Recent Years
Max Boyce has enjoyed a resurgence in his career since the late 1990s. At Christmas time in 1998, BBC Wales screened An Evening With Max Boyce, which broke Welsh viewing records. In the following year, he performed at the opening ceremonies of the 1999 Rugby World Cup in the Millennium Stadium, and of the Welsh Assembly. Not long after, Boyce was included on the 2000 New Year Honours list, and received an MBE from Prince Charles in a ceremony at Cardiff Castle on 15 March that year. According to Boyce, "He (the Prince) said he was surprised it took them so long" to accord him this honour.
Boyce's greatest musical success in recent years was his 2003 tour of Australia, coinciding with the Rugby World Cup which was being hosted there at the time. He held concerts in Adelaide and Melbourne, but the highlight was his sold-out performance at the Sydney Opera House, which was later released on DVD as Max Boyce: Down Under.
Boyce continues to make headlines in the British press. On 29 May 2006 Max Boyce headlined at a concert in Pontypridd to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau. In August 2006, Boyce hit out against the stereotypical use of the word "boyo" in the media, following its resurgence in reference to Welsh Big Brother contestant Glyn Wise. His renewed popularity is reflected in the success of a Max Boyce tribute band, "Boycezone", who have raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity, by including some of Boyce's best-known songs in their repertoire.
Boyce returned to Treorchy in early 2011 to perform a show at the Parc and Dare Theatre, shown on St David's Day on BBC1 Wales. He was joined onstage by guests including Boyd Clack, and the audience featured such Welsh icons as Gareth Edwards.
Harry Secombe is one of the most famous of comedians from Wales. His reputation however rests with his singing and Neddy Seagoonery. Sir Geraint Evans possessed considerable talent for comedy and made us laugh in the roles of Falstaff and Leporello, but his career depended every move on his voice. Until Max Boyce, I can think of no-one who has become famous outside Wales for his Welshness.
— Jack Waterman, The Listener, 1979
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