Busted’s Matt Willis holds back tears in tribute to James Bourne pic.twitter.com/NPxJSZKWsR — The Sun (@TheSun) September 24, 2025

Willis addressed the crowd directly, saying, “You may have noticed one key face is missing tonight,” before acknowledging Bourne is “really sick” and that the decision to continue the tour had become a fraught conversation among the band. Charlie Simpson, the other core member of Busted, echoed that sentiment, telling fans: “We love him so much and we miss him.” The vulnerable moment, as the band scrambled to find the right words amidst the melancholia, cracked the high-gloss veneer of a stadium show, turning it into something raw and vulnerable. For those in attendance, it was more than a tribute; it was a public recognition of the human costs hidden behind the glitz of arena tours. The news of Bourne’s withdrawal from the tour emerged just hours before the first show was scheduled to take place.

 

 

 

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  A post shared by James Bourne (@jamesfutureboybourne)

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Bourne explained that over the previous eight days, it had become clear he was not in sufficiently good health to perform. He admitted that much about his condition remained unknown, and that he and his management team agreed he should pause to focus on medical matters. Bourne, in his Instagram post, added, “I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line… It’s still going to be an amazing show, and I will miss being there. See you all as soon as possible.”

Social media swiftly became a forum of support and concern. Fans praised the decision to keep the show alive and showered Bourne with well-wishes. McFly drummer Harry Judd posted, “Won’t be the same without you, dude. Hope you’re back on tour asap.”

In a poignant display of band loyalty, James’s younger brother, Chris Bourne, stepped in to offer essential support on guitar and vocals, helping the remaining members keep the Busted set afloat and honouring the commitment to their fans. For Busted, and particularly for Matt Willis, this on-stage moment was charged with more profound significance. Willis has been publicly transparent about his decades-long battle with addiction and mental health, a struggle he has often linked to the pressures of touring and the music industry machine. The emotional moment underscored the human cost of the high-pressure touring environment, an environment Willis had previously found challenging.

For now, the tour continues. Busted, with Willis and Simpson still fronting, press forward with Chris Bourne filling in. But the future is less specific. Will James return later in the tour? Will his health permit a comeback? Will the emotional weight of this moment shift how they present future shows? Last night’s tribute might be remembered as more than a footnote; it could mark a turning point in how these bands relate to audiences and how tours reckon with the human in the spotlight. For a genre built on yearning, heartbreak, and exuberance, a moment of raw care has made itself visible.

@radiotimes Take us back to the year 2013 because Busted and McFly are hitting the road again! Announced at McFly’s 21st anniversary gig, the bands will be facing off in Busted vs McFly 2025! Will you be going? #mcfly #busted #mcbusted original sound – RadioTimes

McFly and Busted are two pop-punk bands which have created hits since the early noughties, known respectively for their tracks ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’ and ‘Crashed The Wedding’.

The two bands reunite once again for their forthcoming 2025 tour, a reunion much needed after the success of their last co-headline tour, the ‘McBusted Tour’ in 2014 which featured 34 sold-out shows throughout the UK. However, this upcoming tour includes all the members of both bands, including Charlie Simpson of Busted, who did not feature on the last McBusted tour.

The upcoming tour takes the formation of a battle between the two iconic pop-punk bands. Accompanying the announcement, McFly commented: “Busted gate-crashed our show last night (not cool), and challenged us to a VS tour next year. They’re old men now, and we are gonna blow them and their carers of the stage next year. We’ve had a great time celebrating our 21^st birthday this week and next year is going to be even better – P.S. Busted Suck.”

Busted added: “There’s been a lot of talk recently… This is where the talking ends…! We are ready to show who is the better band once and for all. McFly suck and Busted Rock!”

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A post shared by McFly (@mcflymusic)

The competitiveness from both bands to depict their superiority means both McFly and Busted will plan to dazzle fans with their biggest and greatest hits, along with their newer tracks. This is not surprising given that McFly released their most recent album Power To Play in 2023 and Busted re-recorded and released their Greatest Hits last year.

