Hormonal levels in the Ulster Hall were high. Unsurprisingly, as last night BoyzLife kicked off their world tour in Bedford Street. As Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy, two fifths of two of the hottest bands on the planet in the ‘90s, took to the stage, the audience sprang to life. The boys looked good for by now middle aged men, sounded ok, moved jauntily and did was what required. Which was deliver a Proustian slice of remembered fun and games to the assembled, mainly female audience.
The difference between Boyzone, Westlife and Take That was that Gary Barlow wrote their great material whereas the first two bands did covers of the best. And we heard some absolute classics. Including Tracy Chapman’s poignant, disturbing Baby, Can I Hold you Tonight? It was delivered straight, with emphasis on the reassuring, heartfelt chorus rather than the verses. Lights patrolled the fans standing in the hall and seated, with appropriate arm gestures, on the balcony. Pink, green, blue, round they went. The evening unfurled excitedly, with Words, the great Bee Gee song and the Osmonds’ trademark number Love Me for a Reason. Having heard Donny and Marie perform this one some years back, it was interesting to compare the delivery. BoyzLife did well here, rounding it off with speaking gestures and giving it their considerable, poptastic all. They were ably supported by Qymira, known for her euphoric lyrics and multi-disciplinary musical approach.
It was an emotional night for some, but undoubtedly worth the pilgrimage to the centre of town. The chit chat in between was slick, and at one point duffy and McFadden braved the mosh pit to appear amongst us at the front of the Ulster Hall. One of the tragedies to befall the bands was the loss of Boyzone’s Stephen Gately who died 15 years ago. There was a touching visual and aural tribute to him, referencing his famous pout. A nice touch.
There was also a funkier section, but the ending had to be, as it was, upbeat with a stonkingly enjoyable version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl. The boys have been together for eight years now and feel more than ready to take their brand of retro-pop to Australia, the US and beyond. There was, of course, new material with a recently released, pleasant on the ear, single I Would. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?
As fans poured out onto the street, some tired and emotional, and I found myself singing the set in my head, the answer had to be Yes.
Jane Hardy
