The Boomtown Rats

On the cusp of pub rock and New Wave, The Boomtown Rats delivered an explosive mix of buzzing guitars and freewheeling piano melodies on heart-pounding classics like “Lookin' After No.

1” and “Rat Trap.” Formed in Dublin, Ireland, in 1975, the band's original lineup included vocalist and future activist Bob Geldof, guitarists Garry Roberts and Gerry Cott, bassist Pete Briquette, keyboardist Johnnie Fingers, and drummer Simon Crowe, who named their scrappy crew after a gang of street children mentioned in Woody Guthrie's autobiography, Bound for Glory.

Early albums like 1978's A Tonic For the Troops and 1979's The Fine Art of Surfacing established The Boomtown Rats as combustive hitmakers with a flair for cheeky social commentary, epitomized by ultimate bummer anthem “I Don't Like Mondays.” In the early ‘80s, Geldof's prominence rose alongside his charity work, producing iconic benefits like Band Aid in 1984 and Live Aid in 1985, which briefly bolstered the band before their split a year later.