Busted performing their 20th Anniversary and Greatest Hits tour at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Friday 15th September.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

Friday night saw pop punk band Busted bring their 20^th Anniversary and Greatest Hits tour on the first of three dates at the Motorpoint Arena, and they delivered a show that was drenched in nostalgia.

Special guests were Hanson, three brothers from Tulsa who burst onto the music scene with their debut single MMMBop way back in 1997 and it was deafening screams that greeted the trio who are now in their 40’s.

Delivering a short set that had the crowd on their feet, they delighted with songs such as Fired Up, Where’s The Love, the rocking If Only and the driving Lost Without Each Other. With MMMBop being disappointingly left out, Hanson had showed that they are much more than the song that you know them for.

The electricity in the air for Busted was palpable literally as the show kicked off with AC/DC’s Thunderstruck echoing around the arena, before Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) appeared on the screens to introduce the band as lightning burst from the stage and suddenly with a clap of thunder James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson were there to transport the crowd back to 2002.

With an energy that belied their years, they kicked off with a raucous Air Hostess which set the tone for a rollercoaster night of their hits. Using screens to display ancient mobile phones and MSN messages to highlight the lyrics, Simpson’s husky vocals excelled on Meet You There, Loser Kid and You Said No.

The crowd raised the decibels when Hanson came back to join forces for MMMBop which was a real highlight as was an acoustic version of Sleeping With The Lights On that showcased Hanson’s emotional vocals.

Ramping up the energy levels again with their first single, What I Go To School For, Who’s David and Falling For You saw them running around the stage.

Thunderbirds Are Go! was a real fun song and 3am was delivered with gritty vocals before set closer Crashed The Wedding did not disappoint after all these years and the crowd roared with approval as the trio launched into their cover of Teenage Kicks.

Then they ended on the highest of highs with the platinum certified banger, Year 3000 that was flanked with every possible pyrotechnic that can fit into an arena, which finished a gorgeous nostalgic feast of a show.

Busted performing an intimate set at Rough Trade Nottingham on Friday 8^th February 2019

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

When James Bourne, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis got together in 2000 to form boy band Busted, they went on to have great success selling out Arenas, selling over five million albums, picking up two Brit awards and having four number one singles in the UK chart.

The subsequent departure of Simpson in 2005 left many females bereft but with the original line up now about to go out on a seven date arena tour, there was the opportunity for a hundred fans to see them yesterday afternoon perform an intimate set at independent record store, Rough Trade in Nottingham.

Promoting the launch of their fourth studio album, Half Way There, they showcased a couple of new songs, Radio and All My Friends which went down a treat, but it was the songs from their self titled debut album which had their fans singing along.

With the fans holding smart phones high to record the event, they opened with What I Go To School For and You Said No quickly followed.  Before Year 3000 Willis took advantage of the cosy venue to have some fun with a fan’s phone and when the thirty minute set came to an end, Busted had showed just why their forthcoming tour is eagerly anticipated.