The 90s & 00s were a golden age for boybands. A time when harmonies, heartbreak ballads, and synchronised dance routines ruled the airwaves. From Backstreet Boys & NSYNC in the U.S. to Take That, Five & Blue in the UK, and Ireland’s own Boyzone & Westlife, these groups didn’t just top charts, they shaped youth culture.
Boybands followed a winning formula: infectious choruses, coordinated outfits, and just enough emotional vulnerability to make fans swoon. But behind the polish was real heart. These acts gave voice to a generation navigating love, identity, and growing up in a world that was changing fast.
Ireland played a vibrant role in the boyband boom, Dublin was at the heart of it. Who could forget Boyzone’s hilariously awkward debut on The Late Late Show in 1993, where they danced nervously in denim and vests, earning more laughs than screams, but still launching a pop juggernaut. And then there were the Westlife auditions at The Pod nightclub in 1998 where queues snaked around Harcourt Street, packed with hopefuls in bootcut jeans, sleeveless tops, and frosted tips, all chasing the dream.
I was part of boyband Mankind, formed by Louis Walsh from hopefuls who didn’t make it into Six, the winners of the Irish Popstars TV programme. We may not have won the show, but we found our own path. Our debut single Put Your Hand Up! reached No. 2 in the Irish charts in 2002.
Back then, Dublin’s nightlife was buzzing. Celebrities, pop stars, and hopefuls alike flocked to Renards and Lillies Bordello, velvet ropes, red carpet, and the scent of ambition in the air.
The boyband era may have faded from the charts, and the hairstyles changed, but for those of us who lived it, the boyband buzz still lives rent free in our hearts.
Written by Simon Murphy.
Join Simon for The Red Eye, each Tuesday morning from 5am to 7am on Freedom FM
Read the Freedom FM flashback column each week in these newspapers
