Boyzone were left red-faced after performing to a half-empty venue on their comeback tour.

Only 5,000 fans turned up to see Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham in the 10,500-seat Liverpool Echo Arena.

In comparison, their comeback rivals Take That have been selling out stadiums across the country.

The Irish group ignored the empty rows of seats and belted out their biggest hits, including Love Me For A Reason and No Matter What.

Boyzone were put together in 1992 by X Factor judge Louis Walsh and had six number one singles before splitting in 1999. They announced they were making a comeback last year.

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