LIVE REVIEW: BUSTED VS MCFLY AT THE O2, LONDON 31/10/25
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In the age of short attention spans and clout-chasing, a controversial rivalry is perfect social media fodder and a masterclass in modern marketing. The good-natured ribbing between pop titans Busted and McFly however, pre-dates twitter spats and TikTok trends. The jestful tribalism of the early 2000's saw two fan bases, that if they were a Venn diagram, would be almost indistinguishable from a circle.
That friendly banter has become a unique tour, with multiple dates at The O2 in London. On Halloween, a special show was promised and both bands delivered the goods.
“Happy Halloween London, are you ready to be McFly-ed?” Co-founder of the band Danny Jones yelled into his mic at the central point of the diamond shaped stage after the quartet were launched spectacularly into the air from hydraulic lifts. Where the mics are situated is almost irrelevant at a McFly show. When not singing, Jones sprinted around the stage along with the second half of the founding duo, Tom Fletcher and Bassist Dougie Poynter. Drummer Harry Judd only stuck in place by dint of being behind his kit.
In their twenty-two-year career, McFly have frequently added ‘must play' tracks to their setlists. From 2006 album- ‘Motion In The Ocean’, ‘Star Girl’ features what may be the most famous part of McFly's current set with the ‘star girl kicks’, seeing Jones, Fletcher and Poynter execute a bastardised version of the can-can in sync across the stage.
Tracks in the McFly section of the show range from early songs such as ‘That Girl’ and ‘Obviously’ from 2004 debut album ‘Room On The 3rd Floor', through ‘I'll Be OK' from 2005's ‘Wonderland’, ‘One For The Radio’ from ‘radio:ACTIVE’ and the intense ‘Red' from 2020's ‘The Lost Songs’, which saw Jones at the barrier singing directly into the crowd under the glow of crimson lights. Each track boasts its own graphics on the screens behind the band, often reflecting album artwork and the style of that era.
As has become tradition in recent years, previously bashful Poynter is given the task of introducing the band and he put his own spin on the proceedings. On this occasion we got such gems as- 'Danny thinks an egg is a vegetable' and 'Tom is Julia Donaldsons worst nightmare'.
During 'It's All About You' the big screen cameras pan slowly around the audience revealing a sea of swaying, singing and smiling, one of the most iconic songs from McFly's back catalogue, this set reminds you that actually, most of McFly's output is pretty iconic. This is a band that over twenty-two years has preserved in their unadulterated passion for writing and performing truly fun pop-rock with all the retained vigour of their teenage selves.
The word 'Forever' descended over the quartet as the last notes of 'The Heart Never Lies', a massive song to end the McFly portion of the evening, rang out. Changing the lyric in this song to '...but McFly's here forever', a heart-warming and triumphant finale and in the blink of an eye, with a guttural scream from Charlie Simpson, Busted are here.
'Crashed The Wedding' is the chosen track to get the Busted train rolling. This band, sadly a member down on this tour with guitarist James Bourne pulling out of the run due to ill health. Busted's backstory is a far more tumultuous one compared to their contemporaries. Where McFly have enjoyed an uninterrupted run, Busted have been through a ten year break up, several solo projects, periods with missing members and a hiatus. It is a testament to their tenacity that Busted always find a way through, and a way back.
Filling in for him on the essential tracks is Bournes' little brother Chris Bourne. Superfans will be well aware that the younger Bourne sibling featured in the music video for 'Year 3000' as the band's neighbour '‘Peter’'. At the O2, Chris Bourne appears on stage in that very outfit to adoring screams, the first hint of Halloween costumes of the night.
"I'm well up for it tonight, how you feeling London?" Bassist Matt Willis asked the room. Hyped from McFly or riled by Busted's appearance, the reception is deafening and Busted cruise through a set of throwback, classic and also more obscure tracks. Even though Busted pre-date McFly by a couple of years, the 10 year break is somewhat noticeable in the quantity of quintessential sing-along tracks, with Busted running through a medley of early album tracks from 2002's self-titled album, 'Busted' and 2003's, 'A Present For Everyone' like 'Dawson's Geek' and 'Britney', all fun, all brilliantly and energetically performed, but not quite reaching the levels of sing-along as more well known songs like 'You Said No' and 'Who's David'
During 'Sleeping With The Light On' torches go up around the room and the audience is tasked with singing the first verse of the song on their own, as Willis points out- this verse is Bourne's and it is an opportunity for a tribute to their missing band member. The room performed beautifully, in a perfectly executed chorus of voices.
The upbeat 'Thunderbirds Are Go' started the dancing before excitement piqued for 'What I Go To School For', closing the Busted section of the night.
After the briefest of pauses the real fun begins. A drum battle between Judd and Busted drummer Eddie Thrower leads to a bass off between Poynter and Willis who appear, as expected in the crowd for this section. The unexpected part however comes in the form of naff 'Wicked' costumes, Willis in a pink dress as Glinda and Poynter, with green face paint, black wig and glasses as Elphaba. The usual back and forth of this section of the show the backdrop for the riotously fun McBusted song 'Hate You Guts'.
Back on the stage, Jones and Simpson soar through the powerful combo of '3am' and 'Not Alone'. These three sections with various band members taking focus, and running with their own strengths is one of the best parts of the show. From the impressive precision of the drummers, to the entertainment value of the bass section to the sincerity of the stripped back tracks, the band members really come into their own in this show.
'Air Hostess' gives McFly a brief break to get geared up for a thrilling version of 'Ghostbusters'. All band members decked out in jumpsuits and ghost hunting gear- although Poynter, still with a green face is either unable or unwilling to wash this off. '5 Colours In Her Hair' completes the Vs section before both bands assemble on stage for the ultimate McBusted encore. Jumping around the stage one last time to 'Year 3000' neither band gives an inch to give fans and easy time choosing their favourite.
It could be tempting to leave the O2 pondering, if even just for fun, which band won the battle. It's likely most fans will have a favourite going in that won't have changed by the time they exit, but what this run of shows proves it that it doesn't really matter. These legendary bands are made better by their unique flavours of cheeky pop-rock tied together by the common ground of just having the best time up on stage and it makes for a euphoric, engaging and heart-warming show.