HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Busted are an English
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
band from
Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
,
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, consisting of
James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 ...
,
Matt Willis Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
and
Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...
. Formed in 2000, the band had four UK number-one singles, won two Brit awards, released four studio albums and sold over 5 million records. The band released '' Busted'' in 2002 and ''
A Present for Everyone ''A Present for Everyone'' is the second studio album by British pop punk band Busted. It was released on 17 November 2003 by Universal Island Records and features a sound mixing pop punk and power pop material with traditional pop rock. Five ...
'' in 2003 before disbanding in January 2005. Following the split, all three members pursued separate musical careers: Simpson as the frontman for the post-hardcore band
Fightstar Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generall ...
, Bourne as the lead singer of
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
band
Son of Dork Son of Dork were a British pop punk band formed by James Bourne after his previous band, Busted, split in January 2005. The name of the band came from a scene in the 1990 film '' Problem Child'' where the chant "Son of Dork" is used. Their de ...
and Willis as a solo artist. The band reunited in 2016 and have stayed together since. According to the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI), Busted have been certified for 2.4 million albums and 1.8 million singles in the UK. In November 2013, Willis and Bourne announced plans to tour together with
McFly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
as the " supergroup"
McBusted McBusted were an English pop-punk supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the original groups not participating ...
in 2014, and this continued into 2015. On 10 November 2015, it was revealed that Simpson had rejoined Busted after successful secret writing sessions. The band then embarked on the Pigs Can Fly arena tour in May 2016 and released their third studio album, '' Night Driver'', on 25 November 2016. On 26 October 2018, Busted announced their fourth album '' Half Way There'', released on 1 February 2019, as well as a UK arena tour. At the end of 2019, the band embarked on a hiatus to pursue solo projects.


History


2000–2002: Formation, ''Busted'' and rise to fame

James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 ...
and
Matt Willis Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
originally auditioned for another band which neither of them made it into. They remained friends for a number of years and wrote material together. Willis claimed that they had been inspired by Green Day,
Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
and
BBMak BBMak are an English band consisting of Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen McNally. Formed in Liverpool in 1996, they sold over three million albums worldwide between 1999 and 2003. The band first achieved success when their single "Back H ...
. Busted were formed in early 2000, after open auditions were held by
Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...
to form a new band, and originally consisted of Bourne, Willis,
Ki Fitzgerald Ki Fitzgerald (born Kiley McPhail), also known as Azteck, is an English DJ, musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He has written/produced and vocalist on several top 10 singles and albums and was a founding member of the English pop ...
and Owen Doyle, although this version of the band broke up later that year.
Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...
and
Tom Fletcher Thomas Michael Fletcher (born 17 July 1985) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, composer, author and vlogger. He is one of the lead vocalists and rhythm guitarist of English pop rock band McFly, in addition to being the group's founder ...
auditioned to be in the band and were both offered a place to complete the line-up. 24 hours later, however, Busted's manager told Fletcher via a phone call that the band was to go ahead as a trio, comprising Bourne, Willis and Simpson. The band was launched in August 2002, making their first appearance on the cover of '' Smash Hits'' with the headline: "Meet Busted: They're Going to Be Bigger than
Rik Waller Richard "Rik" Waller (born 1981) is an English pop singer. After appearing as a contestant on the TV series ''Pop Idol'', he had two UK Top 40 hits with cover versions of "I Will Always Love You" and "(Something Inside) So Strong". Early ...
!", making it a first for any pop band to appear on the magazine's cover before releasing a single. Their debut single, " What I Go to School For", inspired by a teacher that Willis had a crush on at school, was finally released in September 2002. It reached number three on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Their debut album '' Busted'' was then released, initially charting only around the UK Top 30 and receiving mixed reviews from critics however, it went on to peak at number 2. The follow-up "
Year 3000 "Year 3000" is a song performed by British pop rock band Busted. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album '' Busted'' (2002). "Year 3000" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the 34th-biggest seller ...
", which was written about Bourne's obsession with the film ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
'', then followed in January 2003, reaching number two in the UK chart. In April, their third single, "
You Said No "You Said No" (also known by its original title, "Crash and Burn") is a song by English pop punk band Busted. It was released on 21 April 2003 as the third single from their debut studio album, '' Busted'' (2002). The song was written by band m ...
" became their first number one. ''
British Hit Singles & Albums ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (originally known as ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' and ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') was a music reference book originally published in the United Kingdom by the publishing arm of ...
'' certified them as the first act ever to have their debut three singles enter the top three in an ascending order. Recording began for their second album while the debut album was re-released with new tracks and an enhanced CD section. It would go on to sell 1.2 million copies by the end of the year. The debut album's final single, "
Sleeping with the Light On "Sleeping with the Light On" is a song by English pop rock band Busted. It was the second song that band members James Bourne and Matt Willis wrote together. It was recorded in 2002 for their debut album, '' Busted'', and later released on 11 A ...
", reached number 3 in August 2003, beaten to number one by
Blu Cantrell Blu Cantrell (born Tiffany Cobb; March 16, 1976) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two on the US ''Billboa ...
's " Breathe".


