Photo Credit: James Mirfield
As they prepare for their biggest tour to date later this year, BUSTED continued their run of outdoor summer shows with a performance at Halifax’s The Piece Hall. They brought their beloved classics to the big stage, and the usual British summer weather played its part too, but that didn’t dampen the mood whatsoever.
As the night grew darker, the lights soon turned down. Cheers came from all corners of the venue, front the front row all the way to the balcony. One by one, each member stepped out from the wings to take their positions. Drummer Eddy Thrower, followed by James Bourne, Matt Willis and finally Charlie Simpson were all met with a thunderous applause that grew louder as each member appeared. Once the cheers began to quieten down, ‘Crashed the Wedding‘ kicked off the night in true BUSTED style. With no signs of slowing down or ageing, the group keep up their exuberant stage presence. The energy continued to flow through their veins with ‘Air Hostess‘ following next, while ‘Meet You There‘ tempered it for a brief moment.
Bassist Matt Willis took it upon himself to be the entertainment between songs, poking fun at Bourne’s latest haircut and Charlie’s eyebrows (inspired by a sign from someone in the crowd). Normal service soon resumed with their first #1 single ‘You Said No‘ to pick up the pace once again. The trio handed over vocal duties to the audience for the final chorus of ‘Sleeping With the Light On‘ to keep up the positive energy and the only song taken from their fourth record ‘Half Way There‘ came in the form of ‘Reunion‘. Despite it not being one of the bands big hits, there was still plenty in attendance that joined in for this one.
Willis continued the comedy, this time reference the Thunderbirds remake from 2004. Despite its lacklustre critical response when it was release, it did spark one of their most beloved singles. The intro was echoed across the venue to kick off the song, before the trio leaped into the air to unleash ‘Thunderbirds Are Go‘. Elegantly rounding off with ‘3am’, the band exited the stage to entice the crowd to beg for more. The tension didn’t last long though, with the band re-emerging to conclude the night in typical BUSTED fashion. It was time for their biggest hit, ‘Year 3000‘ to round off the night in style. The rain continued to pour down on the Halifax crowd, and with their Busted branded ponchos keeping them dry, there was still time for one last hurah. Simpson called on the audience to get down low for the final chorus, with the 4000 people in attendance leaping into the air for one last time while singing every word for the grand finale.
BUSTED will be touring the UK with McFly from September – November. More info HERE.
Taped Magazine 