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And Now- Gigs The Rats Rock London 100 Club, 7th August 2008 More than two decades ago The Boomtown Rats opened the first Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street in London, and last night The Rats returned to Oxford Street to play at the legendary 100 Club. The Rats consisting of original Boomtown Rats members Garry Roberts (guitar) and Simon Crowe (drums), with the addition of Pete Barton (lead vocals & bass) and Darren Beale (guitar) showed they could turn back the clock whilst still moving forward. It was with some trepidation that I went to see The Rats - asking myself the same question as many will ask - how would the band stack-up playing live, not just against the Boomtown Rats of more than 2 decades ago, but also against Bob Geldof? The Rats took to the stage, and the first thing to note is that Garry and Simon have aged well and are looking great. As soon as Garry launched into the opening riff of Close As You'll Ever Be it became apparent that he still has what it takes - the whole band does. It was a full-on performance. This is clearly not a band going through the motions - they look very hungry, determined, and gave it all they've got - and then some. It was an astonishing band performance, which made the songs feel fresh and new, and as relevant today as they were back in the day. I had the pleasure of watching the gig with ex-Boomtown Rats guitarist Gerry Cott - who was wearing his trademark sunglasses. Three Boomtown Rats in the same room! Gerry was full of praise for all 4 members of The Rats. During the gig, Gerry gave me a running commentary on the background behind some of the songs, their musical influences, and memories. Most of the set-list consisted of the early Rats music from the first 3 albums. In the early days, The Boomtown Rats were heavily influenced by Dr Feelgood - and some Dr Feelgood songs were played in early Rats style as a bonus. Both Garry and Darren played fantastically well. It was great to hear the songs played with 2 guitarists - just as they should be. Simon's drumming was spot-on - he is more than just a drummer and his style enhances the songs perfectly. The Rats set-list involves complex, intensive and relentless drumming so Simon barely gets to pause for a second - and he does a lot of the singing too. Extremely hard work and physically demanding for anyone - but he did it perfectly. Pete Barton is in the awkward position of covering for the parts of Geldof & Pete Briquette. He is a strong singer and certainly did the songs justice. He is as animated as can be whilst singing and playing bass, and is a good choice by the band. He should take a lot of confidence from the approval of The Boomtown Rats fans. All 4 members did their share of vocal duties. An obvious challenge for the band would be working out how to play the epics Rat Trap and I Don't Like Mondays using 2 guitarists, bass, and drums. The Rats played them with vigour in an up-beat guitar driven style more in keeping with other early Rats songs. It worked fantastically well. So what did The Boomtown Rats and Bob Geldof fans think? They gave it a unanimous thumbs-up and wouldn't have missed it for the world. There were even some teary-eyed fans at the end on the night - and not an onion in sight. They will be coming back for more. After the gig, Garry Roberts showed Gerry Cott his guitar - Garry had made the guitar himself - a talented fellow! The dials on Garry's custom guitar go up to 11. Garry asked Gerry if he would like to do some guest appearances in the future. Gerry also exchanged tips with Darren. Everyone got along very well. The band stayed behind after the gig to speak to fans until they had seen everyone. If you are thinking of going to one of the gigs then don't just think about it, go and buy some tickets in advance and take your friends for a great night out. You are guaranteed to see a really fantastic band. Not to be missed! Gig photos to follow
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