The Boomtown Rats

Mixing punk energy with new wave sophistication, Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats rode a series of U.K. hits to mainstream success in the late '70s and early '80s. Aside from the single "I Don't Like Mondays," their popularity never quite extended to the U.S., although frontman Bob Geldof became a highly visible figure globally for his humanitarian work; he led the charitable supergroup Band Aid and organized the massive 1985 Ethiopian relief Live Aid concerts, at which his band also performed. The group broke up in 1986, but they reunited in 2013 for a series of tours, event...