WE GET BRIDGET JONESPANTS THROWN AT US NOW
The Boyz are back in town – and, as Charlotte Oliver discovers, they’re ready to party like it’s 1999
e’re calling it: the world peaked in the late ’90s and early noughties. Daniel Radcliffe debuted as Harry Potter, Britney and Justin wore those denim co-ords, and boy bands ruled the airwaves. Sure, America had the frenzied dance moves of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, but on this side of the pond, Louis Walsh was mass-producing Irish five-pieces like sweet treats on a production line. And judging by our poster-strewn bedroom walls, Boyzone and Westlife reigned supreme,
Two decades later, and the world’s looking very different – especially right now. Still, there’s nothing like a global pandemic to envelop us in pre-teen nostalgia, which is why we’re insidescreaming while speaking to the hybrid power-pairing that is Boyzlife. Formed four years ago when Boyzone’s loyal, but underused Keith Duffy teamed up with Westlife renegade Brian Mcfadden, the duo began as a low-key tribute act. These days, they’re bigger than ever, with a new album coming out – backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, no less – and combining all those old, much-loved hits with brand-new material.
Before COVID-19 derailed the planet, they were halfway through a triumphant tour, which was a one-stop parade of absolutely everything we know and love about boy bands. Speaking exclusively to
the ever-youthful Boyz tell us why they’re loving life in their man band…
How are you guys holding up? Brian: I’m not too bothered. We spend most of our life on the road, so this is actually the longest I’ve been home in
four years. But my eldest [Brian shares Molly, 18, and Lilly-sue, 17, with ex-wife Kerry Katona] had symptoms for a few days. She’s living with her mum, but luckily no one else in the house got it. Keith: My heart goes out to the all the families affected, but I’m cherishing every moment being with my family. My son and daughter [Jay, 24, and Mia, 20, who he has with wife Lisa Smith] have very busy lives – I normally have to book myself in to see them, so it’s been lovely having their undivided attention! Your tour’s on hold – have you noticed the audience demographic change much? B: I’m 40 and Keith’s 46, but when we started, we were both just teenagers, so a lot of the people who were our fans back then are the same age as us. K: They’re still the same girls, it’s just now, they bring their own kids – and their parents! When you look at the front row, you see ladies in their eighties, and then you see kids aged four or five. Back in our heyday, we’d play arenas: you wouldn’t see the audience, because they were so far away. But now, we’re playing in theatres and city halls, it’s much more personable – you can see the eyeballs of the people in the first two rows. But we do have to watch our language to make it more child-appropriate. If we swear, we say, “Guys, if there’s anyone here under the age of ten, don’t forget to tell your teacher that ‘feck’ isn’t a bad word! It’s an Irish term of endearment.” Do you get less bras and knickers thrown at you now? B: Yeah, I think people have more respect for their underwear than they used to. K: And the ones we do get are remarkably big: it’s gone from G-strings to Bridget Jones pants and over-theshoulder boulder holders.
B: We used to walk onstage, and there’d be this vibration of screams. It was like a wall hitting you. That’s definitely changed. I don’t think our fans have the energy to scream like that now. What’s the weirdest thing that a fan has ever given you? B: I remember when Mark [Feehily, from Westlife] got sent a beautiful gift bag, and inside it was a turnip. We couldn’t figure out for the life of us what it meant. But it turned out that, six years earlier, he’d said in an interview that was his favourite vegetable. K: Our mammies would be sent crazy things from fans. Some of them aren’t printable. You’d get girls Sellotaping their pubic hair inside greeting cards… My mammy wasn’t prepared
for that!
Do you still feel 18? Or do you feel a bit more man band than boy band? B: I think we did until we started this tour. This is the first time we’ve got a full live band, backing vocalists, pyrotechnics – the works. It used to be just the two of us in front of mic stands. We’ve now got four costume changes. But it does take a little longer to get changed than it did in the old days. We now need a little sit-down to get our breath back. K: We do a boy band medley, where we come out in basketball jerseys and baseball caps and do Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, 5ive, Take That – with all their iconic dance moves. To be honest, I’m quite fit, so for me, it possibly isn’t as tiring as it is for Brian. He doesn’t enjoy the gym as much as I do! B: True, but I think that I’ve got my energy back. My favourite bit is when we surprise the crowd with that cheeky dance routine – the place just erupts. There’s no point trying to be cool – we want people to be transported
back to their youth.
