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 Rats	5:13
	2. Back To Boomtown (The Remix)	4:05
	3. Ratlife	4:47
	4. Ratified	4:12

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

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 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!

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.

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)

The Boomtown Rats - New Video

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

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

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

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.

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

Going Underground

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.

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

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

Roberts and Geldof on RTÉ Radio 1

Interviewed on the John Murray show. The interview is available on the RTÉ Player

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

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

Back to Black

The Rats played to a packed bar room in Dublin tonight.  After the vast Blackheath Halls, the smaller more intimate Whelan's in the heart of Dublin was the perfect venue to see and hear the band. The full set was played, except for the yet to be rehearsed numbers, and when they ran out of songs, they played Mary of the Fourth Form again.

(Vocals : Bob Bradbury except where stated)

• Mary of the Fourth Form
• Close As You'll Ever Be
• Neon Heart
• Joey's On The Street Again
• Someone's Looking at You
• Diamond Smiles
• Looking After Number One
• I Can Make It If You Can
• Like Clockwork
• She Does It Right (Vocals : Garrick Roberts)
• Riot in Cell Block #9 (Vocals : Simon Crowe)
• She's Gonna Do You In
• Rat Trap
• She's So Modern
• I Don't Like Mondays
• When The Night Comes (not played)
• My Blues Away (not played)
• Doin' It Right (not played)
• Mary of the Fourth Form

As close as you'll ever get to recreating the days of playing Moran' s and there were even some younger fans lapping it up.  A great homecoming.

Now the band tour with The Blockheads and From The Jam, in a series of gigs in the UK.

Blackheath Halls

The Rats played Blackheath Halls with more than able support from Eddie & The Hot Rods.  Pete Briquette was in the audience to see The Rats play (or not as the case might be) the following from the set list...

(Vocals : Bob Bradbury except where stated)

• Mary of the Fourth Form
• Close As You'll Ever Be
• Neon Heart
• Joey's On The Street Again
• Someone's Looking at You
• Diamond Smiles
• Looking After Number One
• I Can Make It If You Can (crossed out - Not played)
• Like Clockwork
• She Does It Right  (Vocals : Garrick Roberts)
• Riot in Cell Block #9 (Vocals : Simon Crowe)
• ------------------  (another crossed out, maybe She's Gonna Do You In)
• Rat Trap
• She's So Modern
• I Don't Like Mondays
• When The Night Comes (not played)
• My Blues Away (not played)
• Doin' It Right (not played)

Attendance was a little sparse as far as the audience was concerned in the 1,000 capacity hall. A few enthusiasts at the front, a few sat at round tables like a wedding in the middle, a few lurking at the back and a few at the bar.

Next Stop - Dublin!

How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell (again)

The signed How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell Deluxe Edition  will be released on 6th August 2012 and be strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide.  Adds a few bells and whistles to the original release, most notably the bonus DVD containing the excellent I Am Bob and the Systematic 6-Pack video and making of.  So if you have £60 spare go and treat yourself.  

What you get for your fucking money (apart from Geldof's signature) ...

24 Page booklet which includes text, images and sheet music


Library Card

'How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell' CD Album
Tracklistings
1.How I Roll
2.Blowfish
3.She's A Lover
4.To Live In Love
5.Silly Pretty Thing
6.Systematic 6 - Pack
7.Dazzled By You
8.Mary Says
9.Blow
10.Here's To You
(Hidden- Young & Sober)

'How To Compose More Songs That Will Sell' Bonus CD
Tracklistings
1.Walking Back To Happiness
2.Harvest Moon
3.Battersea Morning
4.Systematic 6-Pack
5.The Banker's Song
6.Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight

'How To Make More Videos That Will Sell' Bonus DVD
Tracklistings
1. A Brief History of Bob
2. Silly Pretty Thing
3. Dazzled By You
4. Blow
5. Systematic 6-Pack
6. Young and Sober
7. Battersea Morning
8. I Am Bob
9. Making Of Systematic 6-Pack
10.Live In Texas (How I Roll)
11.Live in Paris

Live Target - Geldof Live

Geldof will be releasing a live CD on Monday 14th May 2012 exclusively available on www.bobgeldof.com for £15 plus postage.  It will also be on sale on all of his tour dates excluding the festivals. The CD will not be available in any shops nor available to download. Only 1000 copies will be available.

