and The Colours
Intermission
Renny C
Joseph Dean Osgood
The Guilty Ones

The Cobden Members Club, London Thursday 10th February 2011 from 7:00pm

Price: £7.00 on the door with flyer / £5.00 before 8:30pm / Free before 7:30pm
For tickets or further information, please call the box office on
020 8960 4222

Monday, February 07, 2011

New Geldof Album - HOW TO COMPOSE POPULAR SONGS THAT WILL SELL

Geldof's fifth effort to match the glory days of the Rats. The working title was 58½, his age - though he's now 59¼. Apparently he changed the album title after finding this book by Leslie Shepperd on the top of a piano.

Bar the throwaway single, Silly Pretty Thing, which is the only truly awful track on the album, it is something of a minor triumph. All in all the best Geldof solo album, but not a patch on anything by the Rats.

The highlights are Blowfish with its heavily distorted blues which evokes the spirit of Jimi Hendrix; Systematic Six Pack, which sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of a Tarantino western, the video with Rhys Ifans is a nod and a wink towards it. Here's to You is the most pleasant and pleasing song Geldof has ever written, even if it borrows very heavily from The Beatles. Rounding things off is a hidden track, Young & Sober, that is a throwback to DUN LAOGHARIE and The Great Song of Indifference chronologising the life of Geldof over the last fifty odd years.

Available at all good (and probably bad ones as well) record stores, download sites, and of course Spotify and We7 if you want to have a listen for free.

Track Listing

1. How I Roll

2. BlowFish

~~3. Just Get On~~

3. She's A Lover

4. To Live In Love

5. Silly Pretty Thing

6. Systematic 6-Pack (58½)

7. Dazzled By You

8. Mary says

9. Blow

10. Here's To You (Hidden track: Young & Sober)

12. The Fields Of Spring
13. Too Late She Cried
14. Baby's Going Down

According to Geldof, thirty one songs were recorded, so there are another twenty that could be released. The album will be released on 15th March 2011 in the USA and launched at SXSW where Geldof will perform and headline as keynote speaker. So it's possible the tracklisting may differ for the US release.

On the album's international release there appear to be four additional tracks, these have been listed here, though struck out until they are confirmed. These tracks were also part of the original track listing when the album was originally due to be released in mid-2010. There were snippets of these tracks on the BBC website, but sadly they are no longer there.

Geldof's website has been relauched in the style of a kindle book to coincide with the release. Funnily enough they have restored the link to this blog. Probably an accident. I give it a week before I upset them all again and it gets quashed.

There is another track that seems to have missed the cut, though it could have been a working title, or simply the Comic Relief song he did with Stephen Fry and Midge Ure.

Banker's Song

Now all we need is the Rats to release something and everyone, bar Fingers who is too busy having fun in Japan, will have done something in a twelve month period.

Some clips of Geldof performing the songs