The Boomtown Rats rode the crest of both Punk and the New Wave in the late 70’s with some superb 3 minute gems of pop songs. Just the name conjures up wonderful images. Geldof, strutting around in those stripy jeans, Band Aid - ah the memories!

So when Boomtown Rats strode on stage at The Palladium Club (with the The, like some of the original members, now missing) we were happily transported back to those halcyon days right from the off as they launched into an evening of greatest hits including Mary of the 4th Form and Like Clockwork.

The two original Rats in the band – Simon Crowe on drums and guitarist Gerry Roberts – were always crucial to the band’s sound and still guard it jealously. New members Pete Barton on bass and vocals and Darren Beale, who spent the evening trying to wrap himself around his lead guitar, have slotted in perfectly and the Rats still sound fresh and vibrant.

More hits, like She’s so Modern, the fabulous Diamond Smiles and Lookin’ After No 1 just kept on coming. They’ve stood the test of time too and where so many songs can sound old and tired very quickly, these haven’t faded at all. Even though the band didn’t feature any sax or keyboards on the night, the songs still retained all their original fizz.

After a two track Dr Feelgood tribute, they finished with Joey’s On The Streets Again and Rat Trap before encoring with a brilliant rework of I Don’t Like Mondays that sounded even better than the original. Tremendous!

Support band on the night were Bideford’s The Dead Betas who played with energy, edge and passion that wouldn’t have been out of place if they’d been supporting The Rats all those years ago. Maybe they’d raided their parents’ record collections. They played all their own material, yet there was a hint of Gang of Four here, Magazine there maybe, but they’d probably be horrified at the very thought.

Either way, they got the evening going with a powerful, original set and all in all, helped to make it another classic Palladium night.