2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Band Aid's single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Yet questions from this side of the millennium arise when one starts to think really hard about this: First, what is Band Aid? And second, who is this Bob Geldof character that has been making the rounds talking about Band Aid for the last four decades?
Backing up to 1984: Band Aid was the all-star musical ensemble created by The Boomtown Rats vocalist Bob Geldof and Ultravox frontperson Midge Ure. Both men were at the apex of their respective careers in the UK — Geldof and The Rats were struggling with their current release, In The Long Grass, and a sub-par tour, while Ure was having a moment with "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes," enjoying a summertime Top 3 hit in the UK.