Fifty years. A milestone worth celebrating in any lifetime — and even more so for a band that changed the sound, the attitude, and the politics of rock.
The Boomtown Rats are not just another “legendary” or “iconic” act. They earned those titles. Formed in Ireland in the mid-70s, they turned frustration and disillusion into a new kind of musical activism — edgy, political, volatile and outspoken. They weren’t content to play loud for the sake of it: The Rats played with purpose. Their riffs were weapons. Their lyrics, sucker punches. Their presence, a cultural jolt.
From touring with The Ramones and Talking Heads, to inspiring a young Bono to form U2, to mobilising entire nations through Live Aid, the Rats have always been more than a band — they’ve been a force. Their DNA runs through generations of rebellious music that followed.
Now, in 2025, The Boomtown Rats return to the stage with a celebratory theatre tour. Each night features a screening of a brand-new documentary packed with exclusive, unseen footage, followed by a blistering live show that pulls from across their career.
Alongside the tour comes a definitive career-spanning collection: The First 50 Years: Songs Of Boomtown Glory — a 24-track 2LP / 27-track 2CD, also available across all streaming platforms. This release celebrates the highlights of the band’s storied 50-year career, with all tracks hand-picked by both fans and the band themselves. From their very first hit in 1977, Looking After Number 1, through She’s So Modern, Rat Trap, and I Don’t Like Mondays, right up to 2023’s There’s No Tomorrow Like Today and the Citizens of Boomtown era classics including The Boomtown Rats, K.I.S.S. and Trash Glam Baby.
The run culminates in a very special Halloween night concert at London’s Eventim Apollo (31st October) — 50 years to the day since their very first gig in Ireland.
This isn’t about nostalgia. You don’t go to a Boomtown Rats gig for a polite run through the hits, or to admire the Brit, Grammy, and Ivor Novello Awards. You go because you belong to their dirty, fierce, and beautiful rock’n’roll army. You go because you still don’t like Mondays.
Happy Birthday, Boomtown. 50 rat years and counting.
2025 Theatre Tour Dates
Oct 25 – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Oct 31 – London, Eventim Apollo (50th Birthday Concert Night)
Nov 1 – Southampton, O2 Guildhall
Nov 7 – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
Nov 8 – Gateshead, The Glasshouse
Nov 14 – York, Barbican
Nov 15 – Liverpool, Olympia
The First 50 Years: Songs Of Boomtown Glory is out now. https://boomtownrats.lnk.to/50yearsEM
Comments are closed.