2003–2005: ''A Present for Everyone'' and split

Busted started the summer of 2003 with a win for Favourite Newcomer at the National Music Awards, as well as Best Band at that year's Disney Channel Kids' Awards. After this, the band launched the promotional trail for their new album, ''
A Present for Everyone ''A Present for Everyone'' is the second studio album by British pop punk band Busted. It was released on 17 November 2003 by Universal Island Records and features a sound mixing pop punk and power pop material with traditional pop rock. Five ...
'' and its lead single "
Crashed the Wedding "Crashed the Wedding" is a song by English pop punk band Busted. It was written by James Bourne and McFly's Tom Fletcher and produced by Steve Power. It was released on 10 November 2003 through Island Records as the lead single from Busted's se ...
", which reached number one in the UK chart. Edgier than their previous album, Simpson said that it had some "harder,
Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Mart ...
type vibes coming through on this album". This album would also go on to reach sales of over 1 million copies. During 2003, Charlie met fellow songwriter-guitarist Alex Westaway and drummer Omar Abidi at a party. He was by this stage becoming increasingly frustrated by the music he was performing in Busted and stated he had "all of this creativity pent up inside and I just needed to vent it somewhere, and I was writing a lot of songs but I couldn't play them, because I didn't have anyone to play them with". During the aforementioned party, an impromptu jam session took place. Simpson, Westaway, and Abidi played
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...
's song "
Killing in the Name "Killing in the Name" is a protest song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 self-titled debut album. It was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992. It features heavy drop-D guitar riff ...
" on loop, and agreed to attend a gig a few days later. After the show, they went back to Simpson's flat and began performing on guitars and a v-drum kit, which led to their first song being written, titled "Too Much Punch". Westaway later invited bassist Dan Haigh to practice with the band and soon began booking regular rehearsal sessions together, under the name
Fightstar Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generall ...
. 2004 was to prove their final year together as a band. The band performed a successful arena tour to start the year before reaching number one and number two with "
Who's David "Who's David" is a song by British pop punk band Busted. It was released on 16 February 2004 as the second single from their second studio album, ''A Present for Everyone'' (2003). It was co-written by Tom Fletcher, one of the lead vocalists a ...
" and "
Air Hostess A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are primar ...
", respectively. The band picked up Best British Breakthrough Act and Best Pop Act at that year's
BRIT Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
. The band then headed over to America to release a self-titled album that was a mixture of their first and second album. Their exploits were captured for the TV series ''America or Busted'', about Busted's attempts to achieve success in the United States, which ultimately failed. The show debuted on
MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & ...
in November of that year, over the course of the series, it saw Busted's attempts to 'break' America dwindle as interviews fell through and performances remained limited both in terms of audience size and press attention. Whilst the band were out in America, they were then invited to record the theme tune to the brand new '' Thunderbirds'' film that was coming out that summer. Released as a double A-side with the album track, " 3AM", it gave them their fourth and final number one in August 2004, staying at the top for two weeks, the longest they had ever spent at the top. However, the release of the fifth single from their second album, "
She Wants to Be Me "She Wants to Be Me" is a song by British pop punk band Busted, co-written with the record production team The Matrix. It was first included on their second album ''A Present for Everyone ''A Present for Everyone'' is the second studio albu ...
" failed to chart due to its lone formats being a download and a limited edition pocket sized CD, both of which breached chart regulations at the time. Their live album, '' A Ticket for Everyone'', was released in November peaked at number eleven. The band embarked on another sell-out tour that November, and Busted gained a record of the band to play the most consecutive sellout dates at Wembley Arena, eleven nights. At the end of 2004, Busted were involved in the UK number-one Christmas single, Band Aid 20's "
Do They Know It's Christmas? "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
" with money raised helping to combat HIV and AIDS across Africa,
famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...
relief in the Darfur region of Sudan and
aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...
relief in many countries, such as Ethiopia. Simpson's time spent with
Fightstar Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generall ...
reportedly began to cause tensions within the band, amplified when Fightstar announced a 14-date UK tour. Simpson announced to Busted's manager on 24 December 2004 over a phone call that he was leaving the band to focus on Fightstar full-time. On 13 January 2005, Busted's record label announced that a press conference was to be held at the Soho Hotel in London the following day. The next day, the 14th, it was then announced that Busted were splitting up after Simpson's departure weeks before. In an interview with ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' in November 2009, Simpson said, "It was a real fun thing to be doing, and I got on well with everyone I was doing it with, but on the other side, the music wasn't really fulfilling me. I have good memories of the time because we were traveling the world and doing some amazing things, but then as far as self-fulfillment goes, it wasn't really doing a lot for me, so I have these mixed views when I look back. But there's no doubt that it was an amazing thing to do".


