DÚN LAOGHAIRE, CO. DUBLIN

1975 - 1986

OVERVIEW The Boomtown Rats was one of the leading Irish bands on the Punk / New Wave scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this time, the group scored a series of hit albums and singles in Ireland, UK and beyond. The band which was to become The Boometown rats originally came together in 1975 as The Nightlife Thugs. However, this name was only to be used until the group's first gig. It's reported that during the interval they decided to rename the band The Boomtown Rats after a gang in the Woodie Guthrie autobiography, 'Bound For Glory' which lead singer, Bob Geldof, had been reading at the time. Geldof was joined in the line up by Patrick Cusack, also known as Pete Briquette, on Bass Guitar, Keyboards & Backing Vocals, Simon Crowe [Drums], Gerry Cott [Guitar], Garry Roberts [Guitar]. 1n 1976, the band decided to move to London as this was at the centre of the punk movement. The soon signed with Ensign Records and the following year, the debut single, 'Looking After No. 1' was released. It immediately entered the UK Top 40 and set a standard for future releases. The eponymously-titled debut album followed in September. The 9-track collection also spawned the hit single. 'Mary Of The 4th Form'. The band's second album, 'A Tonic For The Troops' followed in June of 1978. The album also featured a series of hit singles including 'Like Clockwork', 'She's So Modern' and 'Rat Trap'. The latter marked a pivotal moment as it represented the band's first No. 1 single. In fact this was the first time any Irish group had topped the UK singles charts. The band repeated this feat the following year with the release of 'I Don't Like Mondays' as a single. The track's theme was serious in nature and was inspired by a gun shooting which had taken place in January 1979 in a school in California. In spite of the inspiration, the track topped the charts in Ireland, UK and Australia. The single was included on the band's third long player, 'The Fine Art Of Surfacing' which also included the singles 'Diamond Smiles' and 'Someone's Looking At You'. As they entered the 1980s, the band started experimenting with different sounds, most notably reggae. This came to the fore on the band's 1980 single, 'Banana Republic'. Plucked from the group's fourth album 'Mondo Bongo', this was the last single to reach the Top 10 - eventually peaking at No. 3. This new direction was talking its toll on the group as everyone wasn't bought in to the new approach. In 1981, Gerry Cott decided to leave the group after getting disillusioned with the new sound. The remaining members decided to continue on as a quintet. The went on to release two further albums 'V Deep' [1982] and 'In The Long Grass' [1984]. In spite of further single releases, the band failed to recapture the success of its early career. By this time, the writing was on the wall for The Boomtown Rats. The band's final performance was at the Self Aid Concert in 1986. Bob Geldof went on to pursue an intermittent solo career. Since the split, Pete Briquette has focused on production, working with, amongst others, The Frames, Tricky and Renaud. Johnny Fingers and Simon Crowe went on to form Gung Ho. Fingers subsequently moved to Japan where he has played with local groups and he has also been involved in production and promotion. Crowe went on to team up with former band mate, Garry Roberts in The Velcro Flies which was an R&B outfit. The pair would later work together once more in 2008 after forming The Rats playing elements of The Boomtown Rats back catalogue. 1975 - Band formed 1976 - Band move to London and sign with Ensign Records 1977 - Release of 'Looking After No. 1' single [August] - Release of 'The Boomtown Rats' album [September] - Release of 'Mary Of The 4th Form' single [November] 1978 - Release of 'She's So Modern' single [March] - Release of 'Like Clockwork' single [June] - Release of 'Rat Trap' single [November] 1979 - Release of 'I Don't Like Mondays' single [July] - Release of 'Diamond Smiles' single [November] 1980 - Release of 'Someone's Looking At You' single - Release of 'Banana Republic' single [November] 1981 - Release of 'Up All Night' single - Release of 'The Elephant's Graveyard (Guilty)' single - Release of 'Never In A Million Years' single - Gerry Cott leaves the band 1982 - Release of 'House On Fire' single - Release of 'Charmed Lives' single 1984 - Release of 'Tonight' single - Release of 'Drag Me Down' single - Release of 'Dave' single 1985 - Release of 'A Hold Of Me' single 1986 - Group split 1994 - Re-release of 'I Don't Like Mondays' single