Track Listing:
1. The Great Song of Indifference
2. A Sex Thing
3. Systematic 6-pack
4. Walking Back to Happiness
5. How I Roll
6. Harvest Moon
7. One For Me
8. Mudslide
9. I Don't Like Mondays
10. Rat Trap

2012 Dates

Boomtown Rats

Saturday 28th January 2012 Mecca Venue, Swindon (supporting T-Rex)  And a really good review can be found here http://gigbook.blogspot.com/2012/01/839-boomtown-rats-swindon-musical.html
Saturday 28th April 2012 The Factory, Porth.
Sunday 29th April 2012 Great British Alternative Festival
Friday 4th August 2012 The Big Stoochie Scotland
Saturday 11th August 2012 Ripley Town Hall, Near Harrogate. Yorkshire
Sunday 26th August 2012  Rhythm Festival Biggleswade
Friday 7th December 2012 Whelans, Dublin

Bob Geldof

Wednesday 15th March 2012 Dubai - Irish Village
Saturday 19th May 2012  Dublin - Vicar Street
Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd May 2012 Lichfield - The Garrick
Friday 25th May 2012 Harrogate Royal Hall
Saturday 26th May 2012 Middlesborough Town Hall
Sunday 27th May 2012 The Playhouse - Whitley Bay
Tuesday 29th May  Bristol - St Georges Theatre
Wednesday 30th May 2012 Yeovil - The Octagon Theatre
Thursday 31st May 2012 Brighton - Concorde 2
Friday 1st June 2012 London - Islington Assembly Hall
Saturday 16th June 2012 Germany - Kieler Woche Festival, Kiel
Friday 29th June 2012 Latvia - Dzintari Concert Hall, Riga
Saturday 7th July 2012 Leeds - Harewood House,Harewood
Friday 27th July 2012 Germany - Rock of Ages Festival - Seebron

A New Bob

Bob Bradbury from Hello, is the latest singer/bassist to step into the shoes of Geldof and Briquette.

He played with the Rats at The Queens, Bromyard (on 5th November) and at the 70s weekend at The Unity Resort, Brean Sands, Somerset (on 6th November).

It is unknown if this is a permanent change to the line up.

There are some photographs with Bradbury sporting a pair of red trousers ala Geldof circa 1978, though definitely not quite as tight.

Geldof at Cadogan Hall

I suppose if I had to go to a Geldof concert, which I finally did tonight after some half hearted attempts in the distant past, then the least that could happen would be three Rats on stage.

Fortunately, the day before I had nabbed a couple of front row seats right in the middle of the stage.  My only fear was it may be a little too close for comfort. Cadogan Hall is possibly the most pristine venue I have ever watched a rock 'n' roll show at, only seeing Pulp at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane back in 1994 came close.  In my combat trousers, trainer and sweatshirt I feel very underdressed as all the staff were immaculately turned out and incredibly polite, a million miles away from the rude obnoxious security staff you often encounter at gigs.  Even the bouncer who threw one enthusiatic fan off stage was very polite about it!

For the most part, the concert was a lot of Geldof solo material. The best live songs were not just the Rats songs, but some of the songs off the last couple of solo albums which was a bit of a surprise for me.

Of the Sex Age & Death songs,  Mudslide and One for Me sounded far better live and  the awesome Scream in Vain more than lived up to expectations.  Scream in Vain had such a long rambling introduction that I was able to get to a distant bar and bring back a couple of beers as they started to play it. 
Other highlights were the superb Systematic Six Pack and a top notch Here's To You dedicated to his mates in the audience.   The Great Song of Indifference bookended the gig to great effect.  I have to confess that
sat in my comfy front and centre seat with a couple of beers, the remainder of the solo material washed over me, leaving me distracted enough to look around and see the venue was more or less sold out.

Now I was mainly there for the older material which took a little while to come.  I had never heard When The Night Comes live and understandably it did differ from the studio version, particularly the guitar solo.  Johnny Turnbull's electric and Vince Loveday's mandolin (well I think it was a mandolin) made the song sound different, and it's fair to say that Geldof didn't quite hold the melody as well as he could. However it was good to hear this song aired again.  Banana Republic had a long rambling introduction referring to when the Rats played Leixlip and Geldof's damning of the Irish establishment.  This was a really great rendition to the point when the indulgent play off took things down a little.  Next up was I Don't Like Mondays which  sounded like it had passed its sell by date. When people are laughing at the pause when the lesson today is how to die, you sense no one really needs to hear it again.

