The Boomtown Rats is a rock group led by Bob Geldof (full name: Robert Fredrick Zenon Geldof, born October 5th 1951). Playing punk and new wave influenced music, their initial incarnation lasted from 1976 to 1986), but the band recently reformed. All six primary members (Gary Roberts, Pete Briquette, Gerry Cott, Simon Crowe, and Johnnie Moylett alongside Geldof) were originally from Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland.
Originally, they used the moniker 'The Nightlife Thugs'. The name "The Boomtown Rats" comes from a gang of down-and-outs from Woody Guthrie's autobiography, which the folk artist titled 'Bound for Glory'. The guys gained fame due to their often cynical tunes, having several notable singles, yet their record is overshadowed by the charity work on behalf of famine relief of their lead singer. Geldof, being nicknamed 'Bob The Gob' by the media for his big mouth, attained international fame after spearheading efforts such as 'Live Aid'.
The Boomtown Rats itself scored several Top Ten hits in the UK charts during their commercial peak, from 1978 to 79, and their most famous songs, still to this day, are "Rat Trap" (a U.K. #1) and "I Don't Like Mondays" (another U.K. #1), the latter being their biggest hit and achieving international notoriety.
Bob Geldof has been gifted with the art of story-telling through songs. Lyrics are mostly in third person, have clever double entendre meanings, often relating some story or incident, eg "Dave".
The JamView profile
The SkidsView profile
SqueezeView profile
Bow Wow WowView profile
DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERSView profile