Often pitted against one another during their emergence in the early 2000s, McFly and Busted have manipulated this concept to create a supergroup tour catered with bucket loads of nostalgia for noughties music-lovers and their diehard fans.

As the tour announcement emphasised: “the whole tour is to find out who’s a better band. Fans can decide. They can come and support their band, and they might change their mind. It’s going to be a fight to the death.”

Tickets for the iconic tour will be available via artist pre-sale on October 16 at 9am, or alternatively general sale starts October 18 at 9am.

The dates for the Busted vs McFly tour:

September

16^th – bp Live, Birmingham

19^th – OVO Arena Wembley, London

20^th – The O2, London

23^rd – Utilita Arena, Cardiff

26^th – Utilita Arena, Sheffield

27^th – First Direct Arena, Leeds

30^th – P&J Live, Aberdeen

October

2^nd – OVO Hydro, Glasgow

7^th – MS Bank Arena, Liverpool

10^th – Utilita Arena, Newcastle

14^th – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

17^th – AO Arena, Manchester

20^th – 3Arena, Dublin

21^st – SSE Arena, Belfast

Tickets are on sale here.

Black widow spiders are notorious for the distinct markings on their abdomens and their highly toxic venom, which is reportedly 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom, according to Wikipedia. The National Geographic website warns that bites from these spiders can cause symptoms such as nausea, muscle aches, and difficulty breathing due to paralysis of the diaphragm. Urgent medical attention is strongly advised in such cases.

Busted, known for their popular songs like “What I Go To School For,” “Year 3000,” and “Crashed The Wedding,” was formed by Bourne, Matt Willis, and Charlie Simpson in 2000.

After disbandment of Busted in 2005, James and Matt found themselves collaborating with another popular band, McFly. This collaboration gave birth to the extraordinary supergroup known as McBusted. The fusion of these two talented bands created a musical powerhouse that delighted fans with their energetic performances and infectious tunes.

In 2016, Busted surprised their fans by reuniting with Charlie Simpson, who had previously left the band. This reunion brought a wave of excitement and anticipation among their loyal fan base. The band unveiled fresh music, proving that their creative spark was still very much alive. Presently, Busted is celebrating their 20th anniversary with a revival tour. This tour serves as a testament to their enduring popularity and the impact they have had on the music industry. Fans from all over the world have eagerly awaited this moment, and the band has not disappointed. Their performances are filled with nostalgia, energy, and a renewed passion for their music.

James told fans “I did not know how serious my condition was until I was refused an IV drip at my local Next health because I was suffering hypertension with a blood pressure reading of 190 / 115 mmHg. Apparently that’s quite serious. I ended up at the hospital later that night! Anyway, I’m still here, Alive and kicking! Cool story bro…”

Upon hearing the news, his friends and fans flooded the comments section with their concern and well wishes saying, “Glad you are safe and getting better!” and another added, “Was worried about you fella glad your better now.” Other fans joked with the singer and posted comments like “Have you tried shooting webs or anything?!” and “Sooo you’re saying you’re Spider Man?” 

In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Charlie Simpson, talked about how he thought the music industry had changed in the last 20 years, he said, “The music industry is unrecognisable, it’s like the way people consume music, the way, um, just the way the industry works is so different.” Matt Willis, told Good Morning Britain, what it feels like to be performing again and added, “We’re the same idiots that we were when we were 16 in a bedroom making music.” 

Busted is set to be supported by the American pop-rock band Hanson and the British band The Tyne.

Fans can expect to hear songs from their new album Greatest Hits 2.0. Busted have taken some of their biggest singles and reworked these songs with 15 feature artists, including, You Me at Six, Dashboard Confessionals, Wheatus, Jonas Brothers and many more.

Busted had a remarkable comeback in 2013 when Matt and James joined forces with McFly to form the highly anticipated supergroup, McBusted. The reunion of the original lineup was further solidified with Charlie’s return in 2015, after pursing his own solo career. In February this year, Charlie Simpson won the fourth series of The Masked Singer as ‘Rhino’, making him the first male winner in the UK .

In 2019, the group decided to take a break and go on hiatus. Now, after a significant four-year gap, their comeback is expected to be their most significant and enthusiastically received return to date.