2006–2012: Solo projects and bands

Charlie began pursuing a solo career after playing in
Fightstar Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generall ...
, a post-hardcore band which differs greatly from the sound of Busted. They formed a year prior to Busted's split. To-date they have released one EP and four albums: ''
They Liked You Better When You Were Dead ''They Liked You Better When You Were Dead'' is the debut EP by English rock band Fightstar, released on 28 February 2005 through Sandwich Leg Records. The release proved a critical success, in spite of the cynics' initial expectations of th ...
'', '' Grand Unification'', ''
One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours ''One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours'' is the second studio album by British post-hardcore band Fightstar, released on 24 September 2007 through Institute Recordings, itself a subsidiary of independent label Gut Records. Recorded in Los Angeles ...
'', '' Be Human'' and ''
Behind the Devil's Back ''Behind the Devil's Back'' is the fourth studio album by British post-hardcore band Fightstar. The album was released on 16 October 2015 via the band's own record label - distributed by Warner Music. The album was funded via a Pledge Music camp ...
'', all being released in both the UK and the US. They have also released an album of b-sides and rarities, "''
Alternate Endings ''Alternate Endings'' is a compilation album by English post-hardcore band Fightstar, released 11 August 2008 on Gut Records. It features previously unreleased material, b-sides, covers and live radio recordings from the previous four years. ...
''". Fightstar announced a hiatus at the beginning of 2010, stating that they were "taking some time off" to work on separate projects before regrouping to begin working a new record. After their 2014 reunion and 2015 album, Fightstar began to describe themselves as a "passion project" rather than a full-time band, as the members focus on other projects. Simpson released a solo acoustic album called ''
Young Pilgrim ''Young Pilgrim'' is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Charlie Simpson. The album was produced by Danton Supple (Doves, Coldplay) and was released on 15 August 2011 through independent label PIAS Recordings. Following the exte ...
'', which peaked at number 6 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
in 2011, followed by the 2014 album '' Long Road Home''. James went on to release music through pop punk band
Son of Dork Son of Dork were a British pop punk band formed by James Bourne after his previous band, Busted, split in January 2005. The name of the band came from a scene in the 1990 film '' Problem Child'' where the chant "Son of Dork" is used. Their de ...
, and pursued a solo career under the name of Future Boy. Bourne has also written songs for many artists, including Melanie C,
McFly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
,
JC Chasez Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actor. He started out his career as a cast member on '' The Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to stardom with NSYNC, and ...
,
Patrick Monahan Patrick Monahan (born February 28, 1969) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and sole constant member of the band Train. He has collaborated with multiple artists and recorded a solo album, ''Last ...
, and the Jonas Brothers. From 2007– 2008, he was one of the main songwriters for the ITV musical drama,
Britannia High ''Britannia High'' is a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television and Globe Productions for the ITV network. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theatr ...
. After a brief stint in rehab after the Busted split, Matt set up a solo career, releasing singles in 2006 and 2007, " Up All Night", " Hey Kid", "
Don't Let It Go to Waste ''Don't Let It Go to Waste'' is the debut album from Matt Willis, released on 20 November 2006. The track "Who You Gonna Run To" features Imogen Heap on vocals. Track listing Personnel *Alex Clarke - Pro Tools *Brio Taliaferro - Additiona ...
", and "
Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...
" for the film
Mr Bean's Holiday ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Steve Bendelack and written by Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll, from a story penned by Simon McBurney. Based on the British sitcom series ''Mr. Bean'' created by Rowan Atkinson and Richar ...
, all except the latter of which were included on his album ''
Don't Let It Go to Waste ''Don't Let It Go to Waste'' is the debut album from Matt Willis, released on 20 November 2006. The track "Who You Gonna Run To" features Imogen Heap on vocals. Track listing Personnel *Alex Clarke - Pro Tools *Brio Taliaferro - Additiona ...
''. Matt also appeared on, and was crowned winner of, the 2006 series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. After being dropped from his record label, Willis has turned to presenting. So far he has presented at the
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
and more recently ITV2's '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' alongside his wife, Emma, the pair are due to get together again for E!, presenting the BAFTAs. On Willis' Myspace, he has stated that he is currently writing with his new band, yet to be named. From February to November 2012, Matt Willis starred as Fiyero in the musical Wicked in London's West End where he received mixed reviews. It 2013 he also appeared in West End Men with fellow musical star Lee Mead at the Vaudeville Theatre in London for a limited time. In 2010, some sources suggested that, after a £1 million offer, Busted would reform for a tour and possibly a new album. Charlie denied that he would return to Busted, stating, "I wish Matt and James all the best with their future projects but I want to make it unequivocally clear that I have no interest what-so-ever in re-joining Busted and I never will", but James wrote on his Twitter page, "I'll fucking get up and do it any time, any day, anywhere".