Are you relieved when the stools come out for the slower numbers? B: Do you know what? We only use the stools for three songs. But yeah, it’s a nice break. I remember, in the old days, we wouldn’t give a shit what stools we had. But now, we’ll arrive and inspect the stools for cushioning and comfort level. You can’t just have some flimsy stool. Keith, how does it feel to be taking on lead vocals? K: I get so much job satisfaction now. The reality is, I was in Boyzone for 25 years and, for the first six or seven, all I did was backing vocals. Louis Walsh was our manager and he said, “Boyzone’s sound is Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately – it’s not broken, so let’s not fix it.” Then, when we got back together in 2007, I still didn’t have the confidence. When Brian and I started, I needed that confidence quick. Brian spent a good eight months doing vocal training with me – his patience was phenomenal. Now, I have so much self-belief. It meant that last year,
on Boyzone’s Farewell tour, I told Ronan that I’d love to give it a go, and he really helped me, too. Between them, Ronan and Brian encouraged me to step up to the plate – and now, I’m doing what I’ve always dreamed of. Are things a bit more mellow backstage these days? B: It’s weird, but we never got up to anything bad in Westlife – we were too busy. Back then, we’d be doing weeks straight of [early morning kids’ shows] SMTV, CD:UK, Top Of The Pops, Blue Peter, every radio station going, plus photo shoots for magazines. We might have had a few drinks after a show, but we’d be getting up at 6am the next day, so we couldn’t go too wild. Now, Keith and I get up in the morning, play golf, go do our sound check, have a bit of dinner. Then we’ll do the gig, come off stage and have a few drinks. It’s delightful. Not many people get to do what we’re still doing – playing sell-out shows 25 years after we started. We’re counting our blessings and enjoying every single moment. There must be some diva antics – what’s on your rider? B: It’s the weirdest rider ever. Keith and I, we absolutely love corned beef. So, every night, there’s a bottle of whisky for me, a bottle of vodka for Keith, some mixers, about 12 beers in the fridge, Keith’s “supergreen salad” – whatever that is – and then packets of corned beef. K: We try to stay away from carbs, so we take a slice of corned beef, a slice of cheese and a slice of ham, roll it up and eat it like a sandwich. B: But it has to be from Asda – theirs is the best. If we ever walk in and it’s from somewhere else, we’re like, “What is this rubbish?” That’s the only time we get diva-ish. What made you choose the name Boyzlife instead of Westzone? K: Westzone is a car park at Dublin airport. B: Also, I think it makes sense: we’re having the “boyz life”. We’re always having fun together. Before even doing Boyzlife, we’d hang out and play golf. Brian, were you disappointed to not be included in Westlife’s reunion tour last year? B: No. It was never in discussion. I left Westlife in 2004 and they carried on. I don’t think they ever really broke up, they just took a sabbatical, so it was never on the table for me to be involved. You have to remember, I was only in the band for six years, and I’ve been out of it for 16. I only met the others when I joined, so when I left, that was it. But I get on great with the Boyzone lads – I actually toured with them last year. If you could pick another boy-bander for a one-off show, who would you choose? B: Probably Robbie Williams – he’d be great fun. And then we could sing all of his and Take That’s songs, too. He’s settled down with kids – we’d probably be a bad influence on him. K: I love Shane [Lynch] from Boyzone . He and I have known each other since we were nine or ten. We actually had a novelty rap act called Keith ‘N’ Shane in 2000 after Boyzone split. Look us up if you want a laugh!
And if you could join another boy band? K: I suppose I’d love to be in those early days of Take That – I’m a big fan of Gary Barlow and the rest are absolute gentlemen. And I was good friends with Robbie back in the day. B: It would be Backstreet Boys for me. When I was growing up, they were the ultimate boy band. I’d have to lose a shitload of weight, get really fit and probably get dance lessons. You can’t do their songs without doing those routines. Brian, you got engaged [to PE teacher Danielle Parkinson] last year – has coronavirus derailed your wedding plans? Yeah, we’ve put our plans on hold for the moment. We’re just going to wait and see what happens over the next few months. But when it does happen, you can guarantee that – after a few drinks – me and Keith will be up on that stage! The big question is, will there be corned beef on the wedding menu? B: Oh, I’m hoping the wedding cake will be made of corned beef. That’s the plan. ■
Boyzlife’s original single You Needed Me is out now. Their debut album Strings Attached is available for pre-order and tickets are on sale now for the second leg of their UK tour at Boyzlife.co
‘Now, we check our stools for comfort level’ Brian