Boomtown Rats To Play Isle Of Wight

28 January 2013, 10:34 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Bob Geldof is to be reunited with the Boomtown Rats for the first time in more than 25 years at the Isle of Wight festival.

The band, famous for the hit singles Rat Trap and I Don't Like Mondays, have announced they are to play together for the first time since 1986 for an exclusive UK performance this summer.

Geldof said: "Playing again with the Rats and doing those great songs again will be exciting afresh.

"We were an amazing band and I just feel it's the right time to re-Rat, to go back to Boomtown for a visit.

"Also, I've always fancied playing the Isle of Wight Festival ever since I hitched there in the good/bad days when I was a kid."

Festival promoter John Giddings said: "It's great they have chosen the Isle of Wight Festival as their reunion. Our audience will love them, their catalogue is classic.''

Formed in 1975 in Dublin, the Boomtown Rats played their first UK shows with the Ramones and Talking Heads.

They were one of the biggest bands of the late 1970s into the 1980s with a string of top 10 hits and platinum albums, earning them Brit Awards, Ivor Novellos and Grammy Awards.

They will play on the main stage of the festival on Sunday June 16.

Other acts already announced include headliners The Stone Roses, The Killers and Bon Jovi as well as Paul Weller, Emeli Sande, Ke ha, Ben Howard, Jake Bugg, The Script, Bloc Party, Paloma Faith, The Maccabees, Ellie Goulding, FUN, Blondie and Devlin.

The event takes place in Seaclose Park, Newport, between June 13 and 16.