2013–2015: McBusted

From 19 to 22 September 2013, Willis and Bourne made a surprise brief reunion as Busted when they joined
McFly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
as special guests during the band's four 10th anniversary concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. They performed "Year 3000", "Air Hostess" and McFly's " Shine a Light" with McFly under the name '
McBusted McBusted were an English pop-punk supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the original groups not participating ...
'. McFly and Busted confirmed a 2014 tour together. Simpson said through Twitter that although he would not be joining the new supergroup, he wished them the best of luck in the future. McBusted released their debut album ''
McBusted McBusted were an English pop-punk supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the original groups not participating ...
'' on 1 December 2014. They then embarked on another sold out UK tour,
McBusted's Most Excellent Adventure Tour McBusted's Most Excellent Adventure Tour is a 2015 concert tour by English supergroup McBusted, composed of members of pop rock bands McFly and Busted. Background The second McBusted tour, to support their debut self-titled album. On 4 Novemb ...
. Willis also revealed that Busted had been approached to star in the ITV2 series ''
The Big Reunion ''The Big Reunion'' is a British reality-documentary series that began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013. The show featured chart-topping bands who were big in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme followed ...
'', but turned it down because "it didn't feel right for our band."


2015–2016: Simpson's return, comeback tour and ''Night Driver''

