Busted and McFly take fans on a pop-punk time machine for a night of nostalgia
Caitlin is a content creator for the Manchester Evening News creating both written and video content. She covers a wide range of topics from local features to shopping content.
The bands came together to close the show(Image: MEN)
More than twenty years ago, my older cousin sat my sister and I down.
She introduced us to three pop-punk boys who would go on to plaster our childhood bedroom walls in posters and ripped out magazine pages.
Two years later, at just six years old, a song about a rebellious girl with multi-coloured hair hit the airwaves – and suddenly, my primary school classmates and I were spending our lunchtimes choreographing dance routines and controversially drawing ‘tattoos’ on our hips.
Busted and McFly were icons of the same era, but each in their own right – with very different styles and sounds.
Busted, a cheeky trio who carved out space for a generation to embrace their teen angst, and McFly, a group of four lads who leaned into heartfelt, sunny lyrics – like if the Beatles formed in the noughties, used hair straighteners and wore Converse.
While their sound may be strikingly different, the musicians seemed to share a similar fanbase, and as the years went on have treated fans by coming together to perform on stage alongside each other as ‘McBusted’.
Now embracing their rivalry in their latest tour ‘Busted vs McFly’.
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On their opening night at the AO Arena on Friday (October 17), the bands took fans on a pop-punk time machine and it felt like the year 2000.
While my sister and I would have been on the ‘Gen Z’ side of listeners when they first formed, it was no surprise to see a large cohort of concert goers were our age and beyond – but it would be remiss of me not to mention the thousands of young fans that flocked to the arena, head to toe in merchandise, representing the new era of McFly and Busted fans.
In the spirit of the boy band battle, McFly opened the show with their own setlist before Busted took over, followed by the third act where the groups went head to head on stage.
(Image: MEN)
Kicking things off with a more modern track, ‘Where Did All The Guitars Go’, a cheesy grin took over me and did not leave my face ‘til hours after the concert ended. Following up with an electric performance of their classic hits ‘Star Girl’ and ‘Obviously’, lead singers Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones showed off some flawless vocals.
Riffing off each other, their energy was unmatched as they dominated the stage. Bassist Dougie Poynter was as playful as ever while Harry Judd showed off his skills on drums.
Ending their set with a beautiful ballad ‘The Heart Never Lies’, was a powerful, emotive moment as the lights dimmed and visuals of their band name descended over them. Their stage chemistry was tight – Tom, Danny, Dougie, and Harry played off each other well, bringing both showmanship and heart.
Busted came out punching with ‘Crashed The Wedding’, which had the crowd erupting all over again.
(Image: MEN)
In a touching moment, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis paid tribute to their bandmate James Bourne, who is currently battling an illness which saw him drop out of the tour just days before it kicked off.
During an honest and emotional speech, the pair said “Manchester is one of James’ favourite places to play”, and praised Bourne’s brother Chris (who featured in the iconic ‘Year 3000’ music video) for joining them on stage to play guitar with little notice.
They effortlessly slid into hits like ‘You Said No’, ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’, and ‘Sleeping With the Light On’, while their lighting, graphics, and visuals leaned into their teenage-era iconography, giving nostalgia a boost.
The versus concept shone through following the bands solo sets which saw Matt and Dougie appear in amongst the crowds in balconies across from each other, trading insults and bantering about Matt’s wife, former Big Brother presenter Emma Willis – who he revealed was attending the Manchester opening night.
(Image: MEN)
What followed was an incredible drum battle between Harry Judd and Eddy Thrower creating a musical clash moment, with sparks and lighting to amp it up.
Amidst the feuding, one of my highlights of the night saw a collaboration between Charlie and Danny where they sang an emotional rendition of ‘3am’ vs ‘Not Alone,’ showing off the pair’s impeccable vocal strength and vulnerability.
As expected, the final act blended both bands. They performed ‘Air Hostess’ and ‘5 Colours in Her Hair’, before coming together for ‘What Happened to Your Band,’ ‘Shine a Light,’ and ‘Year 3000.’
Confetti rained down, lights flashed, the crowd leapt, and you could feel the sense of community – not just competition.
As for what band won, I’m not one to sit on the fence, but it is impossible to pick. But I do feel like the real winners were the Busted and McFly fans who got to witness two great bands come together for an incredible night of nostalgia.