TUES. 10TH February LIVERPOOL LIVE LOUNGE – Baby Blue, Edward Pavilion, The Albert Dock, L3 4AF. Tickets £17 adv
The Rats... with Peter Barton (vocals/bass) and Darren Beale (guitar)
Special Guest for Live Lounge - DAVE SHARP (THE ALARM)
The Boomtown Rats first crawled into the semi-darkness of founder member Garry Roberts' kitchen as a group of six friends in Dublin in 1975. Guitarist Garry and drummer Simon share a passion for raw R'n'B and rock music and have been playing together since they formed a band at school. Now, some three decades later, these original Rats have returned to reclaim their lair as true pioneers of New Wave.
The Boomtown Rats began as a hard-hitting, guitar-driven Rhythm and Blues band with a straight up, stripped-down sound. Their first album was considered a classic R'n'B offering - likened to the early Stones and Dr Feelgood. Their debut single ‘Looking After Number One’ gnawed its way into the UK charts in 1977. This was the first of a succession of Boomtown Rats' hits spanning the next decade.
The hits kept on coming, with ‘Mary Of The Fourth Form’, ‘She’s So Modern’ and ‘Like Clockwork’. Then, in 1978, the band released ‘Rat Trap’ which shot straight into the Number One slot and remained in the charts for 15 weeks. ‘Rat Trap’ was the first New Wave Number One and the first UK Number One for an Irish group since The Bachelors' 'My Diane' in 1964. The band's second album ‘A Tonic For The Troops’ also went to Number One, staying in the album charts for an amazing 47 weeks, and was voted the Number One Album by Melody Maker readers. The Boomtown Rats were now well established.
1979 saw the massive international Number One ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ followed by major Top Five hits ‘Diamond Smiles’, ‘Someone’s Looking At You’ and ‘Banana Republic’. The band continued having million selling albums and chart success up to 1986, when singer Bob Geldof left the band to pursue a solo career.
Garry Roberts and Simon Crowe, the driving force behind the Rats sound, have put their powerful alliance together once again to re-ignite and develop the essence of their music as it should be heard, with its driving rhythms and meaty guitar riffs. Their new band The Rats, with Peter Barton on bass and vocals and Darren Beale on guitar, perform all their classic hits along with ‘live’ favourites like ‘Joey’s On The Street again’ and ‘Neon Heart’. Their music still holds its appeal and is a reminder of how this dynamic sound is as relevant today as it ever was. 2008 sees the band performing a select number of UK festivals and touring Europe in December and 2009 will see the release of a new album!
What they said after ‘The Rats’ first few gigs………August 2008
“This initial couple of weeks of gigs has been fantastic for us all. It feels like we are setting off on a new adventure.” – Garry
“After all this time it’s such a vibe to get up and play our music again with this great new band!” – Simon
The audience’s reaction: Robin 2 Bilston, 06/08/08 : “Exceeded even my wildest expectations. Top marks boys, top, top marks. PS. The final encore blew me away!” JK
“…I can’t wait for to see ‘em all again . ‘Mondays’ was the big finish! and what a finish !! they should release that right now!” Paul Reeves
100 Club, London 07/08/08 : “If you do get the chance to see the Rats anywhere in the next 12 months cancel all other engagements and see them!” Arr Gee
Tickets for Live Lounge @ Baby Blue can be purchased through the Liverpool Echo Arena on the
ACC Live Hotline on 0844 8000 410 (Mon–Sat 9am-9pm and Sun 10am–4pm)
Or online - www.accliverpool.com
For further concert information and full listings visit www.babybluelivelounge.co.uk
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