US BOYBAND 5WEST HAPPY TO TAKE OVER FROM BOYZONE AFTER RECENT TOUR SUPPORT

US Boyband 5West reckon they’ve been handed the baton by Boyzone to carry on their pop legacy after supporting the Irish lads on their last ever tour. 

Theshowbizlion.com recently caught up with the four funny lads during their visit to Scotland to chat about their music and new single The Stars About You. 

‘Fun and poppy’ are how the four amigos describe their music and they are keen to bring a new energy to the stage. 

Luke , 17, Owen, 19, Jon Paul, 21 and Peet, 29 had to audition for a place in the band and they admit they are lucky to all get on. 

The band, who initially began as a five piece,  made their first live performance as a group in South Africa at The President’s Ball before headlining Cape Town’s Mr Gay World 2019. An invitation to perform at Grand Canaria Pride (supporting Eurovision’s Conchita) was followed by spots at Pride Festivals in the UK where the group then hit the road to perform at county shows, holiday resorts, high profile charity events (including a tribute for England legend Duncan Edwards), under 18 nights, and their own school tour.

Linguist Luke who used to live in Monaco and is described by the other lads as seventeen going on forty eight said: “We auditioned in LA and we met in Nashville in February and that afternoon we recorded our first single. Every day it feels like we are fine tuning this so its pretty cool.”

Peet, the loveable redhead in the band couldn’t wait to come to Scotland to explore his ancestry. 

He said: “My great grandma was from Scotland and I’m really into finding out more.”

The boys have been learning a lot from their elders including Ronan Keating who they describe as a father figure. 

Charmer Jon Paul explained: “We met Ronan just  before we went on stage and he was in flip flops with a sweater on. We had fifteen seconds before we sang and were shaking and he just was so casual and said good luck.  He was looking like a dad and he’s a living legend.”

Owen, who was keen to try the haggis on his trip and loves fast cars, can’t wait to come back to Scotland with the rest of the band and make some new Scottish friends.  

He said: “We’ve really enjoyed and appreciated all the shows we’ve done so far this year. We aren’t expecting things to fall into our laps and are prepared to work really hard, to get out there and perform wherever we can and to as many people as possible. It’s been so encouraging to see the reaction from the audiences to our songs and our shows.”

 The boys new single ‘Stars About You’ is out now co-written with Grammy Award winning producer Bryan Todd (Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus). 

KEITH DUFFY GETS EMOTIONAL AT SCOTFEST AS BOYZONE NEAR END

Beverley Lyons
BOYZONE singer Keith Duffy says he’s becoming emotional as the end of the band is in sight - but he’s hoping family and  friends  including the famous sporting Evans brothers lend their support when he plays Scotfest this weekend.
The singer is going to make sure he has a real party in Edinburgh when he plays the Royal Highland Centre In Ingliston on Saturday for the nostalgia fest.
Boyzone will headline the gig while B*witched, Five, East 17 and Liberty X also play Saturday following The Jacksons, Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers, Five Star and S Club on Friday.
He said: ”Scotland has always been one of my favourite places to gig and Scottish fans are just nuts, not unlike the Irish. They like a swally, as we say, and  know how to have fun.”
“Scotfest is a festival show and will be a great outdoor party. Hopefully we don’t get the typical Scots weather and it remains sunny.”
The Scotfest show is the second last time that Boyzone will perform here - with their last ever Scots gig at the SSE Hydro in January next year.
Keith admits he’s already preparing himself for an emotional time but is hoping his friends and family will give him a sense of perspective on the end of the band.
He said: “It is the end of Boyzone and a conscious decision has been made. It’s  not a decision we’ve taken lightly and we’ve been humming and hawing over the last while about what way we should do it.
We’ve all gone down different paths and have been busy. Brian McFadden and I have been doing very well as a duo and enjoying playing smaller venues. It’s been more like the early days playing theatres and halls and looking into peoples eyes.”
Keith said of the split: “Thankyou and good night is what was decided and we have respected the memory of Stephen Gately.
It feels like one last hurrah after twenty five years and it will be really nostalgic.
I’m emotional. If you spoke to a member of my family they will tell you I am quite sensitive and quite emotional. There will be melancholy and a tear in my eye. I’m still coming to terms with it because it is so final and does need to be so final and so dramatic and for us to believe it and embrace it. It is dramatic and final but it is going to be a great party. The Evans brothers come to all the Boyzone gigs so they are invited to Edinburgh.  They can stand by the side of the stage or if they want to go out front they can do that too.”
“When you look at it, we are all grown men in our forties with grown up kids. Although there will be tears, there are far worse things in life like the loss of Steven and my daughter Mia who has autism graduating from school, so we will get over this. There are always different channels in the entertainment industry. “