The Boomtown Rats at The Hub Kilkenny (Photos)

From the Marble City to Boomtown: The Boomtown Rats Masterclass in Punk Rock Showmanship at The Hub, Kilkenny!

If anyone expected Bob Geldof and the boys to settle into a quiet heritage act nostalgia trip, that was emphatically corrected on Saturday night, from the moment the first chord struck. Bringing their signature blend of jagged new wave punk energy to The Hub, The Boomtown Rats proved that, while the decades have passed, the Rat Attitude remains remarkably sharp.

Support act The Savage Hearts kicked the night off with an aggressive set of classic rock-infused punk.
This was followed by a screening of the Citizens Of Boomtown documentary, which chronicles the Rats' journey from Dún Laoghaire to global domination.

The trip down memory lane got Rats fans, new and old, revved up, and by the time Bob & Co. hit the stage, the energy was palpable.

From the jump, Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof remains the consummate lightning rod.
Clad in his signature sharp yet dishevelled style, he prowled the stage with the same restless, Jagger-esque kineticism that made him a star of the punk scene five decades ago.

Standout moments included ‘Like Clockwork’ – as soon as the “tick, tock, tick, tock” began to ring throughout the arena, the memories from 50 years ago came flooding back; ‘Banana Republic’ was played with snarling conviction, the lyrics about Irish social stagnation still cutting to the bone; and ‘Monster Monkeys’, a newer addition from the Citizens Of Boomtown album which holds its own against the classics and showcases the band’s heavier, blues-infused modern sound.

The undisputed emotional peak, though, was ‘I Don’t Mondays’, with Geldof linking the track’s history of senseless violence to modern global conflicts in his intro.

The pregnant pause before the final chorus still has the power to stop a room dead!

The Boomtown Rats appear as part of the Hot Press: History In The Making gig this Friday night in the Dublin 3Arena.