Busted and McFly, performing on 7 October 2025 in the Liverpool Arena. Two great groups that I have photographed from when they first started out over twenty years ago, so I have to see this. I am told they are not allowing photographers on this tour – but I am welcome to go and review the show. This is the first of two sold out nights at Liverpool.
How did this tour come about? The 3 Arena website tells us:
Speaking of the tour, McFly threw down the gauntlet and commented: “Busted gatecrashed our show last night (not cool), and challenged us to a VS tour next year. They’re old men now, and we are gonna blow them and their carers off the stage next year. We’ve had a great time celebrating our 21st birthday this year and next year is going to be even better – P.S Busted Suck.”
Busted fought back and added: “There’s been a lot of talk recently…. This is where the talking ends….! We are ready to show who is the better band once and for all. McFly suck and Busted Rock!”
Excited to see them
I feel odd going to see them without my camera! I certainly feel like something is missing as I leave the house. Not sure what time they are on stage so set off at 5.30pm and when I get to Liverpool it takes 45 minutes to travel along the waterfront which should take five minutes. I’m anxious that I will miss the start. Most main acts have a support that you don’t mind missing, but not tonight, I have to be there at the start. After parking I make my way to the arena. Two men in front of me are so excited and are literally jumping up and down, slapping each other on the back. So it’s not just the ladies who get excited to see them.
I like Liverpool Arena, it has an intimate feeling.
At 7.50pm I get to my seat. Block 01, row N. I look down at the stage – I can see Tom Fletcher will be standing directly in line with my eye view, good. The other microphone stands are spaced out, square stage and one on each side. Not sure this will work, prefer them all in a line so you can actually see them.
Lots of excited fans, women and men
Fans are stood around the four sides of the stage. You can pay between £77.70 and £100.70 to get that close to them. The £150.00 VIP tickets also sold out quickly. Well you have two top bands that need wages and the show and staff must cost a fortune every night.
It is 8pm and the lads behind me are acting like little kids at their first concert! Looking around I have to say I have never seen so many men at a boy band concert, could be 45% of the audience – and I have covered hundreds of concerts! What is it that is attracting so many men to Busted and McFly? Yes they are all good looking. Yes they like playing guitars and drums. And they write great songs. What do you think?
McFly come on stage first
McFly – Loud music starts, three massive screens at the back of the stage light up, wow! ‘Where Did all the Guitars Go’, ‘Star Girl’, ‘That Girl’, ‘One For The Road’, ‘I’ll Be Okay’, ‘Obviously’, ‘Happiness’ – hit after hit. So much energy on stage. Dougie does not sing as much as the others and belts around the stage in his dungarees, no top underneath – a pretty boy, well he does do modelling! Ton has sparkly diamonds on his black jeans. Very nice.
Dougie tells us, “there was only one Harry (pointing to McFly drummer) before fuckin Harry Styles”.
The lads do keep going to the different sides of the stage and nod, smile at the £100 ticket fans. That has made it all worthwhile to these fans.
‘All About You’, and Danny says: “put your arms around each other, around the person standing next to you, pretend it’s New Years Eve”. Everyone in the crowd gets the light on their phones and waves them in the air – it looks magical.
Danny owns the stage, and jumps in the audience
‘Transylvania/Lies’, the screens at the back show a graveyard, spooky, haunting. The huge lighting rig above the stage lowers down, stopping not that far from the lads’ heads! All the time flames are going up in the air. Danny owns the stage. He leaps into the £100 fans – they are getting their money’s worth. Some get his sweat on them, others touch his bum. Fans for life. The heat must be awful. “Liverpool” gets shouted out quite a few times and the crowd roar with approval. He tells the whole audience to get down low – some of us do not have that flexibility! They obey his commands. “You guys are amazing” he tells them.
‘Red’, ‘Heart Never Lies’ and Tom is on the piano. A huge heart in flames is on the screens at the back. Then a cage comes down with MCFLY FOREVER on it and the lads are gone.
Busted
‘Crash The Wedding’, ‘Meet You There’, Charlie sings like a rock star. Matt says “thank you McFly for opening up for us”! ‘You said No’, a medley of a few songs – Matt is like a pogo stick bouncing up and down all over the stage. There are lots of guitar changes. Charlie asks “Liverpool how are you this evening’? Matt says “we bloody love this place”.
‘Loser Kid’, ‘Who’s David’.
Matt tells us “James is really really sick. We asked him if we should cancel the shows and James said no. Who should we get to step in his place? Anyone but not McFly! James suggested his little brother Chris Bourne”. Chris comes on stage to cheers. Matt says “that’s the fucking kid from the ‘Year 3000’ video”. Charlie and Matt are looking sweaty but sexy! Charlie tells us “I’m not singing the verse on this one as it’s James, so all you sing it. Come on Liverpoo!”. The phone lights come on and I am sure we are all thinking of James and pray he gets better soon.
‘Sleeping With The Light On’. Charlie tells us, “You are the best crowd so far”. Matt asks “who was here on the Busted tour when we got our first number one album – we were told when we were at this venue performing”.
‘Everything I Knew’,. Matt looks at someone sat at the side stalls. “Sorry I can’t fuckin read your phone and I can’t fuckin hear you, but I think you are awesome”. The lighting rig lowers above their heads, flames are going up like someone working in a steel company. The lads are sweaty. You can see they work out.
‘Thunderbirds’. Matt shouts “Liverpool you’re bringing the heat tonight, who wants to go back to the fuckin beginning with us? Before we gave a fuck about anything”? ‘What I Go To School For’ ends their set.
Both bands have an impressive history
Busted are definitely more of a guitar band and McFly more pop.
Busted: Three of their four studio albums have peaked at #2, with 4.5 million sales leading to eight Platinum certifications as well as a total of 25 weeks in the Top 10 and two 5x Platinum selling albums. They have won two BRIT Awards – Best Pop Act and Best British Breakthrough – with multiple sold-out arena tours that have seen them sell more than 2 million tickets, including 26 sold-out UK arenas last year.
McFly: they have scored seven #1 singles, released seven albums, two of which were chart-toppers, and they have played thousands of sold-out shows. They have sold over 10 million records worldwide, won numerous awards including a BRIT for Best Pop Act.
Matt and Dougie share some banter and a few insults
Next two sets of drums on the stage and there is a drum battle between Harry and the person drumming for Busted.
I can hear Matt talking but can’t see him? He is in the crowd and Dougie is on the opposite side of the arena. They are sharing banter. Matt shouts “ Dougie has a little PP (waving his little finger around) and has herpes”, then mentions gonorreah – is this supposed to be the battle between them? There are some young kids in the audience. Insults get thrown across to each other. This is not the playground….
Charlie and Danny are on stage and duet together – that’s more like it.
I decide it’s time to leave and they carry on with ‘3am/Not alone’, ‘Air Hostess’ and ‘Five Colours’.
So happy I have seen them
So happy I got to see both bands, and next time let me take photos please!
The photos we used for this article were taken by Deborah Law, Busted in Liverpool on 04 September 2016 and McFly in Manchester on 01 December 2010.
