The Boomtown Rats

Formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1975, just prior to the arrival of punk music, The Boomtown Rats are a rock band whose place in history is assured thanks to the fame of their lead singer, Bob Geldof and for their remarkable hit, 'I Don't Like Mondays'. Though punk and new wave music had very much developed and begun influencing the band by the time they released the single in 1979, its style was more grandiose pop with a fantastic, widescreen arrangement. And its lyrical content was shocking and unforgettable. The song is based on the real-life events of a shooting the same year at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. The perpetrator of the shooting, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, fired at children in the's school playground, killing two adults and injuring eight children and a police officer. Upon her arrest, Brenda Ann Spencer showed no remorse for the senseless crime. Under questioning from journalists, she explained away her actions by saying 'I don't like Mondays, this livens up the day.' The single was released just months after the incident and became a hit all over Europe. In America, the killer's family tried unsuccessfully to stop the single being released, America being the only English-language territory where the song was not a huge hit. Although the band were not trying to exploit the tragedy, Bob Geldof later expressed regret for contributing to the killer's lasting infamy. It would take him until 1984 and his fundraising with Band Aid and Live Aid for any of his efforts to exceed the fame of this song. The Boomtown Rats broke up in 1986 but reformed in 2013. This tour supports 'Citizens Of Boomtown', the band's first album in 36 years, which is released on 13th March 2020.