I apologise to everyone for taking so long but I'm incredibly busy these days. I hope you still have the interest and patience to read it!! Enjoy!

Whelan's in Dublin was the perfect place to put on a show like this, with an unexpectedly beautiful theatre-like hall set back behind a pub. We were lucky enough to catch a bit of the sound check and thus heard Boz singing "Used to be a sweet boy" amongst others. It sounded very promising and got us wondering what else the man had on offer.

The crowd started flowing in about one and a half hours later. The average age was about 32 and thus way above that of the L.A. crowd, and I spotted not one Smiths t-shirt or Morrissey lookalike which was a great relief. People were relaxed, chatty and in a good mood. The evening was opened by Brandon (forgot his surname), keyboard player of Dublin-based band "The Would-be's" who also opened for Morrissey in `92. He sat down with his guitar and raised a voice which could best be described as angelic - I think my friend Jennifer put it best when she said "I'm ready to marry him..."! I reckon most women in the audience felt like that while he was singing. He played loads of his own songs but my personal favourite moment of his set was when he delivered "Moon River", because it was so obviously written for a voice like that. His songs are very subtle, pop-orientated, quite catchy and came across very well acoustically. He's a great talent and someone to look out for, well that's, if you can find out his surname.

The beginning of Boz's set brought up sentimental feelings as his stage entry was accompanied by the drum solo of "The Operation", which as most of you know was used on the recent Morrissey tour aswell. It was extended a bit as Boz took his time to arrange his seating, notes and supply of alcoholic drinks for the night. His wife Lyn then came on stage and introduced him, interrupted by calls for "Waterloo" ... I don't know exactly what people meant by that but it set a pattern for the rest of the night - loads of Boz's and Lyn's friends were in the audience and there were private jokes passed back and forth all the time which created a nice and intimate atmosphere.

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But without further ado Boz started into Marc Bolan's "Jeepster" and afterwards told his tale about how Bolan was the first artist he was really into and who also inspired him to pick up the guitar (Cheers Marc!). This number was followed by "High Rise Rockabilly", one of the first songs Boz ever wrote after he joined the Polecats, so if I'm not mistaken he must have been about 16 by then. This one, aswell as all the other Rockabilly tunes of his that I've heard seem to have been written with a winking eye and I find them thoroughly entertaining.

The next number was a cover of Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing" which, followed by another Polecat's tune called "Marie Celeste" and then the first Morrissey one "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself", to which Boz pointed out that he didn't write it but would very much enjoy playing it. It seemed to me that the full acoustic version isn't so different to the recorded one at all and it comes across really great.

The next song "Electric Chair", was delivered with sound effects and all... It was followed by a tune which has become one of my favourites meanwhile. It's called "Turned To Stone" and when I first heard it and understood "You walk the earth so lightly, seraphim shone out so brightly..." I thought I had certainly gotten it wrong because it seemed way too poetic to be Boz's style. I was later assured though that this is indeed how the chorus goes, and the lyrics blend beautifully with the music. The story goes that Boz couldn't get anyone to record it (for some reason totally incomprehensible for me) apart from John's Children who apparently did a version at some point that I have yet to hear. In short: it's gorgeous! But let's move on...

"Too many nights in a road house" sounded very country-like to those philistine ears of mine, and it was also played the next night in Kilkenny. "Cosmic Dancer," again of Boz's hero Marc Bolan, was the first of many sentimental moments for me and you could actually tell how much he likes the song himself. Another great artist Boz worked with was of course Adam Ant and though Boz claimed he couldn't really play his tunes without the drums and things he pulled off an amazing version of "Goody Two Shoes." This one seemed a bit short though so I think it was just a snip bit. Then "Jack The Ripper" was played and at that point the crowd started singing along quite nicely - beforehand Boz said that the song was quite special for him because it was the first of his songs to be recorded by Morrissey . I think you can tell how great that song is by the way it grips you played with only the voice and guitar just as much as "fully orchestrated". I wish Morrissey would play it more often.

