Boyzone say Louis Walsh has no involvement in their forthcoming reunion show and will not be taking a cut of the profits.
One of the biggest boybands of the 90s, the Irish group announced they will be reuniting for their “biggest show yet” next summer, performing at the Emirates Stadium in London on 6 June.
But while all four remaining members of the band had been due to attend a press announcement at the London Irish Centre in Camden on Tuesday, Mikey Graham was not in attendance.
When asked if they had been expecting him, Ronan Keating tells Sky News: “Mikey apologises for not being here today in person for personal reasons. We’ll see him soon, and he will be there on the night.”
He goes on: “We’ll see Mikey in 20 minutes, and he will be there on 6 June”.
It will be the first time the four band members have been back in the same room in nearly seven years, following a five-night run at the London Palladium in 2019.
Keith Duffy admits: “It’s a big moment.”
Shane Lynch, who has been open about previous disagreements with his fellow bandmates, says: “I can’t wait to see Mick. And I’m super excited for him.”
‘We stopped talking to Louis Walsh’
Mention of their former manager is met with less warmth.
When asked if Louis Walsh is involved with the one-off show, Keating says: “No. Louis hasn’t been involved in Boyzone for a very long time, before the documentary, even well before the documentary. We stopped talking to him.
“He’s very much working with Westlife and those things.”
As for whether Walsh will be taking a cut of the profits, all three band members laugh like drains at the suggestion.
Lynch is the first to stop, gathering himself and saying: “Louis, he was the beginning of the band at least, you know, certainly it’s not the end of the band at this point. I love and respect the man by all means. But we have moved on.”
Boyzone on 19.06.1995 in Köln / Cologne. | usage worldwide Photo by: Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
‘Going out on a high’
Indeed, the four Dublin lads are in a very different place 33 years after they were thrust into the limelight as teenagers, with just Graham just a little older than the rest at 21.
Keating clarifies this time, they are the ones calling the shots: “We’re the ones in the driving seat… We’re doing on our terms.”
This time, Keating says it’s a journey he intends to make the most of: “We didn’t get to celebrate the 90s at all. We didn’t get to enjoy our success. Everybody else did, we didn’t. You know, boo hoo, we’re not crying. We had a hell of a time. We’re okay with that… We’re going to go out on a high”.
He’s also adamant this is a one-off: “It’s not gonna go further than the show. This is it.”
Boyzone performing at Wembley Arena in 1999. Pic: PA
Read more: Ronan Keating on boyband fame in the 90s
Of course, Stephen Gately’s untimely death in 2009, as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition, means the full band will never again take to the stage, but Keating, Duffy and Lynch say the show will be a time to remember Gately.
Giving away no details as to how, Keating says: “There will be a moment in the show for Stephen… Getting that right is important.”
With around eight months to prepare, the pressure is now on the band to deliver.
Duffy says: “It’s a big effort to get this kind of show together. It’s been seven years. We didn’t expect it. It’s not like every five to seven years, we always had an idea, we’ll end up seeing each other and sharing the stage together. It was a definite no.”
Boyzone: No Matter What
All three admit the three-part Sky documentary Boyzone: No Matter What, which aired at the start of the year, has played a big role in their change of heart.
And now, with a new chapter ahead of them, could there be a fourth part in the works? Keating is hopeful.
“Wouldn’t it be lovely to have that, closure and that fourth episode? Never say never.
“We haven’t agreed anything, it hasn’t been planned. Yeah, there are cameras around and it’s a decision we’ve made with Curious [the production company who made the documentary] to document this, because it’s a monumental time for us.”
Monumental indeed, and following the recent trend for 90s reunions, the band’s members – no longer boys but in some cases grandfathers – will be hoping fans turn out to show their love, no matter what.
Boyzone will perform at the Emirates Stadium in London on 6 June, with yet to be announced special guests.
Boyzone: No Matter What is available on Sky and streaming service Now
