Boyzone come together to share untold story
LONDON:
Thirty years on from its creation, members of the Irish boy band Boyzone reunite to recount their journey to fame in a new documentary series.
The three-part Boyzone: No Matter What tracks the group's beginnings from open auditions in Dublin in 1993 to the extreme highs and lows over the next three decades.
"We didn't have social media in the '90s. This is our way of showing people what our life was like behind the scenes," said lead singer Ronan Keating, as he attended the documentary's premiere in London alongside members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch.
"With any story you need a start, a middle and an end. After 30 years, we have that now. That's why this was the time for us to tell this story. It's not an easy watch. It's harrowing, it's difficult, it's upsetting. There are times when it's fun and there's laughter. It's not a typical boy band watch," Keating said.
The five-member group was put together by pop impresario Louis Walsh, who took out newspaper adverts to find Ireland's first boy band.
Boyzone went on to enjoy worldwide success, selling more than 25 million records globally, with hit songs such as Love Me for a Reason, Words and Picture of You. The group split up in 2000 when Keating set off on a solo career, but later reunited.
Band member Stephen Gately, who caused a sensation in the pop world in 1999 when he announced he was gay, died while on holiday in Spain in 2009, aged 33.
The documentary combines archive material and fresh footage with candid interviews with the band members, Gately's sister, Walsh and journalists, revealing strained relationships and resentment, as well as the toll of Gately's passing.
"It was like therapy," said Keating. "I think we did 12 hours each in front of the camera. It took two years. We went through a lot of old footage. It was pretty magical at times, to see all that old footage but at times it was heartbreaking." Reuters
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Sinners review: horror with a dash of soul
I remember it was a school night. Uneventful. Mundane. Ordinary. Until of course it wasn't. I walked into Sinners knowing absolutely nothing about it. No trailers, no cast announcements, not even a vague plot synopsis. 2025 hasn't been a milestone year for Hollywood so far and my expectations were reasonably demure. In a time where every movie seems dissected by teasers, leaks, and spoiler-filled thumbnails long before it hits the screen, perhaps I was happy to embrace the tiny prick of rebellion that it was to go in blind. I didn't know who directed it, who starred in it, or even what genre it belonged to. All I had was the title, 'Sinners'. So, with little else than the quiet curiosity that the title aroused, we dove in. Seldom does ignorance turn out to be such a gift. 'There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true, it can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future." 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On the screen however, it translated into a hypnotic, genre-bending, musical phantasmagoria that redefined what horror — and musical storytelling — can be. For those who might not be familiar, Coogler, known for Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther, ventures into the deep South for this ambitious tale, intertwining American racial history with folklore and the universal language of music. To put it plainly, Sinners is a vampire movie while also being a heartfelt tribute to blues music. To wax on, Sinners is a meditation on cultural survival, appropriation, and the seductive power of art across time and bloodlines. The Devil at the crossroads At the heart of Sinners are twin brothers Smoke and Stack (the Smokestack twins), both played with remarkable distinction by the luminous Michael B. Jordan. 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In an unforgettable set piece, the walls of the juke joint dissolve as Coogler blends 1930s plantation workers, ancient African drummers, modern DJs, and even twerking dancers into a transcendent musical tableau. It is a literal eruption of history through sound, culminating in the roof bursting into a plume of flames, a shot Coogler proudly confirms was done practically, not digitally. The scene in itself is a visual and sonic manifesto about the enduring, evolving soul of Black music, brought to life through the director's bravura. And then there's the Irish music. One could imagine the vampires' arrival being heralded with ominous strings, spine chilling and ethereal — but what we get instead are sprightly reels tinged with melancholic airs. Coogler's personal affection for Irish folk, shared by his family, informs this choice. The gimmick cashes in triumphantly; the use of Irish music deepens the film's themes. 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Lars Ulrich himself contributes to the film's heaviest sequences, reminding us of the blues' evolutionary path into rock and metal. The musical interplay between the Delta blues and Irish folk is beyond being merely aesthetic; it is instead, thematic – enhancing both arts to a level transcendent. Both genres emerged from oppressed peoples finding solace and power in subdued reverie and song. Yet in Sinners, this mirrored heritage instead becomes a battleground of authenticity versus appropriation, lived experience versus immortal detachment. Horror, history, and the haunting of America While Sinners is packed with thrilling set pieces and gothic horror tropes, Coogler's ambitions stretch far beyond genre thrills. This is a film about America's original sins that scar its tapestry to this day: slavery, racism, exploitation. Remmick and his vampires are not stand-ins for the Klan or plantation owners. They are something far older, and more insidious: the eternal temptation of man to escape suffering at the cost of one's soul. Their 'offer' is alluring precisely because it feels like liberation from the grinding reality of Jim Crow-era Mississippi. But as the film unfolds, it becomes clear that true freedom cannot be bought or bitten into. Delroy Lindo delivers a memorable turn as Delta Slim, an old bluesman who recognizes the vampires' allure for what it ultimately is: a beautiful lie. His piano lessons with Göransson imbue his scenes with lived-in wisdom, his character serving as both a mentor and a cautionary figure. Coogler also weaves in a modern coda. The post-credits scene, featuring blues legend Buddy Guy, ties the film's century-old events to contemporary realities. Coogler's emotional meeting with Guy, himself a former sharecropper, adds a poignant resonance. This scene is a living testament to the blues' journey, survival, and relevance. 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Music is memory. Music is resistance. Whoever thought it could not have been done — Ryan Coogler has crafted a film that is as much about the power of art as it is about vampires. It is about how the oppressed find their voice, how that voice can be stolen, and how, through sheer and indelible force of soul, it can be reclaimed. In the end, Sinners is so much more than a horror movie. It is a blues song come to life. It is a lament and it is a battle cry. It is a haunting and it is a healing. It sings, and oh boy, does it sing. Shahzad Abdullah is a PR and communications strategist, cultural curator and director of communications at Media Matters All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer
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Celebrities urge UK to end arms sales to Israel
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