Bob Geldof

Rising to fame as the lead singer of Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof is a renowned singer and songwriter. During his time in the spotlight, Bob has used his prominence to push various aspects as a social activist, in particular anti-poverty. Joining The Boomtown Rats in 1975, Bob and his bandmates quickly rose to fame with their first number-one single Rat Trap being released in 1978. A second number one followed in 1979 with I Don’t Like Mondays, gaining negative press due to the controversial topic of the song. In 1986, Bob made the decision to leave the band and pursued a solo career, publishing his autobiography Is That It? upon his departure. Bob found further fame as a solo artist, publishing songs such as The Great Song Of Indifference, Comfortably Numb and This Is The World Calling.

He was fortunate to perform at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and also became a DJ for XFM Radio. During his time as a solo artist, Bob began his mission of philanthropy performing at the Amnesty International concert The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball. He was also motivated to do something about the state of poverty in Ethiopia, and so teamed with Midge Ure to write the renowned song Do They Know It’s Christmas?. Once the song was written numerous other artists joined Bob to sing the song, with Bob founding Band Aid in the process. The song was a huge success, claiming the title of the UK’s fastest seller of all-time and reaching position 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Continuing to follow the fate of the country, Bob soon realised that the sales of one song were just not enough to make an impact on the country.

So he set about founding Live Aid, a concert held at Wembley Arena which ultimately raised a staggering £150 million for the cause. Inspired by the impact that such money would have on the relief of poverty and famine for those less fortunate than himself, Bob later went on to found the Live 8 project. The Live 8 Project was born out of raising awareness for social injustices happening across Africa, including prominent issues of AIDS, debt and starvation. Bob organised performances at 10 Live 8 concerts, bringing his mission of advocacy to locations such as Berlin, Paris and Rome. Through a career in the spotlight and a passion to better the lives of others, Bob has garnered his fair share of recognition and awards.

He has been appointed as an honorary KBE and made Freeman of the Borough of Swale in Kent. Bob has also been the recipient of the 2005 Man of Peace Award, the Freedom of Dublin City and the Freedom of the City of London. The BASCA Gold Badge Award and medal of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres have also been amongst his collection of awards. Throughout his life and career, Bob has been a prominent figure in the public eye. As a result of this, Bob is now highly sought as a public speaker and to appear at a range of corporate events. A passionate advocate of anti-poverty, Bob uses his prominence from his time as a singer to truly push the importance of abolishing social injustice from the world that we live in. A keen philanthropist, Bob encourages all to act in creating a safer world and helping those less fortunate than ourselves. A passionate and inspirational individual, Bob is at home when faced with a large audience and is a perfect choice for a range of events.