On 5 October 2015, '' The Sun'' rumoured that Simpson was set to rejoin Busted. After this, a photo made its way around the internet that showed the three members of Busted silhouetted in front of a red background. Words appeared to be blurred out at the bottom of the image, but above that was the words "Join us for a special announcement Tuesday November 10th 2015". This implied that the band was reuniting, with further speculation that the three would embark on a reunion tour together. On 10 November 2015, Busted announced a thirteen-date arena tour in the UK and Ireland would take place in May 2016. At the same press conference Busted announced their third studio album. 100,000 tickets were sold in the first hour of being put on sale. Subsequent tour dates were added as a result of high demand. Regarding his decision to rejoin the band, Simpson told ''
Newsbeat ''Newsbeat'' is the BBC's radio news programme broadcast on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. ''Newsbeat'' is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically yo ...
'': "I reckon I said it o many times privately and publicly, and I meant it every single time. But as I say I have changed my mind and that has been down to the circumstances changing. I never thought we would get to a point where we were in a studio writing music we all got behind creatively and that was a huge shock to me". In early 2016, Busted recorded their third studio album in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. On 17 March 2016, Bourne told a fan on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that Busted would decide the release date for their third album that day. It is scheduled for release in the Autumn. The band have also insisted that their reunion is for the long-term; as Bourne told Digital Spy, "We want this to be something that is ongoing. Anything we write now goes towards album four". On 4 April 2016, Busted announced that their tour would be called the
Pigs Can Fly Tour 2016 The Pigs Can Fly Tour 2016 was a 2016 concert tour by English pop punk band Busted. It was the band's first tour since their split in 2005. Background On 5 October 2015, it was reported that Charlie Simpson was set to rejoin Busted, over a d ...
and would include
Wheatus Wheatus are an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single " Teenage Dirtbag", which appeared in the films '' Loser'' and ''Bully'', as well as the HBO miniseries '' Generation ...
and
Emma Blackery Emma Louise Blackery (born 11 November 1991) is an English musician, singer, YouTube vlogger, record producer, and author. Active since 2012, Blackery has released EPs, singles, and Vevo music videos. She has toured with Busted, and headline ...
as special guests. Regarding the title, Willis told ''
Newsbeat ''Newsbeat'' is the BBC's radio news programme broadcast on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. ''Newsbeat'' is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically yo ...
'', "The whole pigs can fly thing sums up how we feel about this. 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". In an interview with Digital Spy, the band revealed that their fans will get a taste of their new sound before their reunion tour and that their eleventh single will be released in the summer, and their album would follow in the autumn. On 25 April 2016, it was officially announced that South African drummer Cobus Potgieter, popular on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, would be the supporting drummer for the band during the tour. On 3 May, Busted released " Coming Home", their first new song for 12 years, as a free download from their website. During the 'Pigs Can Fly' tour, Busted premiered two new tracks titled "Easy" and "One of a Kind", from the upcoming 2016 album. Chalmers, president of East West, said: "Watching Busted play live over the past few weeks and seeing people respond to their music and energy has been amazing. Busted have a huge global fanbase who are going to be really excited to hear the new music the guys are working on. They've managed to combine the classic Busted sound with a modern twist, it's sure to remind people of why they love them. We're really happy to be working with Charlie, Matt and James". On 14 July 2016, Busted revealed that the "final touches" to the album were complete. On 18 August 2016, it was announced by
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
that a musical based on the band's history written by Bourne and Elliot Davis was to be staged, ''What I Go to School For'' will depict the group's rise to fame. It will be performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in August 2016 and will feature songs like Air Hostess, Crashed the Wedding and Year 3000. If the show is a success Bourne and Davis have said they would like to take it to the West End. On 9 September 2016, Busted revealed that their third album would be called '' Night Driver''. On 3 May 2016, " Coming Home" was released as a promotional single from the album. On 30 September 2016, " On What You're On" was released as the first official single from the album. Another song, entitled "Easy", was unveiled on 18 October 2016. Two days later, on 20 October 2016, Busted announced that due to production delays, the album release would be pushed back to 25 November 2016. The same day, Busted released a video for "Easy" filmed live at Pool Studios. On 23 October 2016, the band made their first TV performance in over 12 years on ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' to perform "Year 3000" with the contestants.


2017–2019: ''Half Way There''

