"It's over now, and I can't see you. Some things are better left unsaid..."
And just like that, mirroring a lyric from their million selling second album, Charlie Simpson had busted Busted. January 14th 2005, London's Soho Hotel. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Simpson was at pains to stress he was never embarrassed to be in the power-chord playing pseudo-boyband, but admitted he had decided to walk away. Beside him, his clearly crestfallen bandmates echoed the message - good of them, considering Charlie had in a sense just rung the neck of their golden goose. Truthfully in the decade since, none of the parties ever really spoke ill of each other and stories of infighting never emerged. One thing that did emerge however, was nail after nail in the Busted coffin, hammered by Simpson himself:
2006: "I was in a music career, which was amazing, and I hated it because it wasn't fulfilling me in any sense of the word. I kept thinking, imagine if this was a band I really loved, I'd be loving it. It was like torture."
2009: "I read that I was going to be part of a Busted reunion, but that won't happen in a million years. The other two might do something, but I'm not involved."
2012: "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 whatsoever in rejoining Busted and I never will"
Let me make no bones about this - I fucking love Busted. I love Busted more in 2015 than I did when they split in 2005. I am passionate about music, and honestly, genuinely, I really mean this - I don't know there's a band I love more than Busted.
It's funny how your taste evolves. When I was 11, I loved Oasis. They were my favourites until I was 15. Then came Foo Fighters. Around 18 it was Stone Roses. At 19, it was Busted. And at 21 it was Fightstar, who've sort of ruled the roost ever since, although their crown rather slipped in the 6 years between 2009's 'Be Human' and 2015's 'Behind The Devils Back'.
In 2015, aged 31, when I put my headphones in while I'm doing the cleaning when the wife and baby are asleep, I'm not listening to the Stone Roses. I rarely put on Oasis. I listen to Foo Fighters once a year. And Fightstar get the odd run out, but ultimately, my go to album is the subtly titled Christmas 2003 release "A Present For Everyone", the last record Busted made. Why? Why, why, why? Trust me, it surprises me more than you.
It is because, put simply, Busted were unique. There are plenty of earnest boybands writing nice ballads out there. There's lot of men in their twenties writing chugging tunes loaded with power chords and emotion. But there aren't many doing both, and there aren't any doing it with such a strong sense of humour, tongue planted firmly in cheek. And there are none who just write such fucking kick ass music!
I've experienced a bunch in life - who hasn't? - a lot of it quite serious. My parents break up was about as ugly as you can get, my Dad's accident was tragic, and his death 3 years later raised the bar. Then there was the 5 years spent drinking my inheritance. Point being it wasn't all a bed of roses. My greatest weapon to fight back against life's trials and tribulations and get to grips with that first quarter century of my life in the past few years has been the ability to diffuse the seriousness and inject a sense of levity and humour, a tool with which I now meet all of life's challenges. I am (unfortunately) hardwired to be melodramatic - if you knew my parents, you'd understand why - but I am aware that it really does no one any favours to tackle life on such serious terms. Ergo I do my best to come at things with a smile and a chuckle. This is why Busted & me are a good fit.
What most people know of the band are, naturally, the singles, where the silliness is turned up to 11. Air Hostess, Year 3000, Crashed The Wedding - these are good songs, great pop tunes worthy of their places at the top of the charts. But truthfully it's the ability to fuse the tongue in cheek numbers with the hand on heart, lighter in the air ballads in the same album - or even in the same song at times - that makes Busted so uniquely, erm, well, BUSTED! Personal favourites include the album track "Fake" about the fear that your lady may be putting on a show in the bedroom if you're coming up short:
"What am I gonna do now? The games up.
I can't get her off, that's kinda rough.
So baby tell me now do I need to measure?
Cos' I'm feeling under pressure
Don't wanna be a 'fake' "
Then you have the more sombre numbers, love songs along the lines of chart hits '3am' and 'Sleeping With The Light On'. Second album tracks 'Why?' and 'It's Over Now' are some of the best break up songs I've ever heard & have been friends in dark times. Above all else, Simpson and Bourne are both phenomenal songwriters and wrote some phenomenal melodies. The combination of Charlie's melancholy drenched vocals with Bourne's insanely catchy tunes & Willis' massive energy hits a note with me that nothing else does. Perhaps the most surprising part of this is how the songs have not only sustained over the years, but how I've actually grown more fond of them, not less, as the years go by. My passion for Oasis, Stone Roses, Foo Fighters and even Fightstar now is not quite what it once was. But I still bloody love Busted. And I did even before this weeks news.
Which brings us full circle. This weeks news. It is safe to say that I am an optimist and I tend to believe all things are possible. It takes a lot - A LOT - to surprise me. But, hand on heart, until the news broke confirming the reunion, I genuinely never, ever, ever, ever thought that this would happen. It was not just Charlie's words, it was his actions.
