The name of one of the country’s biggest pop exports, who made music history in the UK and beyond, may mean nothing to Generation Z.
During a hugely successful career, the Dublin group sold 25 million records and paved the way for Westlife.
Having been formed by Louis Walsh in 1993, this is the first time in over 30 years that Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating and Shane Lynch have shared “their personal journeys and the true cost of fame”.
And if the trailer for Boyzone: No Matter What is anything to go by, they do not mince their words when it comes to their colourful time in the band.
Keating (47), who had a well-publicised falling-out with Walsh (72), says in a clip for the documentary that, “after 30 years, I think now is the time to talk about it”. Duffy is filmed saying that Walsh “promised us the sun, moon and the stars”.
Official Trailer | Boyzone: No Matter What | Sky Documentaries
Never one to hold back, Walsh says in the documentary how he prefers “ordinary people because they work hard and they do whatever you want, at the start”.
The music mogul has been responsible for some of the biggest names in music, and viewers can be guaranteed some entertaining insights from the former X Factor judge.
Boyzone: No Matter What is the latest in a run of big-budget Sky documentaries featuring everyone from Avicii to Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé – and begs the question of whether we really need another one.
But Boyzone’s story is certainly a compelling one, featuring all the key ingredients of tears, tantrums and indeed, tragedy, with the untimely death of Stephen Gately (33) in 2009.
Boyzone’s debut appearance on ‘The Late Late Show’ in 1993
This is also the first time an Irish band has been featured in the Sky documentary series, 31 years on from their humble beginnings.
In true rags-to-riches style, the band started out as five unknowns from the northside of Dublin. Having just seen Take That in concert, Walsh told two journalists in 1993 how he wanted to create the new Irish version of the hit band. He held an audition in Dublin in which 300 people turned up and were asked to sing George Michael’s hit, Careless Whisper.
We weren’t perfect, we weren’t polished
Among those who famously failed to make the cut was Golden Globe winner Colin Farrell, with Walsh telling him to stick with acting as he “couldn’t sing”.
Initially, six band members were chosen. Keating, Gately, Duffy, Lynch, along with Mark Walton and Richard Rock, the son of the late Dickie Rock. They quickly catapulted to the nation’s attention with a cringe-worthy appearance on the Late Late Show, which features on the documentary. Rock was soon dropped from the line-up and Walton left after six months. Mikey Graham was then chosen to complete the fivesome.
Keating describes the band as a “bunch of kids, put together. We weren’t perfect, we weren’t polished”.
The group, who split in early 2000, went on to have the last laugh though, with hit records, awards, and of course, hysterical teenage fans.
Walsh has revealed in the past that ambulances were regularly on standby outside the band’s gigs as there were so many fainting fans.This was the golden age of manufactured pop bands, whose profiles were boosted by cultural institutions like Top of the Pops and Smash Hits.
Their debut single Working My Way Back to You went to number three in the Irish charts in 1994, before they went stellar after scoring their first UK number one in 1996 with Words.
They had a total of six number one singles and four hit albums as they made their indelible mark on the music scene, paving the way for various reunion tours.
Ronan Keating and Louis Walsh pictured in 2008. Photo: Getty
Gately’s tragic death naturally features heavily in the three-part series which is being broadcast from February 2.
An emotional Keating is seen breaking down as he says how he “had to call the guys and give them the news”.
Gately died at his home in Mallorca on October 10, 2009. A post-mortem found that he died of natural causes, namely a pulmonary oedema from an undiagnosed heart condition. He was 33 at the time and his death came shortly after the band had resumed touring.
His sister Michelle is interviewed in the documentary, alongside Gately’s ex-boyfriend, Dutch pop star Eloy de Jong.
Gately spoke about being gay in 1999 after pressure from a British tabloid, which was described by Duffy (50) as “absolutely scandalous”.
Graham (52) also speaks about his decision to take a step back from the limelight. He said he “just wanted out. To get away from that toxic environment”.
‘Boyzone: No Matter What’ debuts on Sky Originals on February 2
