Shane Lynch talks about Boyzone working their way back to a Motown beginning, remembering Stephen Gately, wild fans, dyslexia, religion and his new beard ahead of a summer concert.

Lynch, who lives in Surrey, told VIBE that he is looking forward to performing with the rest of the famous Irish boyband at his "home course", Epsom Downs Racecourse.

After Boyzone celebrated their 20-year anniversary last year, he says they are "moving forward" musically and looking at collaborating with Motown artists.

He says: "Our very first record ever with Boyzone was a Motown record, Working My Way Back to You, and it was something we enjoyed. "There’s nothing set in stone, we haven’t recorded any records yet, but we’re trying to get together with a couple of different artists to make that happen."

Bandmate Stephen Gately remains very much in the thoughts of Lynch, Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham after his death in 2009.

Lynch says: "For us guys, one of the reasons that brings us back to Boyzone constantly is the loss of our brother.

"When the four of us are together, it’s when we can enjoy and celebrate Stephen’s great times here on earth. We reminisce and talk about the good times."

As they continue to make music, he says: "It’s something that we kind of want to move forward with because that’s what we would have done if he was alive.

"We can keep his memory alive by doing that."

As the boyband turned into a manband over the past two decades, Lynch says the reception from fans at concerts has remained the same.

He says you might presume there would be a change given the general hysteria and noise made by young teenage girls in Boyzone’s heyday.

But he said: "Actually none of that has changed, it’s still as loud as it ever was. Fans still come out to have a wild time. They are just as loud as I remember back in the 90s so nothing has changed to be honest."

When asked about Boyzone’s dance during their TV debut on the Late Late Show, he says: "It’s funny as hell but it’s great. You have some young guys living the dream.

"They might not have been good at what they did but they had a dream and through hard work and determination they made it happen."

His new full beard has hit the headlines this year after causing a storm on Twitter.

He says: "This year I decided to grow a beard. I never in a million years thought it would be such a talking point. It’s a bit of a star."

Lynch, now a committed Christian, has written about visitations from demons and getting kicked out of school at the age of 14 in his autobiography the Chancer.

He says: "I used to dabble back in the day with the occult I suppose. It’s a nasty little world. The best thing for me was to go back to church and bible studies classes.

"It was the most amazing thing and it changed my life."

Lynch was diagnosed with dyslexia and opened up about his illiteracy problem during a documentary last year.

He says: "My childhood was ducking and diving. It was all about survival. I was not academic because I didn’t understand what was in front of me because of dyslexia.

"You just kind have to make your way through school. I became a good sportsman like you see with high school jocks, you go forward in school regardless of your grades."

Before appearing at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Boyzone will be playing in Dubai, London’s Hyde Park and other locations around the UK.

Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom Downs; Thursday July 31; 0844 5793004; www.epsomdowns.co.uk


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