But the highlight of the evening was close at hand.  Suddenly Gerry Cott appeared on stage.  No one saw him walk on, he simply materialised.  Even Geldof seemed unaware he was stood right behind him as he was introducing him.   They did Mary of The Fourth Form followed by Joey's On The Street Again and then Rat Trap. This was fifteen to twenty minutes of pure magic, which brought the audience to its collective feet and was worth the price of the admission on its own.  Pete Briquette, who cooly ambled around the stage all evening, looked delighted to have his old friend back on stage with him, and the bon homie with Geldof suggested that past differences have been forgotten.

Had Geldof and co left it at that, no one could have complained, but they came out for a couple of encores. They started the encore with the bland Silly Pretty Thing, but great rendidtions of Diamond Smiles, Here's To You and finally The Great Song of Indifference when the whole band came to the front of the stage rounded off the evening superbly.  

When all is said and done it was a good show and I'm really glad I went despite certain reservations on seeing Geldof solo.  For Geldof, with the audience approaching the capacity of 900, this more or less fulfilled his ambition of playing a 2,000 seat venue and been able to walk home and sleep in his own bed.

Geldof should consider getting people standing up to watch him play in a more intimate venue like The 100 Club. Oh and of course, he should get Garrick and Simon to tag along next time and play a few more Rats songs.  Flying Fingers over from Japan may be too much to expect.

Alive and Kicking

Busy time for The Rats and Geldof, though sadly still apart, as they tour Europe

The Rats Tour Dates


Saturday 10th September 2011 Hertals Rock Festival, Netepark. 2200 Herentals. Belgium

Friday 14th October 2011 Tabernacle Junction, Yeovil BA20 1QA.

Friday 4th November 2011 Details Tbc

Saturday 5th November 2011 Booked Details Tbc

Sunday 6th November 2011 Unity Resort Brean Sands 70'S Festival



Saturday 3rd December 2011 Kiel, Germany


Bob Geldof Tour Dates 2011

Sat 4th September 2011 IRELAND, Electric Picnic, Crawdaddy Stage

Wed 14th September 2011 NEWCASTLE, The Sage Theatre

Thu 15th September 2011 SOUTHPORT Theatre

Sun 18th September 2011 CROYDON, Ashcroft Theatre

Tues 20th September 2011 LONDON, Cadogan Hall

Wed 21st September 2011 LINCOLN, Theatre Royal

3rd October 2011 - Liepzig

4th October 2011 - Kaufleuten, CH-Zurich, Switzerland

5th October 2011 - Burgheater, A-Vienna, Austria

7th October 2011 - RBB Sendesaal, Berlin, Germany

8th October 2011 - Alte Feuerwache, Mannheim, Germany

9th October 2011 - Theater am Tanzbrunnen, Koln, Germany

11th October 2011 - Fliegende Bauten, Hamburg, Germany

12th October 2011 - Theater am Aegi, Hanover, Germany

13th October 2011 - Prinzregententheater, Munchen, Germany

15th October 2011 - Franeker / De Koornbeurs ( 750 seated)

16th October 2011 - Amsterdam / melkweg - cancelled by promoter

17th October 2011 - Hoogeveen / De Tamboer (760 seated)  - cancelled by promoter

21st October 2011 - Gothenburg - Teatern

22nd October 2011 - Copenhagen - Studie 2 - DR Byen

23rd October 2011 - Oslo - Sentrum Scene

24th October 2011 - Uppsala -Katalin & All That Jazz

26th October 2011 - Stockholm - Nalen

27th October 2011 - Malmo Sweden Debaser

Wed 16th November 2011 - NUNEATON, Queens Hall

Thu 17th November 2011 - BRADFORD, St. George's Hall

Sat 19th November 2011 - ST ALBANS, Arena

Sun 20th November 2011 - MANCHESTER, The Quays Theatre

Mon 21st November 2011 - CHATHAM, Central Theatre

New Rats vocalist for Wolverhampton gig

Mike Odlum, an old school friend of Roberts and Crowe has joined the new Rats lineup as vocalist and bassist.  At this juncture, it is not clear if this is a permanent change to the line-up.

Friday 2nd  September 2011  The Varsity music venue, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LZ.