With the success of the tour, Busted announced on their social media, that they would be preforming at the Hits Live show in Birmingham and Manchester 24th/25th November.

SURPRISE We’ll be playing the #hitslive shows in both Birmingham and Manchester on 24th and 25th November. Grab your tickets here this is going to be fun https://t.co/itpcMN6ibU @hitsradiouk pic.twitter.com/uwUgyFjuZi

— Busted (@Busted) September 27, 2023

Busted Tour Dates – Purchase tickets here.

29/09/23 – Utillita – Birmingham
30/09 – AO Arena – Manchester
01/10 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
04/10 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
08/10 – SSE Arena – Belfast
10/10 – O2 Arena – London
12/10 – Pryzm Kingston – London 

The Hits Show Tickets purchase here 

24/11 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
25/11 – AO Arena – Manchester 

The band from Oklahoma originally had a hit with the single in 1997 when it shot to number one in 12 countries including the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. “MMMBop” was the lead single from the band’s pop rock debut album Middle of Nowhere recorded when the Hanson brother were only teens. Watch the original video below:

The Busted boys shared the new collab on Instagram with the caption, “It’s such an honour to sing this 90’s classic with the band who made it 25 years on from original release. Something a bit different that we hope will bring some happiness to all of you and we cannot wait to have HANSON out with us on tour in September around the UK & Ireland”.

The single will appear on Busted’s upcoming reworked greatest hits album to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary. The album is set to feature 15 reworked versions of Busted’s fan-favourites. Since their launch in 2002, the band from Essex has had four UK number-one singles, won two Brit awards, and sold over 5 million records worldwide.

Last month Busted shared a revamped version of the 2002 anthem “Loser Kid” featuring the boys from Montreal’s Simple Plan. Listen below:

Welsh pop-punk group Neck Deep also helped turn the band’s 2003 soft acoustic ballad “Meet You There” into an energetic rock track earlier this month. Listen below:

Busted’s Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis, and James Bourne announced their plans to celebrate two decades of the band with a huge comeback UK autumn tour in March much to the delight of fans of the boy band. The trio will be playing 20 dates across the UK in September supported by Hanson. See here for remaining tickets and more information.

Matt revealed to the Mancunion, “We’re mainly going to be playing the first two records. It’s going to be a big Busted love fest. We’ve all just fell back in love with Busted. We’re embracing it. It feels like the right time to do that with our fans.”

For the complete list of Busted’s UK & Europe dates see below:

02/09/23 – Plymouth Pavillions – Plymouth
03/09 – CIA – Cardiff
05/09 – Swansea Arena – Swansea
06/09 – BIC – Bournemouth
07/09 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
09/09 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
10/09 – The O2 – London
12/09 – Bridlington Spa – Bridlington
13/09 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle Upon Tyne
15/09 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
16/09 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle Upon Tyne
17/09 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
19/09 – P&J Live – Aberdeen
20/09 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
22/09 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
23/09 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
24/09 – AO Arena – Manchester,
26/09 – Cardiff International Arena – Cardiff
27/09 – The O2 – London
29/09 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham
30/09 – AO Arena – Manchester
01/10 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
06/10 – 3Arena – Dublin
08/10 – The SSE Arena – Belfast
10/10 – The O2 – London

Following Simpson’s The Masked Singer win, he shared the announcement of his EP to his fans on Instagram, where he posted a video singing ”Use Somebody” and takes off the Rhino mask he wore on the show. During the video, an on-screen statement from the musician is shown, stating ”Well this has been a hard secret to keep… Reading all of your comments each week has been awesome. Ive been so blown away by all the support. So I’ve decided to release a few songs I sang on the show, as an EP named ‘KIFARU,’ the Swahili word for rhino.I hope you like it. Big love x”

During the final of The Masked Singer and prior to Charlie Simpson’s win, other disguised contestants were revealed. 49-year-old pop-star, Natalie Appleton, from girl group All Saints, was revealed as Fawn, whereas Phoenix was revealed as Kaiser Chief’s frontman, Ricky Wilson. After Simpson was unveiled as the man behind the rhino mask, The Masked Singer panellist Rita Ora asked Simpson, ”So can I ask you, were you taken back by the experience?” to which he responded ”I was terrified the entire time because the thing I was scared most about was remembering lyrics, because I often forget lyrics to my own songs on stage.”

