Written by Olivia Rose and Photographed by Dan Rose
On 9 September 2023, the iconic British pop-punk trio Busted blew the roof off Birmingham’s Utilita Arena as they brought their astonishing ‘20th Anniversary & Greatest Hits’ tour to the West Midlands.
Heartwarmingly sentimental and electrifying from beginning to end, the beloved band inspired an entire audience to relive the passion and carefreeness of their youths, whilst this generation’s kids in attendance adorned ‘my first Busted concert’ merchandise and experienced the wonder of the group, that their elders wholeheartedly love, for the very first time. Just like in the early 2000s, the adored band members Charlie Simpson, James Bourne and Matt Willis rocked out to their discography of renowned bangers, with guitars in hand and harmonies intact, completely lost in the power of their timeless tunes.
Known for their feel-good hits, especially from the 90s, American pop-rock band of brothers Hanson took to the stage around 8pm, where they spectacularly opened the show and warmed up the enormous crowd with their infectiously positive tunes. The musically-gifted fraternity expressed their sincere gratitude to Busted for enabling them to tour with them but, really, it was the audience who were grateful to Hanson for effortlessly kickstarting an unforgettable night of musical history.
Around 9pm, following on from Hanson’s thrilling set and a short interval, the audience’s already-sky-high anticipation suddenly soared as the stage curtain dramatically fell and Christopher Lloyd’s immediately recognisable character Doc appeared on the big screen to awesomely welcome Busted to the stage. Living up to the title of their tour, the treasured trio energetically performed a mass of their biggest hits, beginning with their riveting track ‘Air Hostess’ which had the band members, as well as the audience, jumping up and down from the get go.
One of the most magical and wholesome moments from the night was when Busted invited their special guests Hanson back to the stage to perform the brotherhood’s smash hit ‘MMMBop’ with them, following both bands’ re-recording of the song that was released back in May. Neon floral visuals embellished the stage screens as they all delivered an incredible performance of this joyous throwback, which will soon be available to buy and stream on the award-winning band’s forthcoming ‘Greatest Hits 2.0 (Guest Features Edition)’ album. After the bands’ duet, Charlie described the new record as a “labour of love for the past year” which is not at all surprising, given the pure, unfiltered happiness that he, James and Matt exuded on stage that night.
Echoing the feeling of former teenagers in the audience, James told the crowd he was “living the dream” after performing with Hanson, which served as a wonderful reminder of the band’s long-lasting humility despite their major influence across all these years. Approximately 15,800 people, in the form of hardcore listeners and newer fans, packed out the completely sold-out show at Utilita Arena on Saturday night, which is a testament to the everlasting significance of Busted’s marvellous music in people’s lives. Throughout the venue, the energy was positively exhilarating all night as each member of the band cheekily interacted with the massive crowd, Matt’s contagious smile spread across his entire face up to his eyeballs, and the audience threw their arms in the air and sang their hearts out to every tune, from #1 smash hit ‘Crashed the Wedding’ to emo anthem ‘3am.’
Not only was the music totally thrilling, the tone of the evening was really light-hearted and fun too as the band and audience all laughed at Matt’s recollection of Charlie running around in his underwear in the 2002 ‘What I Go To School For’ music video. Hilariously, James even promised that he would “get a tattoo of Charlie running around in his Y-fronts” if the new record reaches number one and Matt added that, despite him striving to be “zen these days”, he is annoyed by the fact that “Busted have never had a number one album.” I think it’s safe to say that, due to their heartening influence and magnificent musical legacy, these three British heroes truly deserve to finally obtain a number one record – and that’s not just because I’d love to see James sport a fresh tattoo of his barely-clothed bandmate, I swear!
As well as throwing guitar picks to ecstatic fans in the crowd, Busted also took the time to humorously introduce the songs they performed, such as when Matt hilariously asked if anyone in the crowd was called David and then said “this song is for you”, before the opening chords of ‘Who’s David’ played out. Prior to playing one of their #1 singles ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’, the band reminisced the time that the song came out along with the 2004 film it was featured in and, funnily, Matt called the audience “f*cking liars” after they cheered in response to him questioning “did anybody here watch that movie?” Despite them being “promised the world” but the film lacking the commercial success it was supposed to, the band showed their down-to-earth nature once again as they said “at least we got a song out of it” and, besides, the theatrical tune was epic to experience live.
During the show, a 360° camera could sometimes be seen swinging back and forth in front of the pit which makes me think (and genuinely hope) that, once the tour is over, a documentary of this memorable show will be created or, perhaps, individual live performances of the songs will be released, so that those who weren’t able to attend the concerts can experience the triumph of Busted live too. Ranging from youthful music video throwbacks, to charming footage of the band winning a BRIT Award in 2004, the eclectic backdrops meant that the whole show was just as exciting visually as it was audibly; it genuinely felt like you were simultaneously time travelling to the 2000s, witnessing history unfold before you, as well as receiving an initial taste of Busted’s future success, as you watched the band take to new heights (quite literally, as they frequently jumped midair!)
After a rousing rendition of ‘Teenage Kicks’, Back to the Future’s Dr Emmett Brown returned to the screen for the encore, whereby he aptly and charismatically reintroduced Busted to the stage to perform their most famous song, ‘Year 3000.’ Though I had high expectations for this sensational encore, I – along with the rest of the audience, I’m sure – was utterly amazed by their passionate rendition of their unquestionably popular, best-selling hit. As Charlie encouraged the audience to sing “one last time” with the band before the dazzling show concluded, confetti canons cinematically exploded above our heads as the legendary chorus rang out in our ears. Everybody in attendance roared with elation and gave a standing ovation on tired feet as the precious band closed out their exceptionally enchanting and blissful concert. Without a doubt, this show is an experience that will indelibly be etched in my memory forever which, as someone who grew up listening to Busted, is something I’m incredibly grateful for.
With extraordinarily retro, noughties-inspired visuals throughout, ambient onstage fire and smoke spectacles, and Busted’s admirable dedication to elicit euphoria in the crowd, every single person in the room, regardless of their age, was able to experience or relive the unparalleled ecstasy and transcendence of being a teenager, at least for one night. It is no surprise then that, as Charlie revealed on stage, Busted’s 2023 reunion tour is the highest selling UK arena tour this year. Expressing his genuine emotion in the moment, which the awe-inspired crowd undoubtedly appreciated, Matt exclaimed that he “f*cking love(s) being in Busted so much” and, though unspoken, I could tell that the audience collectively wanted to shout “we f*cking love Busted so much” back to him, especially after they were blessed enough to participate in such a stellar night of music, beautiful community and incomparable nostalgia.
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