Tripatini: The Blog

Out of Ireland, Boyzone’s “Love You Anyway” — Stephen Gately’s Last Hurrah

by Tripatini staff

A 1990’s Irish boy band formed from a newspaper addy, this quintet of lads had a string of hits that shot them to pop phenom-hood not just in Ireland but also the U.K., Down Under, and parts of continental Europe. After a seven-year hiatus, Boyzone reunited in 2007 and is well into a comeback, including a new album in 2010, with suave blond Ronan Keating singing lead. But they were slammed into the world media spotlight in a more tragic way last month by the death of band member Stephen Gately — also known for his London musical stage career — of apparently natural causes but under still not completely clear circumstances while vacationing with his partner on Spain’s island of Majorca. Released a year ago, “Love You Anyway” is the group’s first new tune in eight years, an addition to their greatest-hits album Back Together Again…No Matter What. In this video, shot against a downtown New York City backdrop, complete with classic hot-dog stand and an old-timey — and no longer in service — Yellow Cab, Gately’s the bloke propped up against the wall early on and the squirmy one at the end. Our deepest sympathies to the partner, family, and fellow band members of this talented and personable young man.<br>