In June 2017 Busted flew to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
to perform their first American re-formed gig at the
Troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairi ...
and continue writing and begin recording for their planned fourth album. In April 2018, it was confirmed the album would release in Q1 2019, and the band would return to their original sound. In May that year, Cobus Potgieter, who had previously stood in as drummer on Busted's 2016 tour, announced that he would be the studio drummer for the upcoming fourth album. On 26 October 2018, Busted announced that their fourth album, '' Half Way There'' (a reference to a lyric in the song "
Year 3000 "Year 3000" is a song performed by British pop rock band Busted. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album '' Busted'' (2002). "Year 3000" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the 34th-biggest seller ...
"), would be released on 8 February 2019. The album features a cover of
James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 ...
's song, " What Happened to Your Band", which was previously performed by his band
Son of Dork Son of Dork were a British pop punk band formed by James Bourne after his previous band, Busted, split in January 2005. The name of the band came from a scene in the 1990 film '' Problem Child'' where the chant "Son of Dork" is used. Their de ...
and recorded by McBusted, and returns to the roots of their musical style. The first single of the album, "Nineties", was released in the first week of November 2018. Additional songs from the album, "Reunion" and "All My Friends" were released December 14 and 15 respectively (the latter was an exclusive release for those that had pre-ordered the album from the band's online store). In January 2019, Busted released their second single for the album, "
Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
". This was accompanied by a music video. The band performed a secret set at
Slam Dunk Festival Slam Dunk Records or Slam Dunk Music is a British independent record label, promoter and concert organising company, founded in Leeds, England, in 2007. Some notable signees include You Me at Six and Decade. The label evolved from "Slam Dunk", ...
in May 2019, on the Key Club Stage (Right). The band performed under the pseudonym "Y3K", a reference to their song Year 3000. On 8 June 2019, Busted were invited up on stage to perform "Year 3000" with the Jonas Brothers at Capitol's
Summertime Ball Capital's Summertime Ball is a mini-festival in London, held on either first or second Saturday or Sunday of June by the radio station Capital. The first ball was at Emirates Stadium in 2009, and it has since been held at Wembley Stadium. The ...
2019 as special guests.


2019–present: Hiatus

On 31 December 2019, Bourne announced a new solo project, tweeting "After twenty amazing years making music, I am stepping into 2020 on a brand new solo adventure. Busted will always be my band. But, I've dreamed for years about releasing my own album so here we go." His debut album, ''Safe Journey Home'', was released on 23 October 2020. The album was followed-up with ''Sugar Beach'', released in 2022. Simpson released a solo single called "I See You". His fourth solo album ''Hope Is a Drug'' was released in 2022. Alongside this, Simpson also set up a
Patreon Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a com ...
where he uploads exclusive tracks including new music and covers. During the hiatus, Willis continued his acting career, appearing in stage productions such as ''
Waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...
'' and '' 2:22 A Ghost Story''.


Artistry


Musical style

Busted's genre has been described as
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
,
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
and
college rock College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...
. Although the band were often referred to as a boy band, Simpson, Bourne and Willis would often reject that label. Simpson stated 'Those clichés are everything the band wasn't, because we hated them. We hated the machine of pop, we split up at the height of our fame, they were talking about us putting on a Wembley Stadium gig and we gave it up.' The sound of their first two albums were often compared to that of
Wheatus Wheatus are an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single " Teenage Dirtbag", which appeared in the films '' Loser'' and ''Bully'', as well as the HBO miniseries '' Generation ...
,
Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
and Sum 41 and the band were complimented on the energy and enthusiasm brought to the studio and shows. When Busted returned to the pop punk sounds for Half Way There, Simpson noted that it was a style they tried to have when they were younger but the 'record label wouldn't allow it'. Busted's attempts to mature their sound was noted by Simpson in a BBC Interview. He stated 'I would go to the label and say, 'You've got to turn the drums up, you can't hear them and it doesn't sound like a rock record, it sounds like a pop record'. Their third album '' Night Driver'' was a departure from their original sound. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' noted upon the release of " Coming Home", that the band were much more ' synth-pop' influenced. Influence from the 1980s decade and Daft Punk were also noted. The group also branched out into R&B and bass-heavy
alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
. Lyrically, Busted often references pop culture. Bourne stated 'The pop culture references are a big part of what we do. On those early records, we’ve got Britney Spears and
Dawson’s Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...
in there, now we’re writing about
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The ...
. That’s what’s in our lives now'. Their song Year 3000 is also heavily influenced by
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
. The band also described their style as '
tongue in cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
', stating that if you do that to 'banging rock music' and that 'When you do that, you can be silly, it really works'.


Influences

Busted have spoken about various influences for their sound and songwriting including
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
and
Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
. Simpson stated that the latter in particular was a 'big influence back in the day'. Bourne also stated that
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label reco ...
was a 'major influence' to the early days of the band. Upon announcing that
Wheatus Wheatus are an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single " Teenage Dirtbag", which appeared in the films '' Loser'' and ''Bully'', as well as the HBO miniseries '' Generation ...
would be joining them on tour in 2019, Willis stated that the band was a "massive Busted influence".