If you would like to purchase advance tickets for £7 then please send an email to tickets@boomtownrats.co.uk

BRENTWOOD BEER AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

This is like the gig from heaven. It's the Rats, it's cheap, and there's fcuking loads of beer! Get in there! Also it is a easy trip on the train for me.  Even my son (showing my age!) fancies it, so we might just camp for the night!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!!!!!!

Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood,Essex CM15 9NN


Fri 8th July


DOORS OPEN 1600 HRS
DJ'S WILL BE PLAYING FROM 1800HRS.
1900 - 1945
2000 - 2045 SQUABBLER
2100 - 2145 DOUBLE TROUBLE
2200 - 2330 BOOMTOWN RATS - The Rats will be here performing all of their hits from Rat Trap - Diamond Smiles to the haunting I don't like Mondays.

Madchester! (err maybe not...)

I have been informed this (along with the York date) have been postponed,and is showing as cancelled on the Factory ticket sales site .

No reasons have been given for the cancellation/postponement though it seems a bit premature to have been the result of poor ticket sales which have led to a number of Rats and Geldof concerts to be cancelled in recent years.

Best check with the venue if you have bought tickets and require a refund.

The Rats will be playing FAC251. In homage to the Happy Mondays they won't be playing I Don't Like Mondays! (as if)

Also playing a gig in York the following evening.

March

Friday 11th March FAC251 (The Factory) 112-118 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7EN

Saturday 12th March Fibbers, 8-10 Stonebow House York, YO1 7NP.

Simon Crowe Interview - LFM (107.4FM).

Simon Crowe radio interview with DJ Dave Heaney on radio station LFM (107.4FM).





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od194y9VwbY&feature=player_embedded

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.”

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

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

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

• Here's To You

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/video/showbiz/biz-sessions/3404751/Bob-Geldof-Heres-To-You.html

• How I Roll

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/video/showbiz/biz-sessions/3404753/Bob-Geldof-How-I-Roll.html

• Mary Says

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/video/showbiz/biz-sessions/3404738/Bob-Geldof-Mary-Says.html

• Dazzled By You

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/video/showbiz/biz-sessions/3404752/Bob-Geldof-Dazzled-By-You.html

• Blow

• Silly Pretty Thing

Gerry Cott Live - 27th November 2010 - St Andrews, Church Road, Cobham, Surrey

Heavens above! A rat in a church. I didn't attend so have no idea what was played or how well the concert went.



Gerry Cott will play a series of one-off performances of Urban Soundscapes in acoustically and architecturally interesting venues.

The first of these performances will be held at 7.30pm on 27th November 2010 at the 12th century Norman church of St Andrews, Church Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 3EJ

Get yer Kicks in the Sticks!

The Boomtown Rats played at the Whyteleafe Football Club tonight.

For a very small venue and given the extreme cold, the concert was well attended with between 100 and 150 people turning up. By the end the place was rocking with a dozen or so people on the dance floor.

They played, not necessarily in this order as I wasn't taking notes...

• Mary of the 4th Form
• Close As You'll Ever Be
• I Can Make It If You Can
• Like Clockwork
• Neon Heart
• Joey's On The Street Again
• Someone's Looking At You
• Diamond Smiles
• She's Gonna Do You In
• She Does It Right (vocals by Garry Roberts)
• Riot in Cell Block #9 (vocals by Simon Crowe)
• Looking After Number One
• Rat Trap
• She's So Modern
• I Don't Like Mondays

Fortunately the concert ended shortly before the last train out of Whyteleafe to London (via East Croydon) so I was able to make it home in the wee small hours (yawn).

Geldof in India

Bob Geldof played at The Hay Festival in Trivandrum, Kerala.

Sting got up on stage with him and they sang A Hole to Fill. See it here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/8135373/Sir-Bob-Geldof-and-Sting-at-Hay-Festival-in-India.html

Sting - "I flew to Thiruvananthapuram to see Bob. It was a high point of my life performing the number with him. I am happy to perform with Bob and it's always a pleasure to hear him sing."

Geldof also played Banana Republic and, inevitably, I Don't Like Mondays.

An Interview with Geldof can be found here
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main47.asp?filename=hub201110That_balmy.asp

November Dates for the Rats

A busy month for the Rats. Particulary looking forward to the Surrey date which I will be attending.

