The Boomtown Rats

About The Boomtown Rats

Irish rock band, formed in 1975 in Garry Roberts’ kitchen in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, the group originally took the name The Nightlife Thugs. They changed it during the interval of their first gig on October 31st 1975 to The Boomtown Rats, after [a=Woody Guthrie]’s term for oilfield workers. The original lineup was [a=Bob Geldof] (vocals), [a=Garry Roberts] (lead guitar), [a=Johnnie Fingers] (keyboard), [a=Pete Briquette] (bass), [a=Gerry Cott] (rhythm guitar) and [a=Simon Crowe] (drums).

They recorded six studio albums and a string of successful singles. Cott left the band in 1981. The group remained together until just after the 1985 Live Aid concert of which Bob Geldof, KBE, was the organiser.

The group reformed in 2013, with original members [a=Bob Geldof], [a=Garry Roberts], [a=Pete Briquette], and [a=Simon Crowe] joined by [a=Alan Dunn] and [a=Darren Beale].