The never say die popstar Darius Danish proved his calibre in Dublin last night as he strummed his guitar in front of a jumping Vicar Street crowd.

It seems Darius Danish has come along way since his disastrous Britney Spears impression on TV's Popstars many moons ago.

Since then the singing Scot has matured, changed his image, broke in the charts with his own songs, and built a solid fan base.

The tall, dark, and handsome Popstar brought his band to Dublin's Vicar Street last night and simultaneously rocked and charmed the Irish crowd. It was Darius's first time back in Dublin since he played here on St. Patrick's Day.

The cheeky lad told the crowd at one point, "If you haven't got a drink in your hand you should have..."

THE vast majority of Ulster's female population will be heading for Belfast this week as two of pop's hottest heartthrobs bring their live shows to the city.

First off the mark is Irish golden boy Ronan Keating, recently voted as having the Rear Of The Year, who brings his Destination 03 tour to the Odyssey Arena tonight.

How tonight's concert will differ from last year's Destination 02 tour, asides from a new haircut and different costumes, is unclear, but that hasn't stopped thousands of ladies shelling out the best part of £30 to watch the chart-topping piece of pop totty in action.

Ronan is, of course, one of the biggest male solo acts around these days.

Since leaving the rest of Boyzone to fend for themselves, Ronan has found a new lease of life as Ireland's better looking version of Garth Brooks. He has had Number One singles with Life Is A Rollercoaster, When You Say Nothing At All and If Tomorrow Never Comes and both his solo albums have also shot to the top spot.

The gig will hopefully feature some new songs, but if it doesn't, his fans are likely to be more than happy to sing along with all the hits they've come to know and love.

His singles may have been faring less well in the charts recently, but Ronan holds a special place in the hearts of Northern Irish women and will doubtlessly go down a storm.

On Wednesday night the Scot with roots in Ballymena, Darius Danesh, will arrive in the Waterfront Hall with his Dive In tour.

He may have been a long-haired, goateed laughing stock in Popstars, but Darius reinvented himself as a slightly-orange-coloured crooner worthy of a second chance in the Pop Idol show.

He was beaten by Will Young, Gareth Gates and originally Hear'Say (lucky escape) in the TV talent shows, but that hasn't stopped him gaining chart success as a solo artist.

His debut single Colourblind shot straight to Number One (beating Coldplay's In My Place) and his album Dive In is still enjoying platinum sales six months after its release.

A definite favourite with the ladies, Darius's current appeal knows no bounds among those older than 12-year-olds who know Gareth Gates is too young and that they don't stand a chance with Will.

So men, if your loved one goes AWOL tonight or on Wednesday, don't panic. They're off to eye up Ronan or Darius - and appreciate their music, of course.

Ronan Keating's concert at the Odyssey Arena tonight is sold out. There are still some tickets available for Darius's concert at the Waterfront Hall on Wednesday, April 30. For tickets, call 028 9033 4455.

A large slice of cheese

Touching down: Playhouse, Edinburgh, Sunday, May 4

Lock up your daughters. Well, they will probably be in hiding anyway. Unless they are under the age of nine or have a penchant for Brylcreem, the news that the Persian king of pop rock will be in Edinburgh for a concert is likely to inspire fear and loathing in most, and trigger cheddar allergies in some.

Following Darius Danesh’s discovery on the talent-seeking television series Popstars, it would be nice to say that the huge public interest and consequent success that followed was all down to his smooth style and that memorably heartfelt rendition of Britney Spears’s Baby One More Time. It would be nice, but it would also be wrong.

In fact, he shot to notoriety as the unashamedly proud owner of one very handsome piece of facial foliage and lover of all things leather. Singing the kind of love lyrics that result in involuntary muscle spasms in the stomach, Darius was so naff as to be the cheese to Julio Iglesias’ chalk.

Following his Popstars performance, the subsequent slating he received in the media would have covered the rooftops of his hometown of Bearsden several times over, but Darius, undeterred, decided to ignore the bad press and prove to the world how tenacious — or deaf, dumb and colourblind — he really is.

Taking a tip from his six-year-old brother, Cyrus — and probably grateful for the advice of someone so closely placed in age to his target audience — Darius lost the long Latino locks and shaved of the offending goatee.

The huge chart success that then ensued with hand-penned singles Rushes, Incredible and Colourblind seems to prove that Darius has got what it takes to be a real Pop Idol — or else it shows that baby brother Cyrus and the whole of his primary school have been bulk-buying his hits.

Although mostly based in London, Darius has not forgotten his roots and says he tries to make it back to Scotland as often as he can. While this news induces a state of near-euphoria for his 4ft fans, for anyone who is large enough to get on the rides at Disneyland without a measuring stick, the homecoming of this greasy-haired Glesgae balladeer might just give you the dry boke.

BOOK The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (Penguin, £5.99)

This is one of my favourite books ever. It tells the story of the rise to glory and fall from grace of a man called Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire. It's about his obsession with money and ambition and his passion for and pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, the woman he loves. Fitzgerald cleverly shows how greed and selfishness can lead to a lack of compassion, of which we are all capable, I've also enjoyed reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to my seven-year-old brother Cyrus.

