Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats – Cambridge Corn Exchange – 25 October 2025

The day started with Neil driving to Ely to see them take on Woodbridge. There were a few matches closer to Cambridge, but we went for that one as local lad Connor Field was turning out for Woodbridge. They ran out 3–1 winners, with Field getting one of the goals — which, of course, I missed because I was at the bar getting a pint.

After the game we headed into Cambridge for a spot of tea and a couple more pints. The venue was only four minutes away — a far cry from the three-quarters of an hour it somehow took to reach the same place for Deacon Blue back in April.

Before the band even took the stage, the night opened with a short documentary – a neat touch that traced The Rats’ journey from their earliest days as The Nightlife Thugs to the moment Bob Geldof lifted their new name from a gang in Woody Guthrie’s autobiography. It set the tone perfectly: 25 years (plus a day) of chaos, brilliance, and absolute fearlessness.

The film didn’t shy away from the tough stuff either. We got the full background on “I Don’t Like Mondays” – written after a 1979 school shooting in San Diego, when a sixteen-year-old girl explained her actions simply with those words. It was a sobering reminder that tragedy and violence in schools aren’t new, and that behind every Boomtown Rats lyric there’s a story, sharp observation, and no shortage of guts to confront it head-on.

Then the screen went dark, and the unmistakable growl of Bob Geldof’s voice echoed through the Corn Exchange: “Cambridge! Are you fucking ready?”

The answer was clear – yes, very much so.

The seven-piece band exploded into “Rat Trap”, and from that moment the place was electric. Geldof bounded to the mic with the energy of a man half his age, while fellow founding members Pete Briquette (bass) and Simon Crowe (drums) locked in like they’d never been away. They were joined by Alan Dunn, Darren Beale, Paul Cuddeford, and Steve Barnard – a powerhouse lineup that gave every track real muscle and polish.

What followed was a reminder that The Boomtown Rats are still a force, not a nostalgia act. Geldof, freshly 74, commanded the stage with that mix of swagger, wit, and raw emotion that only comes from decades of living exactly as he pleases. When the songs rocked – and most of them did – he drove them like a man possessed. When things slowed down, he held the entire hall in silence. Few frontmen can still do that.

The big hits landed as expected – “Like Clockwork,” “She’s So Modern,” and “Banana Republic” all sounding punchier than their radio versions – but it was “I Don’t Like Mondays” that delivered the night’s heaviest moment. After the familiar “How to die” pause, Geldof stopped, looked out across the crowd, and spoke briefly about Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan – the ongoing madness of the world. The song suddenly felt alive again, relevant, and devastating.

Click on the pictures for the video clips

By the time “Diamond Smiles” and “The Boomtown Rats” wrapped up the set, the crowd was still roaring. Geldof took one last bow, grinning like a man who knows he’s just reminded everyone why this band mattered – and still does.