Review: You look ridiculous!" yelled the audience in Vicar St. "Good," came Boy George's reply.  Peter Crawley reviews Culture Club's Dublin gig.

Resplendent in sparkling platform shoes, a tuxedo that shimmered with green and mauve patches and a hat splodged with white paint, Culture Club's frontman may have looked as though he'd emerged from a glitter blizzard, but these days he's more than simply an icon of high kitsch.

A superstar DJ (who had presided over a dance set the previous night), a West End performer, a newspaper columnist and a Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes contestant ("Tonight Mathew, I'll be David Bowie!"), Boy George is more the embodiment of contemporary ubiquity than 1980s nostalgia.

Yet the teenagers of 20 years ago are the commercially valued demographic of today and so the nostalgia market calls the Culture Club to fulfil their expectations.

Starting with the clothes.

Blissfully, however, Boy George can segregate his interests without neglecting his respective audiences.

With the Culture Club's membership extended to a bevy of backing singers, extra percussion, guitars and keyboards, old and new material were jubilantly merged as Latin disco number Black Comedy segued back 17 years into the kindred tune I'll Tumble 4 Ya.

The trademark reggae lilt of Everything I Own saw Jon Moss and Mikey Craig's assured rhythm section carry its breezy melody.

Not prone to over-exertion, George was faultless but restrained - an occasional shimmy here, a languid gesture there - his rapport with the audience as bright and guarded as his make-up.

Meanwhile, through a smoky Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?, a rambunctious Church of the Poison Mind and a heartfelt Victims, the band demonstrated an easier affinity of exchanged smiles and effortless harmony.

Although Karma Chameleon encored as a mere formality, an ebullient Starman required no Bowie impersonation.

Tonight Mathew, he would be Boy George. It's a part he plays extremely well.