The Boomtown Rats, have announced their first new album in 36 years. It just happens to coincide with the Year of the Rat. Is it coincidence or grand design? We'll let you decide.
Citizens of Boomtown arrives on March 13th. Alongside the album is a great companion piece, Bob Geldof's "tales of Boomtown glory" which is full of the background stories for fans. There are some fabulous pre-order packages available now, which include vinyl, CDs, signed setlists and books. Or you can grab items separately. Pricing starts at $10.99 for a digital download, and tops out at $59.00 plus shipping.
In January, the band dropped their lead single Trash Glam Baby. It's everything we could have hoped for and more. It's new, it's relevant, and it's The Boomtown Rats. I've missed the band even more than I knew. Lucky for me, and you, there's more coming. Soon.
Check it out. Scroll past the video for the Citizens of Boomtown 's tracklist.
Citizens of Boomtown
🐀 Trash Glam Baby
🐀 Sweet Thing
🐀 Monster Monkeys
🐀 She Said No
🐀 Passing Through
🐀 Here's a Postcard
🐀 K.I.S.S.
🐀 Rock and Roll Yé Yé
🐀 Get a Grip
🐀 The Boomtown Rats
Last night I had the privilege of sitting down and watching a screening of the upcoming The Boomtown Rats documentary with some media contemporaries. It takes us back to the beginnings: the small town, middle-class origins of this iconic band. The film gives us a peek at what it was like being in The Boomtown Rats. How things came together. What happened and how and why it was time to get the band back together. There was footage in here that I had no idea existed. If you're a fan, you'll love the content they've put together.
There were smiles all around when the film finished up, and we're not that easy a group to inspire.
While there's currently no release date for the documentary, there's more to add, and it's coming. We know it's worth the wait. After the screening, Sir Bob Geldof sat with Jeff Leake and answered questions in front of the inspired media people. Sir Bob Geldof was elegant and eloquent. He told stories and filled in the blanks. He was honest and forthright. And as we finished, Bob joked about the key to getting Canadians out on a cold night for these things was free drinks. He's a funny guy, but truth be told, we came out for him. I felt honoured and excited to be in his presence, to hear the stories directly from the man. Later, when I was asked if I wanted to get a photo with him, a thing I never do, I said yes. He thanked me for coming. I thanked him for being there. February 13, 2020, will be a tough day to top, for me.
Currently, there are four tour dates listed on The Boomtown Rats website. Based on what I heard last night, I expect there will be more. Keep an eye on the tour section. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was a pleasure to have met Sir Bob Geldof.
I'm looking forward to seeing Bobby Boomtown and the boys, up on stage, soon.
I'll close with; if you're looking for music that means something, you can look to Citizens of Boomtown to meet that need. The Boomtown Rats make music that matters. It comes with a message. We're in trouble, and we know it. Bob Geldof, Garry Roberts, Simon Crowe and Pete Briquette aren't afraid to sing about it.
