Opening with tongue-in-cheek glam-pop nugget ‘(I Never Loved) Eva Braun’, which burns straight into the angular new wave stylings of ‘Like Clockwork’, the stage is set for a high-octane rollercoaster ride through Boomtown, with Bob Geldof as tour guide extraordinaire.
Dapper in a fake snakeskin suit, he writhes, dances, gesticulates and poses to dramatic effect. Given his loquacious proclivities, Bob lets the music do the talking to a surprising extent. His banter includes a reminder that not much has changed since he first penned ‘Banana Republic’ and a moving dedication to the recently deceased Philip Chevron.
The group, which includes original bassist Pete Briquette, drummer Simon Crowe and guitarist Garry Roberts, are in fine form and not a note is dropped as they blast through a greatest hits set of which ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ and ‘Rat Trap’ are predictable highlights.
This is not a mere ‘best of’ show: the songs ooze vitality and the performance is rich with innovative twists. An explosive ‘Mary Of The Fourth Form’ tailspins into the Mississippi Delta, as they slink through John Lee Hooker’s ‘Boom Boom’ before the blitzkrieg pace is resumed with a raucous ‘Lookin’ After Number 1’.
The night closes with impressive new track ‘The Boomtown Rats’. There’s life in the old rodents yet, it seems...