McBusted, O2 Arena - gig review

The two bands morphed into each other for a victorious show which comprised mostly Busted songs and the cream of McFly
Pop-punk: McBusted’s Tom Fletcher (Picture: Angela Lubrano/Livepix)
LIVEPIX
29 April 2014

When Busted and their Mini-Me, McFly, were in their pomp, the bands shared management, a pop-punk style and an audience. They were almost interchangeable.

Now, nine years after Busted's demise and with McFly on their last legs, they have actually morphed into each other and become McBusted, missing only Busted's Charlie Simpson, who, apparently, prefers to concentrate on his solo career. Simpson's absence made him the loser on a night that proved to be the easiest of victories.

Without a dominant personality (unless McFly's Danny Jones dressing as a vagrant and repeatedly pretending we were at Wembley count) and without any solo showcases, McBusted were as collective as a Soviet farm. They did things properly and according to public demand, so their set comprised mostly Busted songs, the cream of McFly and a spirited cover of The Jackson Five's I Want You Back.

Wisely, in a world where cutting corners invariably leads to cutting audiences, money had been spent on the set. So even after Busted's James Bourne and Matt Willis had entered by car, there were flames and a giant UFO which descended from the roof as the sextet played Stargirl and, for the Year 3000 finale, a pair of giant inflated breasts. That slice of locker-room humour complemented the wearying scatological quips which slipped into toe-curlingly inappropriate, wildly off-message coprophilia banter before Nerdy.

Despite the incongruity of men who only go to school to pick up their children these days singing What I Go To School For, like both their forebears, McBusted were essentially a superloud British version of Blink 182, whose Mark Hoppus was present, as were The Only Way Is Essex's Mario Falcone, Willis's television presenter wife Emma and actress Linda Robson.

There was nothing to move and no emotional connection, but neither Busted or McFly claimed to have the souls of poets. Instead, there were the simple delights of the snappy Thunderbirds Are Go; Willis in bridal costume for Crashed The Wedding; the harmony-laden Sleeping With The Light On and more running around than the London Marathon. McBusted may not be great, but they were mostly great fun.

McBusted play O2 Arena, Apr 25-26

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