Legacy

During the height of their popularity, Busted were often complimented for bringing in a wave of British pop rock. They were cited as bringing in '"something fresh and new" to the scene' of pop. They 'broke with that trend of the all-singing, all-dancing boy group that was around', instead pioneering a revival in interest of the
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
.
Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-of ...
cited Busted as a positive influence on kids getting into
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
. Simpson also spoke in 2019 about being told of an increase in guitar sales during Busted's heyday. Willis also mentioned that many upcoming indie bands and fans had spoken to him, stating that: 'I meet them and they’ll say, ‘The first song I learned to play was What I Go To School For, and, ‘the first time I picked up a guitar was playing Busted tab’. That was amazing to me because I did that with Oasis chord books. It was so cool to hear people did that with our band.” Their first two albums went multi-platinum and they achieved four number ones in the UK Charts. In 2004, Busted won Best British Breakthrough
BRIT Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
. The band's reunion tour in 2016 required extra dates after selling out within an hour. Busted have been cited as influences for The Vamps and 5 Seconds of Summer. They have also been cited as one of the reasons musician
Emma Blackery Emma Louise Blackery (born 11 November 1991) is an English musician, singer, YouTube vlogger, record producer, and author. Active since 2012, Blackery has released EPs, singles, and Vevo music videos. She has toured with Busted, and headline ...
'picked up a guitar'. Blackery went on to tour with the band during the Pigs Can Fly Tour in 2016. Pop rock band
Natives Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
have been vocally thankful to Busted, and particularly
Matt Willis Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
for 'fighting their corner'. Busted have been called instrumental in the formation of British pop rock band
Mcfly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
. After the record label declined Tom Fletcher's participation in the band, he was offered a space on the song writing team for the first two albums. Fletcher credits James Bourne as teaching him the structure of a pop
hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
. After Busted's split, Mcfly was often coined as Busted's successor.
Year 3000 "Year 3000" is a song performed by British pop rock band Busted. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album '' Busted'' (2002). "Year 3000" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the 34th-biggest seller ...
and What I Go To School For were also covered by the
pop band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...
Jonas Brothers. Their cover of Year 3000 was a lead single from their first album and a commercial success.


Members

Current *
James Bourne James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 ...
– vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, piano *
Matt Willis Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
– vocals, bass guitar, synths *
Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...
– vocals, lead guitar, drums, keyboards, synths Current touring musicians * Eddy ThrowerNEWS: Busted enlist Eddy Thrower (Lower Than Atlantis) as touring drummer!
Dead Press. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
– drums Former * Owen Doyle – vocals, bass guitar *
Ki Fitzgerald Ki Fitzgerald (born Kiley McPhail), also known as Azteck, is an English DJ, musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He has written/produced and vocalist on several top 10 singles and albums and was a founding member of the English pop ...
– vocals, guitars *
Tom Fletcher Thomas Michael Fletcher (born 17 July 1985) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, composer, author and vlogger. He is one of the lead vocalists and rhythm guitarist of English pop rock band McFly, in addition to being the group's founder ...
– vocals, guitars Former touring musicians * Damon Wilson – drums * Chris Banks – keyboards * Chris Leonard – guitars * Nick Tsang – guitars * Cobus Potgieter – drums * Ross Harris – drums * Jesse Molloy – saxophone * David Temple – saxophone ;Timeline


Discography

* '' Busted'' (2002) * ''
A Present for Everyone ''A Present for Everyone'' is the second studio album by British pop punk band Busted. It was released on 17 November 2003 by Universal Island Records and features a sound mixing pop punk and power pop material with traditional pop rock. Five ...
'' (2003) * '' Night Driver'' (2016) * '' Half Way There'' (2019)


Tours

* Busted: Tour (2003) * Busted: A Ticket for Everyone (2004) * Busted: A Ticket for Everyone Else (2004) * Busted: Pigs Can Fly (2016) * Busted: Night Driver Tour (2017) * Half Way There Tour (2019)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Busted (Band) Brit Award winners English pop punk groups English pop rock music groups English power pop groups Musical groups established in 2000 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 Musical groups reestablished in 2015 Musical groups from Essex British musical trios Island Records artists Sony Music Publishing artists East West Records artists