At this point Boz called for the first of this night's guests and was joined by the "Would-be's" lead singer Karen to play one of her bands songs. Lovely voice, it sounded kind of familiar but I couldn't really tell you where or when I've heard it. Directly after this Boz was joined by the second of his surprise guests - only that this one was a surprise even for himself. Whilst he was fiddling with his guitar and notes in the little break, some creepy guy in a big flasher coat shuffled on stage, adjusted the mic and started mumbling something about coppers and how he wanted to stab them all... in the midst of his speech he pulled out the largest bloody knife I'd ever seen in my life (Seen" Psycho"? Yeap, that kind of knife!) and waved it about a bit. Then he walked off again and left through the door. All this happened quite fast, and since no one - least of all Boz - panicked I guess people thought it was part of the show until the guy buggered off and left everyone giggling with relief.

As if nothing had happened (well effectively it hadn't) the evening continued and Boz was joined by local hero Sean who played the harmonica quite impressively. The tune was "Hometown Blues" , another country inspired kind, just like the following called "The Longest Sleep" which Boz dedicated to his father, who unfortunately died while he was touring with Morrissey the last time. This song is naturally sentimental, but in a very loving and unpathetic way and was performed in a way that it was impossible to raise any bad feelings. Then it was time for "Kit", the by now infamous living proof that there are still Morrissey songs out there that we haven't heard yet. The first time I heard it in L.A. I was much too shocked to realise much about it, but this time I noted that it's very touching, though acoustically it sounds more like something from the Vauxhall than the Maladjusted area. I hope we get to hear the whole thing one day.

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"Save Me Stool At The Bar" was another dedication to a lost friend, a touch more melancholic though and it's lyrics dealing with Boz's own partying habits quite truthfully I reckon. Whether Martin from Sack was lost at the bar or elsewhere we will never know, but it surely took him a bit to enter the stage... But with the way he sang "Used To Be A Sweet Boy", Boz contributing backing vocals, we're willing to forgive him. He did his his own way and everyone who was lucky enough to ever see him perform will know exactly what I mean... it's hard to describe. He added some of his usual gimmicks like playing an imaginary piano and things. The two lads were then joined by Pogue-member Spider and broke into "The More You Ignore Me", again with Martin singing leads, Boz backings and Spider playing the flute along the melody line of what's usually the lead guitar - delightful is all I can say to that! I wish they'd pull more tricks like that at a Morrissey show.

The next number was a Kirsty MacColl classic (well apparently, cos stone me but I didn't know it before) called "Don't Come The Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim" and Boz and Spider were yet again joined by Sean who showed off his violin skills this time. He played amazing loops, creating the classic fiddle sound and then unexpectedly getting all oriental. I wish I could do that. He did it again on the next number, which if I got it right was one by Sonny George, one of the many artists Boz has played with over the years. Sorry I forgot what it was called.

Boz buggered off for a bit but as expected the crowd called for more... Another rockabilly tune followed which was called "Riverside Jump" but I couldn't tell you who it is by. It was good though to see Boz go off on it and how he enjoyed playing it. He claimed that the next bit wasn't planned but the crowd wouldn't let him off without "Rockabilly Guy" which is one of THE Polecats classics. It turned out a total fun number with him breaking into strange noises and weird lyric changes, making up his own language somewhere along the line (Bozan? Bozerish?).

The final song for tonight, and everyone knew it was as soon as it came on, was "Now My Heart Is Full". My suspicion is that this song means a lot to Boz himself, but then again my impression might be influenced by the fact that it means enough to me to make me cry every time I hear it... Not only the song itself but the fear that every time could be the last time hearing it. But it brought this wonderful evening to glorious end.

My resumee of the night: Boz is one of the most natural performers I've ever seen with a very obvious stage presence. He made it seem less like a gig but more like a private party where someone happened to pick up a guitar and start playing. He's very easy with the crowd, joking back and forth and never losing his coolness (remember the shocking knife moment....) Whilst this crowd was quite small, I've noticed the same kind of behaviour and presence at Morrissey shows and everyone who was blessed to see him play with the crowd or freak out during "Meat Is Murder" or do his chicken walk will know. I loved all the storied and anecdotes in between aswell. I don't know if everyone would agree, but the first time I heard him sing properly I was very surprised about how strong and distinctive his voice is, and it made me wonder why Morrissey doesn't grant him more profile in at least backing vocals...but I guess he has his reasons as usual. I reckon it'd make a nice contrast to Morrissey's softer voice though. Anyways - as much as I love Morrissey shows, I hope I get to see Boz play solo again many times too.

More photos:

• Boz in Dublin #2
• Boz and Martin

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