Next up is the Pav´s coup of the year when the chart-topping Darius Danesh opens his first UK tour at the venue with two gigs on April 26 and 27.

The young Scots lad´s story has been a pretty incredible one, taking him from national embarrassment on Pop Stars through to major new talent on Pop Idol, the whole odyssey ending with the young man scoring a Top 5 album in Dive In and three Top 10 singles - Colourblind, Rushes and Incredible.

He's now a permanent obsession for the tabloid gossip columns, has recently signed a major publishing deal and would appear to have the world at his feet providing he proves that he can deliver in the live arena as well.

'Nobody told me it'd feel so good.

Nobody told me it'd be so beautiful.'

As song lyrics go, pop star Darius Danesh admits they could just as easily relate to his success as they do to the girl he sings to in his number one hit Colour-blind.

Two years ago, nobody could have envisaged that after that truly painful rendition of Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time on the reality TV show Popstars, the man with the dodgiest goatee and pony-tail in the business would have transformed himself into the one of Britain's most successful, and sexiest, artists.

But he has. Unfortunately, nobody told me how difficult it would be to get hold of the man. After weeks of chasing his agent and rescheduled meetings, I'm finally diverted to his mobile phone as he is travelling to Rhyl for two performances at the Pavilion Theatre.

Clearly in demand, his publicist tells me that I have five minutes, forcing me to abandon my opening questions 'Do you miss your beard?' and 'Was it great to get one over on Nasty Nigel Lythegoe?' and ask him about his current Dive In tour.

THE mere mention of the name Darius used to make many people cringe.

He first came to the public attention when he appeared on the very first Popstars TV show.

At the time, he had a goatee beard and came out with some of the corniest lines in a bid to impress the judges.

But it was his awful rendition of Britney Spears's Baby, One More Time for which he became best known.

It was not surprising then that he failed to gain a place in the winning band.

But two years later, he is more than happy.

While the band - Hear'say - have now split up, Darius has gone on to carve out a solo career and he already has a chart-topping hit under his belt.

His revival came about after he appeared in the Popstars spin-off Pop Idol.

Although fans of the show instantly recognised him, he had shaved off the naff goatee and he toned down the cheesiness.

This time round, fans warmed to him more, as did the judges, and he took third place after Will Young and Gareth Gates.

The last 12 months have been something of a whirl for Darius as he has travelled the length and breadth of the country performing his solo singles.

He has also appeared on countless TV chat shows and has become something of a pin-up in the glossy women's magazines.

Last December, he even came to the Welsh capital to switch on the Christmas lights - how's that for stardom?

Now Darius is touring once more and he will be performing three concerts in Wales - two in the north and one in the south.

The Scottish singer, who with no doubt be belting out all of the songs from his debut album and if you're really lucky there may even be a few lines from that famous Britney song. OK, hopefully not.

Darius has been taking private lessons in how to shake his bum from Latino sexbomb Shakira.

The Scots pop hunk was so taken by the Colombian babe's raunchy gyrations he asked her for tips on how to do it for his own debut tour. (Oooh, yummy!!)

But Darius admits he was so mesmerised by the sight of Shakira wobbling her prize asset he could hardly take in what she was showing him.

He said, "I supported Shakira at a gig in Paris recently and I was rooted to the spot at what she could do with her behind. It sent the crowd wild and I thought 'I'm going to try that in my own show'. I've never been the best of dancers but she has moves that can drive fans crazy. Backstage she showed me how to get the rhythm going but my eyes were popping out of my head."

Darius, 22, added, "My version isn't exactly on a par with what she can do but she was polite enough to say she thought I'd got the hang of it"

Chart-topper Darius kicks off his first solo UK tour in Glasgow on May 2nd and 3rd at the Clyde Auditorium, before playing the Edinburgh Playhouse on the 4th.

He also revealed that as well as hits from his debut album "Dive In", he'll be playing a selections of surprise cover versions.

And he promised, "There will definately be a Tom Jones thing going on. It'll be great if girls chuck sexy knickers at me like they do at Tom, but even a large pair of Y-fronts landing on stage would make me happy"

EXCLUSIVE
BY GEMMA CALVERT
& RACHEL RICHARDSON

POP IDOL HUNK'S RAUNCHY SHOW AS HE ROMPED IN HOTEL ROOM WITH PLAYBOY GIRL

POP Idol heart-throb Darius Danesh made it to the top of the strip parade when he performed his own raunchy version of The Full Monty for a stunning Playboy model.

And the Scot became a POP-UP idol when he tempted Francesca Diaz to his hotel room, peeled off his jumper, wriggled out of his jeans and proudly revealed what a big star he is.

Francesca, 23, gushed: "He stodd up, looked at me for a few seconds and with a sexy look started pulling his underwear down really slowly."

But while The Full Monty boys peeled off to the beat of Tom Jones's You Can Leave Your Hat On, she revelaed Darius didn't need any help to get in the groove.