I saw Busted live, in November 2004. My buddy Dave came with me (I paid for his ticket - need to tell you that just to make sure the innocent are protected). The gig was good but not great, and I noted to Dave at the time that James and Matt seemed to really enjoy interacting with the crowd and putting on a show. Charlie, meanwhile, looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. A harbinger of things to come, it turned out. I also saw him in January 2005 playing with Fightstar suppoting Taking Back Sunday and he was the antithesis - loving every second, even if the audiene wanted to dismiss him. In addition to all the quotes above, everytime he was asked about Busted he visibly clammed up. He would talk about how when the band formed in 2002 he was enjoying it but as his musical tastes progressed and changed, James' and Matt's didn't. Given it was always James' band first and foremost(Charlie joined later) and the record company weren't about to start putting out death metal Busted records, leaving was the right choice for all involved. Having worked so hard and so long to establish himself as a 'serious' and 'credible' musician, why would he ever go back?
When I first heard the rumours, I dismissed it. I thought 'given how he's talked about Busted for a decade, the only possible reason he'd go back was for the money'. But that in itself made no sense - having turned down the millions to be made with McBusted 18 months earlier, and walked away from the millions Busted would have made him in 2005, why would the money suddenly appeal to him now?
In retrospect however, clearly I wasn't paying enough attention. There were clues in the last couple of years. In 2013, a year after saying he 'unequivocally' would 'never' have any interest in rejoining Busted, came this quote about McBusted:
"Busted was a lifetime ago. But I'm really happy that they're doing it, and they look they're enjoying it - now it just wouldn't be right for me to do"
In the space of 12 months, never had become 'now'. Then on 'This Morning' in 2014, all the awkwardness and angst talking about Busted had been replaced with talk about what a fun time that was in his life and how fondly he looked back on those times. He even mentioned how he'd been rebuilding his relationships with Matt and James. Doors were opening...
Still, I must admit, even had I been paying attention, I couldn't have foreseen this. But the various videos and interviews they've done since pieces the puzzle together - friendships rebuilt, the trio went to Philadelphia to see was there any musical common ground to be found. They came away after 4 days of jamming with 3 new songs and a decision that they were putting the band back together: "We went to Philadelphia a few months ago, we wanted to go somewhere where we wouldn’t be seen and we just started working and came up with something which I think all of us were super happy with. We didn’t expect to come away with something so perfect.". It gives me genuine pleasure and joy to see these 3 dudes who created this music I've loved so much getting on so well after a decade of weirdness.
So, roll on the new record! I would have been pleased with a tour but it's the prospect of a new album that has me really excited. I never, ever thought I'd be lucky enough to have another batch of Busted tunes to process and enjoy and I can't believe it's happening! I'm confidently predicting I'm the most excited heterosexual male on earth who's not actually in the band when it comes to this album. Given the fact that the last one kept me going 12 years, hopefully even if they never do another, this one should keep me bopping away with a grin on my face for the rest of my days, reminding me never to take life too serious.
Oh and then there's the gig: May 31, 2016, 3Arena. Meet You There...
2006: "I was in a music career, which was amazing, and I hated it because it wasn't fulfilling me in any sense of the word. I kept thinking, imagine if this was a band I really loved, I'd be loving it. It was like torture."
2009: "I read that I was going to be part of a Busted reunion, but that won't happen in a million years. The other two might do something, but I'm not involved."
2012: "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 whatsoever in rejoining Busted and I never will"
Let me make no bones about this - I fucking love Busted. I love Busted more in 2015 than I did when they split in 2005. I am passionate about music, and honestly, genuinely, I really mean this - I don't know there's a band I love more than Busted.
It's funny how your taste evolves. When I was 11, I loved Oasis. They were my favourites until I was 15. Then came Foo Fighters. Around 18 it was Stone Roses. At 19, it was Busted. And at 21 it was Fightstar, who've sort of ruled the roost ever since, although their crown rather slipped in the 6 years between 2009's 'Be Human' and 2015's 'Behind The Devils Back'.
In 2015, aged 31, when I put my headphones in while I'm doing the cleaning when the wife and baby are asleep, I'm not listening to the Stone Roses. I rarely put on Oasis. I listen to Foo Fighters once a year. And Fightstar get the odd run out, but ultimately, my go to album is the subtly titled Christmas 2003 release "A Present For Everyone", the last record Busted made. Why? Why, why, why? Trust me, it surprises me more than you.
It is because, put simply, Busted were unique. There are plenty of earnest boybands writing nice ballads out there. There's lot of men in their twenties writing chugging tunes loaded with power chords and emotion. But there aren't many doing both, and there aren't any doing it with such a strong sense of humour, tongue planted firmly in cheek. And there are none who just write such fucking kick ass music!
I've experienced a bunch in life - who hasn't? - a lot of it quite serious. My parents break up was about as ugly as you can get, my Dad's accident was tragic, and his death 3 years later raised the bar. Then there was the 5 years spent drinking my inheritance. Point being it wasn't all a bed of roses. My greatest weapon to fight back against life's trials and tribulations and get to grips with that first quarter century of my life in the past few years has been the ability to diffuse the seriousness and inject a sense of levity and humour, a tool with which I now meet all of life's challenges. I am (unfortunately) hardwired to be melodramatic - if you knew my parents, you'd understand why - but I am aware that it really does no one any favours to tackle life on such serious terms. Ergo I do my best to come at things with a smile and a chuckle. This is why Busted & me are a good fit.
