BOYZONE are riding high again but they had to pick themselves up and raise their game without Stephen Gately.

The fact that the Irishmen are in Bournemouth for two shows at the BIC this week betrays their enduring popularity and their new album and single reveal a band right back on form.

“We are feeling fantastic and everything is really good with us,”Keith Duffy told Later.

“The new album is now out and with the single Love Will Save the Day the whole dynamic and sound is moving forward.

“We are all very excited and enjoying our time together.”

The band have had to recover from the death of Stephen Gately in Majorca in 2009 and Keith sad they have had to adapt to life, recording and performing without their friend.

He said: “The last studio album we had was dedicated to Stephen and he was a big part of some of the songs.

“This is the first time we’ve gone as a four piece with an album.

“He has been gone for four years now so we’ve now got the coping mechanisms to deal with the loss.”

The now four-piece have managed to create a big – albeit slightly different sound on the new single.

Keith said: “Stephen had such a unique voice and his falsetto was amazing.

“He had so much experience in the West End that his voice grew.

“We could not replace what he had and it was a huge loss.

“So the four of us have gone in and raised ourselves to the plate.”

It was back in November 1993 that a then bunch of young lads from the north side of Dublin presented themselves to the world at large with a now infamous performance on Ireland’s biggest TV show, The Late Late Show.

Twenty years, twenty five million record sales, four number one studio albums and six number one singles later, they may be a bit old to be a boy band but Ronan, Keith, Shane and Mikey are flying high.

“It doesn’t feel like 20 years, it still feels like yesterday,” Keith added.

“If you have to get clarity you look at your children.

“My son is 18 and I was 18 when I started in Boyzone.

“But we still have a laugh and crack each other up.

“When you’re mates with people and work together for 20 years you know each other inside out and backwards.

“We genuinely like to make each other laugh.”

Keith said they have seen changes to life in a successful pop band with the rise of the world wide web.

“This time around as compared to the first time around we have the use of Twitter so it’s a great way of keeping in contact with the fans and hearing what they are looking forward to.

“We put what they want to hear into play. Social media has been really beneficial to keep in close contact with our huge fanbase, that we are still lucky to have.

“We have a new sound that’s reflective of having been together for 20 years.

“I don’t know if we are still pin-ups so hopefully that sound will be enough.”

There may be more women screaming than girls these days but that loyal following can expect to feel young again at the BIC on Wednesday and Thursday night at the BIC when they hear the likes of No Matter What and Baby Can I hold You.

“We will definitely be playing the hits that people love,” Keith added.

“We will be performing all those songs that people have great memories of.”