During his Unmasked interview, he explains that the experience was a ”rollacoaster of emotions” and reflects on his time on the show.

 The Dad-of-two is renowned for his distinctive vocal tone and astounding music career, during bands and as a solo artist, releasing twelve studio albums overall. Charlie Simpson is most well-known for being a part of Pop-Punk band, Busted, from Southend-On-Sea, Essex. Alongside Simpson, the band consists of James Bourne and Matt Willis. During their career, the band has had four UK number one singles and released four studio albums, self-titled album Busted (2002), A Present for Everyone (2003), Night Driver (2016) and Half Way There (2019). Selling over five million records, the band also won two Brit awards. Charlie Simpson also fronted London Rock band, FightStar, with band members Alex Westaway, Omar Abidi and Dan Haigh. FightStar released four studio albums as a band before their hiatus in 2015, Grand Unification (2006), Be Human (2009), One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours (2007) and Behind the Devil’s Back (2015). Simpson also succeeded in a career as a solo artist releasing four studio albums, Young Pilgrim (2011), Long Road home (2014), Little Hands (2016) and Hope is A Drug (2022). 

   KIFARU is available to listen to on all streaming platforms.

Busted are back and have announced that they will be hitting the road in March 2019, in support of their fourth studio album ‘Half Way There’, which is du to be released in February 2019. The guys will kick start the tour in Glasgow, on the 23rd of March 2019 and will conclude in London, on the 30th of March 2019.

The trio announced that they will be heading out on an arena tour, which will see them performing shows across the UK, in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London and Cardiff. ‘Hal Way There’ will be the bands fourth studio album and is scheduled to be released on the 8th of February 2019. ‘Half Way There’ loosely refers to one of their biggest hits, ‘Year 3000′, in which they sang about releasing their seventh album – now they are half way there to that goal with their fourth record.

Speaking about the album, Willis, said: “I cannot wait for fans to hear this record and to be able to talk to them on social media about it. I just have a feeling that they’re going to love it.” Continuing he said: “We made an album that we love. We got to the studio and thought what a Busted album would sound like if it was made now, then we made it. It’s got really fun songs that make us smile and we really hope our fans enjoy it for what it is.’

Agreeing Bourne, said: “If I was a Busted fan, I’d listen to this record and feel like I got my band back.” Simpson adds, “It still has humorous elements and we’re still having a lot of fun, but we have some very poignant songs too. Our fans grew up with us so they’ll be able to relate to them too.”

The pop punk trio – Matt Willis, James Bourne and Charlie Simpson,  rose to fame when their self-titled debut album ‘Busted’ came out in 2002. The album featured top 3 charting hits ‘What I Go To School For’, ‘Year 3000′, ‘Sleeping with the Light On’ . In 2005, after the release of ‘Busted’ in 2002 and ‘A Present for Everyone’ in 2003, the group disbanded to pursue different musical careers. Reuniting in 2016, after 13 years, the trio released their comeback album ‘Night Drive’, a record which moved away from their original pop sound.

Busted 2019 UK Arena Tour Dates:

23/03/2019 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow
26/03 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
28/03 – Manchester Arena – Manchester
29/03 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
30/03 – The SSE Arena Wembley – London

29/1 – Norwich – UEA
30/1- Cambridge – Corn Exchange
01/2 – Leicester – De Montfort Hall
03/2 – London – Hammersmith Eventim Apollo
06 /2- Southend – Cliffs Pavilion
07/2 – Folkestone – Leas Cliff Hall
09/2 – Newport – Centre
10/2 – Plymouth – Pavilions
12/2 – Bristol – O2 Academy
13/2 – Portsmouth – Guildhall
14/2 – Brighton – Centre
16/2 – Manchester – O2 Apollo
18/2 – Birmingham – O2 Academy
20/2 – Nottingham – Rock City
21/2 – Leeds – O2 Academy
22/2 – Newcastle – O2 Academy
24/2 – Aberdeen – Arena
25/2 – Edinburgh – Usher Hall
26/2 – Glasgow – O2 Academy
28/2 – Belfast – Waterfront
01/3 – Dublin – Olympia

Busted’s first studio album in thirteen years will be released on 11 November which includes the recently released single ‘On What You’re On’ – watch the video below.