Francesca said: "As he moved his hips gently it was clear he didn't have to have music playing to move sexily.

"When he was doing the show for me I was wondering what he was going to be like. But his shorts were really tight and I could tell there was a real monster in them. And when he was finally standing naked before me I just thought, 'Wow!'"

Hooked

Darius, 22, from the posh Bearsden area of Glasgow, flopped on Popstars two years ago with a terrible rendition of Britney's Baby One More Time.

But he went on to become a smash hit on Pop Idol and later landed a £1million record contract.

Since he found fame, he's been linked to a string of beautiful women, including Goassard pin-up Kate Groombridge, model Jacqui Ainsley and society girl Venetia Hibbert.

But he was hooked the moment he spotted Francesca - a model on Playboy TV - on a night out at Bristol's San Carlos restaurant.

He invited the 32D silicone stunner, her Playboy boss and two model pals back to his swanky hotel room. Francesca explained: "We had a really good laugh. First of all we raided the mini bar, then Darius put on the TV and switched to the porno films.

"We weren't really watching them properly because they were on in the background though Darius kept glancing at it... when he could take his eyes off me."

After here pals left, Francesca's boss suggested they should to too so Francesca would get a few hours sleep before the next morning's photo shoot.

But devious Darius had other ideas and came up with a plan to get her back to his room without her boss knowing.

He asked her to leave her handbag there - and than gave her an excuse to shake her boss and sneak back to the star.

She told us: "When I returned to his room, there was a strong smell of Issay Miyake aftershave.

"He'd sprayed loads on himself and it reminded me of the Lynx advert where the smell just knocks the girls out.

"then he grabbed me by the hand and led me to the bed. He took a swig from a bottle of vodka and shared it with me as we kissed.

"But when he started stroking my face he just totally melted me. We were kissing and I found him a ery sensual kisser. Then he stripped off his top and I began stroking his chest even thought it was a bit hairy, which I didn't really like much!

"I could tell he was really enjoying it because he was giving out really soft moans and totally appreciating what I was doing to him. I could see that he was really turned on.

"I was wearing tight Miss Sixty jeans and a blue low top, which he started fiddling with before lifting it up a little. I took over and pulled it over my head.

Stroking

"I always make a point of wearing nice underwear such a La Perla and that night I was wearing a push-up bra to give myself a better cleavage.

"We carried on kissing and his hands were everywhere. He was stroking my back and telling me I was beautiful and that I had the most amazing body.

Then he started fiddling with the button on my jeans."

That's when the busy blonde warned him she wasn't taking her trousers off - as long as he was still wearing his.

In seconds, the randy star had stripped down to just his tight Hugo Boss shorts.

Francesca continued: "I joked with him that I'd take off my bra if he removed his shorts. It was like a game and he enjoyed playing it.

"When my bra came off he was watching me so hungrily.

"I made a real show of it and knelt up in front of him.

"I took one strap down at a time and when he saw my boobs he gasped.

"He told me they were the nicest he'd ever seen."

She added: "Darius was how every woman wants a man to be - everything I wanted him to say, he said it, everything I wanted him to do, he did it.

"He was kissing my neck, blowing in my ear and touching and licking my boobs in such a sensual way. It was getting really heated."

But she insisted she hadn't been tempted to let their teamy session go any further.

She said: "I didn't want to sleep with him... but I really did want to see him naked."

Darius didn't need to be asked twice. He quickly bounced off the huge oval-shaped bed to perform his Full Monty routine. Francesac, from Surrey, explained: "He wasn't muscular like a bodybuilder but he's certainly very toned and has a fantastic physique, I was really taken aback. He had a well-toned stomach and was perfectly proportioned.

"He looks better with no clothes on than he does dressed.

"He didn't say anything, not one word. I think he was waiting for my reaction. But I didn't say anything because if I had told him how I felt it might have gone to his head."

Sleep

Francesca left Darius's hotel room at 6am without giving into his pleas for a full-scale romp.

She told us: "When I told him I had to go he said, 'Please stay iwht me, you don't have to do anything I just want you to sleep with me. I just want to go to sleep holding you'.

"But I knew I had to be in make-up by eight o'clock for Playboy.

"Before I left I gave him my number but two days later I lost my mobile phone so whether he rang me or not I really have no idea.

"I don't regret the fact we didn't take things further because I had fun that night anyway.

"I spotted him out in London a few weeks back at a party and he flashed me a cheeky grin so I think he must have remembered me.

"Maybe the fact I said no to sex was a bit of a shock to him.

"Women must throw themselves at him all the time."

Despite losing out to Will Young and Gareth Gates in Pop Idol, Darius clinched a deal with Mercury Records and three singles from his debut album Dive In have made the Top 10.

He's dated a number of glamorous women and was recently spotted with suttning Jacqui at a screening of romantic comedy Just Married.

The sexy star also admitted using Maltesers during hunt-the-chocolate sex games. And while his playtime with Francesca was a little less sticky, it was no less inventive.

Francesca revealed: "I'll never watch the Fully Monty film in the same way again - Darius could know the socks off Robert Carlule any day."