Some might say that bread being sold in a ready-sliced format is at the top of the list of Brilliant Things in Life. And it might have been up until about 11am this morning. Because today the universe threw us a curve ball, and that well-known phrase was made redundant. It’s not the best thing since sliced bread any more, kids – it’s the best thing since McBusted.
Pop heroes McFly and their guitar-playing-boy-band predecessors Busted are joining forces for a supergroup arena tour across the UK – and I’m probably more excited than a toddler on old-school Haribo. This is the stuff of dreams – my two favourite bands EVER are joining forces!
Sure, at 26 I should know better. I’m an adult with a job and I’m even saving up for a mortgage, which is a terrifying thought. But I cannot get enough of the guitar-fuelled pop magic produced by Tom, Dougie, Harry and Danny – and before them, it was all about James, Charlie and Matt.
While Charlie and his eyebrows might not be getting involved with this monster musical project, it’s still going to be incredible. But if you’re still not convinced that the merging of these two pop powerhouses is the best idea any music industry bigwig has ever had, let me explain why you’ve got to get your tickets this Friday…
It makes so much sense
Busted and McFly shall forever be linked and fans tend to hold a passion for both acts. You see, once upon a time, there was an advert in NME magazine calling out for musicians. Along to these auditions went a young scamp called Tom Fletcher, who – he could hardly believe – won a place in a band called Busted, alongside two other bright young things named James Bourne and Matt Willis. Briefly anyway – shortly after winning his place, Tom was set aside and replace by a woolly-eyebrowed teen named Charlie Simpson. Not all was lost – the management team set about putting together a new band around young Fletcher – and, following the recruitment of Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd, McFly was born, their first job being to support Busted on tour. Busted may have split after two records, but the two bands remained good friends and helped out with songwriting along the way. When Matt and James joined McFly on stage at their 10th anniversary concert earlier this year, there was a moment of, ‘Hey, why didn’t we think of this before?’ And thousands of screaming girl fans promptly lost the plot.
They make great pop music
Pop’s become a bit of a dirty word among the musically-minded. It’s synonymous with cheesy party tunes and bands like Steps and the Cheeky Girls, the true meaning – popular music – getting lost along the way. Catchy tunes, clever lyrics and singalong choruses are at the very core of what these two bands do, and it’s all really likeable stuff. They changed pop too – Busted jumped onto the scene at a time where boy-and-girl bands were dominating the headlines and introduced a new punk/rock inspired brand of self-penned anthemic pop. The guys were always very vocal about their musical influences too – acts like Nirvana and Blink 182 – which opened up the eyes of young music fans to the possibilities beyond the top 40.
Have you seen them?
Let’s not beat about the bush here. Individually, the boys of Busted and McFly are pretty easy on the eye. Put them all on one stage and you’ve got a real visual treat. Bring on the big screens at the Hydro!
It’ll be a proper show
Have you ever seen either of these acts live? If there’s one thing that they do well, it’s performing. Live, they sound the same as they do on record – a relatively unseen trait from chart music. There’s loads to look at, hit after hit thunders out and there’s going to be loads of banter too. A perfect night out.
The hits!
You probably don’t know it, but subliminally you’ll know the words to about six Busted and/or McFly songs. They sort of creep into your brain without you noticing. Star Girl, Air Hostess, 3am, Five Colours in Her Hair, All About You, Please Please… All amazing songs, all from the minds of Fletcher and Bourne. And they sound even better live with a backing track of hysterical girl fans – and I’ll definitely be one of them. See you in the ticket queue…
Tickets for McBusted Tour 2014 go on sale this Friday at 9am from www.ticketsoup.com