Formed in 2000, Busted released two albums earlier in that decade: the eponymous Busted in 2002, and A Present For Everyone in 2003. From 2006, after the band’s split, members of Busted pursued solo projects. Then, famously, Busted returned as McBusted joining McFly to tour between 2013 and 2015.

The news regarding their upcoming third album has been covered by a wide range of media sources, BBC Radio 1 were particularly excited about the news:

Busted have signed a deal with record label East West Records, who are an offshoot of the larger Warner Music Group. The UK president of East West Records, Dan Chalmers had this to say on the news and the sound of the new album:

“managed to combine the classic Busted sound with a modern twist” on their new album.

“We’re really happy to be working with Charlie, Matt and James as well as their management team and we’re dedicated to delivering a massive new record,”

The band also spoke to newspaper The Sun about their upcoming album:

“We’ve had an incredible time on our arena tour, and are now looking forward to releasing new music through a global partnership with East West. It’s great to see Dan, Howard and the team as excited about the new music as we are.

“The album is done, it’s ready to go. We’ve just got to do the little finishing touches.

Busted are seemingly very excited about their upcoming album and who can blame them! In the same interview they expressed their thoughts on the new material:

“It’s the best s**t we’ve ever done by ten times. The first single is f***ing ridiculous. I’m more proud of our first single than anything I’ve ever done in my life. It is the most epic song, it’s ridiculous.”

 

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/busted-announce-details-regarding-new-album/feed/ 0 https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/wheatus-to-support-busteds-reunion-tour/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/wheatus-to-support-busteds-reunion-tour/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2016 16:08:30 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=4062 This May Busted begin their Pigs Can Fly tour and will be joined by Wheatus and singer Emma Blackery.

Wheatus, famed for their anthem track ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ which reached Number Two in July 2000, also charted well with their Erasure cover ‘Little Respect’.

Busted are to release new material and their third studio album this autumn.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Busted said:

“There will hopefully be something to drop before the tour, and then the proper single in the summer afterwards,” said Matt.

“Busted is very different, but the thing is it’s still Busted. The essence of it is still us three.”

Busted also told BBC’s Newsbeat:

“The whole pigs can fly thing sums up how we feel about this,” said Matt Willis.

“There have been times that we thought Busted could never, ever possibly happen and we were quite right in thinking that.

“But this summarises that anything is possible.”

Some gigs have already Sold Out, here is a list of Busted’s available dates:

11/5 – SSE Arena – Wembley

13/5 – SSE Hydro – Glasgow

15/5 – Metro Arena – Newcastle

17/5 – Arena – Sheffield

18/5 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham

20/5 – Genting Arena – Birmingham

22/5 – Echo Arena – Liverpool

25/5 – Bic – Bournemouth

27/5 – The O2 – London

30/5 – SSE Arena – Belfast

31/5 – 3 Arena – Dublin

2/6 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff

3/6 – Arena – Manchester

4/6 – Barclaycard Arena – Birmingham

Featured on their website, the band confirm their nostalgic return:

“Why are we here?” ponders Simpson, the guitarist whose departure precipitated Busted’s demise after four Number One singles, two albums, five million record sales and that run of 12 sold-out Wembley Arena shows. “Because a year ago James and I got together and just started hanging out. It really has been 10 years since we hung out; we’d talked on the phone a few times, and met a couple of times. But there was this huge void of time where we just didn’t speak. Not because he had any issues but I was off doing my own thing, and he was busy, so we just drifted apart.

“And we just started… getting on,” he smiles. “And it felt really different, somehow, to how it had ten years ago. And the idea crept into my head after all that time apart: what would Busted look like today?”

 

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