What most people know of the band are, naturally, the singles, where the silliness is turned up to 11. Air Hostess, Year 3000, Crashed The Wedding - these are good songs, great pop tunes worthy of their places at the top of the charts. But truthfully it's the ability to fuse the tongue in cheek numbers with the hand on heart, lighter in the air ballads in the same album - or even in the same song at times - that makes Busted so uniquely, erm, well, BUSTED! Personal favourites include the album track "Fake" about the fear that your lady may be putting on a show in the bedroom if you're coming up short:
"What am I gonna do now? The games up.
I can't get her off, that's kinda rough.
So baby tell me now do I need to measure?
Cos' I'm feeling under pressure
Don't wanna be a 'fake' "
Then you have the more sombre numbers, love songs along the lines of chart hits '3am' and 'Sleeping With The Light On'. Second album tracks 'Why?' and 'It's Over Now' are some of the best break up songs I've ever heard & have been friends in dark times. Above all else, Simpson and Bourne are both phenomenal songwriters and wrote some phenomenal melodies. The combination of Charlie's melancholy drenched vocals with Bourne's insanely catchy tunes & Willis' massive energy hits a note with me that nothing else does. Perhaps the most surprising part of this is how the songs have not only sustained over the years, but how I've actually grown more fond of them, not less, as the years go by. My passion for Oasis, Stone Roses, Foo Fighters and even Fightstar now is not quite what it once was. But I still bloody love Busted. And I did even before this weeks news.
Which brings us full circle. This weeks news. It is safe to say that I am an optimist and I tend to believe all things are possible. It takes a lot - A LOT - to surprise me. But, hand on heart, until the news broke confirming the reunion, I genuinely never, ever, ever, ever thought that this would happen. It was not just Charlie's words, it was his actions.
I saw Busted live, in November 2004. My buddy Dave came with me (I paid for his ticket - need to tell you that just to make sure the innocent are protected). The gig was good but not great, and I noted to Dave at the time that James and Matt seemed to really enjoy interacting with the crowd and putting on a show. Charlie, meanwhile, looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. A harbinger of things to come, it turned out. I also saw him in January 2005 playing with Fightstar suppoting Taking Back Sunday and he was the antithesis - loving every second, even if the audiene wanted to dismiss him. In addition to all the quotes above, everytime he was asked about Busted he visibly clammed up. He would talk about how when the band formed in 2002 he was enjoying it but as his musical tastes progressed and changed, James' and Matt's didn't. Given it was always James' band first and foremost(Charlie joined later) and the record company weren't about to start putting out death metal Busted records, leaving was the right choice for all involved. Having worked so hard and so long to establish himself as a 'serious' and 'credible' musician, why would he ever go back?
When I first heard the rumours, I dismissed it. I thought 'given how he's talked about Busted for a decade, the only possible reason he'd go back was for the money'. But that in itself made no sense - having turned down the millions to be made with McBusted 18 months earlier, and walked away from the millions Busted would have made him in 2005, why would the money suddenly appeal to him now?
In retrospect however, clearly I wasn't paying enough attention. There were clues in the last couple of years. In 2013, a year after saying he 'unequivocally' would 'never' have any interest in rejoining Busted, came this quote about McBusted:
"Busted was a lifetime ago. But I'm really happy that they're doing it, and they look they're enjoying it - now it just wouldn't be right for me to do"
In the space of 12 months, never had become 'now'. Then on 'This Morning' in 2014, all the awkwardness and angst talking about Busted had been replaced with talk about what a fun time that was in his life and how fondly he looked back on those times. He even mentioned how he'd been rebuilding his relationships with Matt and James. Doors were opening...
Still, I must admit, even had I been paying attention, I couldn't have foreseen this. But the various videos and interviews they've done since pieces the puzzle together - friendships rebuilt, the trio went to Philadelphia to see was there any musical common ground to be found. They came away after 4 days of jamming with 3 new songs and a decision that they were putting the band back together: "We went to Philadelphia a few months ago, we wanted to go somewhere where we wouldn’t be seen and we just started working and came up with something which I think all of us were super happy with. We didn’t expect to come away with something so perfect.". It gives me genuine pleasure and joy to see these 3 dudes who created this music I've loved so much getting on so well after a decade of weirdness.
So, roll on the new record! I would have been pleased with a tour but it's the prospect of a new album that has me really excited. I never, ever thought I'd be lucky enough to have another batch of Busted tunes to process and enjoy and I can't believe it's happening! I'm confidently predicting I'm the most excited heterosexual male on earth who's not actually in the band when it comes to this album. Given the fact that the last one kept me going 12 years, hopefully even if they never do another, this one should keep me bopping away with a grin on my face for the rest of my days, reminding me never to take life too serious.
Oh and then there's the gig: May 31, 2016, 3Arena. Meet You There...