Saturday 13th November Essen Grugahalle, Germany
Sunday 14th November Landungsbruecken theatre ,Gutleutstrasse 294,Frankfurt am Main.Germany
Wednesday 24th November The Pavillion, Rhyll, as special guests to The Blockheads.
Thursday 25th November Walkabout, Barnsley
Friday 26th November Whyteleafe Football Club, 15, Church Road, Whyteleafe, Surrey CR3 0AR.

Darren Beale and the Pooh Sticks

Rats guitarist, Darren Beale, will be playing with the reformed Pooh Sticks at Indietracks at the Midland Railway Centre this weekend (23rd-25th July). Catch them on the Indoor stage form 20:15 - 21:10

No - I have never listened to the Pooh Sticks. Listen to them here www.myspace.com/thepoohsticks

Gerry Cott - Urban Soundscapes

Tracklisting (Previews)

01 Liverpool: Eleanor Rigby
02 Munich: Central Station to Seeg
03 Merritt: Last stop before Vancouver
04 NYC: Cab Ride
05 London: The Southbank Nighttime
06 Santander: Looking out on a stormy sea
07 Tokyo: Walkways
08 Kiev: Big cars darkened windows
09 San Francisco: Up The Down Staircase
10 Maui: The road to Hana
11 Dublin: Empty streets with distant echoes
12 Scarborough: Going to the fair
13 Carrickfergus: Looking back

Looks like Gerry took on board my comments of picking up the guitar again a couple of years ago when I met him at the 100 Club. Sadly he has not rejoined the Rats (boo!), but he has made a solo guitar album entitled Urban Soundscapes (hooray!).

"I always was an acoustic guitarist masquerading as a rocker.". Indeed. The album kicks off with an impressive version of Eleanor Rigby so far with Gerry's distinctive lyrical style of playing. I have to confess for fans of the Rats this record may not rock your boat. Though the guitar playing is technically good and shows off Gerry's abilities, it is incidental music that is ideal background for doing the dishes or other household tasks, but unlikely to hold your interest nor move you.

Of course, you can make your own minds up and purchase the CD at the Gerry Cott Homepage or get it on iTunes . The album is also on Spotify.

You can listen to Eleanor Rigby and Cab Ride in his entry for the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition. The album is also available on

Gerry also has a twitter account you can follow.

There is the promise of some forthcoming tour dates.

Jay Bennett - Kicking at the Perfumed Air

On May 24, 2009, award winning multi-instrumentalist and producer Jay Bennett passed away. Although Jay is probably best known for his work in Wilco, he was also a very sought-after producer, collaborator and solo artist, and was the owner of the Champaign, IL-based music studio.

Jay’s posthumous record, Kicking at the Perfumed Air has been released for free download. While the download is free, donations are currently being accepted to benefit the Jay Bennett Foundation or one of its partner charities.

The title track, Diamond Smiles, is a cover of the Boomtown Rats track from The Fine Art of Surfacing. The track is done in a very different style, even though Jay's vocal are somewhat remincient of a raw youthful Geldof. The song ends with a twinkling homage to the introduction of I Don't Like Mondays.

http://rockproper.com/JayBennettFoundation/

Oil City Confidential - BBC 4 - Dr.Feelgood night

Given their influence on Rats, see the originals on BBC tonight!






9:00pm Oil City Confidential
Director Julien Temple's film celebrates Dr Feelgood
10:50pm Sight and Sound in Concert
Pete Drummond introduces a concert from Queen Mary College with Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Dr. Feelgood
11:50pm If it Ain't Stiff
Adrian Edmondson narrates a documentary chronicling the story of Stiff Records
1:20am Oil City Confidential
As above

Kats Karavan

About Kats Karavan


http://johnpeel.umusic.co.uk/

A lavishly packaged 4cd set contains singles and Peel session recordings by some of John’s favourite artists including The Boomtown Rats, he was a fan in the early days, but I think he changed his mind about the Rats as time went on....

"We keep getting sessions planned with them, new sessions for us which, for one reason or another, they don't seem to be able to do. Perhaps we've got one lined up for early in the new year, perhaps they'll do one. It would be very nice if they did anyway because, although they're famous and so on, it would still be nice to get a session out of them."

Anyway, they did a couple and Looking After No. 1 does feature on disc 1 of Kats Karavan. If you don't have the Crazy single, here's your chance to grab it. (Available for single download at Amazon) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kats-Karavan-History-John-Radio/dp/B002N1BNXC