Busted have announced that their recently announced 20th anniversary tour will be a lot better than the “awkwardness” of their 2015 reunion.
Eight years ago, a decade after band member Charlie Simpson, now 37, announced he was leaving the pop-rock group, Busted reunited for a tour and third album.
Last week the trio – made up of Charlie, James Bourne, 39, and Matt Willis, also 39 – announced they were announcing a 15-day series of celebratory performances.
But they insist things will be different this time after not being in the best place for their reunion in 2015.
Matt told the Mirror: “I don’t think Busted fans have gotten that from us yet. They didn’t really have a Busted celebration, if you’re a Busted fan you’re going to want to see that.
Ready for the tour: Busted have announced their recently announced 20th anniversary tour will be way better than the ‘awkwardness’ of their 2015 reunion (LR: James Bourne, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis)
Well-oiled machine: They insist things will be different this time after not being in the best place for their reunion in 2015 (pictured in 2004)
James continued, “All the pigs can fly [tour] The whole moment was overshadowed by, “Oh they do, they’re getting back together.”
“The weirdness is gone, we broke the ice,” Charlie added, before James chimed in, “The awkwardness is gone and we can come back to our 20th anniversary the way we’d like to.”
James continued, “We talked about doing it a certain way and I think we all agreed in the end that it’s better to plan it properly than rush it.
“That’s why we’re probably a year late, but I think it’s better to do it the right way, just a little bit later.”
After teasing fans on social media that a big announcement would be coming on Thursday, the trio Busted – made up of Charlie Simpson, James Bourne and Matt Willis – announced a 15-date run.
It begins on September 2nd in Plymouth and ends on September 24th in Manchester.
Speaking to The Sun, James, 39, said: “It’s out of this world that we’re getting to do this and we couldn’t be more excited about it. It will be evil.’
Charlie and Matt both admitted they were glad they broke up in 2005 after the former stopped focusing on his other band, Fightstar, because there was a lot of tension towards the end.
Comeback: Busted will return this year with a 15 show arena tour and the release of a new album (pictured 2019)
When asked if he was expecting to meet again at the time, Charlie, 37, said: “No. I didn’t do it that day. I’m glad we broke up at the time because it allowed us to do that and get back together.
The band reunited in 2015 and released the albums Night Driver in 2016 and Half Way There in 2019.
Matt, 39, continued, “People have been asking me, ‘Do you regret the breakup?’ And I don’t. It sucked towards the end of Busted.
“There was a really bad vibe in the camp and it felt like the right time to stop it.
“Now it feels the way it’s supposed to feel. It’s like the beginning again. Right now it feels like it has only just begun.”
The You Said No hitmakers have also announced that they will be releasing an album of remastered versions of their greatest hits.
Other noughties rock bands like McFly, Simple Plan and All Time Low will perform.
The first revamped track will be Loser Kid, due out April 14, and featuring pop-punk legends Simple Plan.
James commented, “They just feel fresh and like they were written yesterday.”
Matt added: “It revitalized everything and suddenly we’re making a lot of plans.”
Tickets for the 20th Anniversary Tour go on general sale March 31 at 9am. A
20 years old: The pop trio – consisting of Charlie Simpson, James Bourne and Matt Willis – posted a cryptic video to the band’s Instagram page, captioning it: ’23/03/23 #Busted20′ (pictured in 2004)