Busted entertained a packed Portsmouth Guildhall on Monday night as they brought their tour buddies, New Forest band Natives alongside them.
Natives got the show off to a great start with awesome energy as they each put 110% from the start and they sang Chasing Lions. Songs such as Pray,which was a really awesome track from the guys, allowed the lights to really be a eye catching experience from the start.
Lead singer Jim Thomas, who’s voice almost sounds like Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, also did a competition where whoever went the most crazy got a selfie, they took they took before playing , Passion. One thing to notice, Natives have very nice backdrop pattern they take on tour, that really created the colourful image to what they are trying to create.
Natives then played slower song, Animals, and managed to get everyone in the packed crowd to shine their lights on their phones. Of course the band finished off with their hot single Stop The Rain which was really catchy. We also got to see new single Warpaint performed earlier in the set which was also a solid edition to their upcoming duel album.
Overall the band really knew how to put on a show and I can see them headline a venue like that one day.
There was much anticipation before Busted took to the stage with hundreds of screaming girls waiting to see their favourite childhood band. They played a new one, Kids With Computers, to start from their new album Night Driver. Fans were starting to scream for the band and being a boy, I kind of felt outnumbered for once.
After that they played Thinking of You which had a great dancing vibe to it and On What You’re On. They also had a touring saxophone player who was actually great and made sure most songs of the new songs played had a good jazz edge to it. One song that got everyone in the venue singing was Air Hostess and it did actually bring a bit of childhood memories back to me. Vocalist and guitarist Matt Willis was really up for this show and brought everything to the crowd alongside Charlie Simpsons and James Bourne. The title song of their new album Night Driver was then up which had a real 80s electric feel to it which was quickly followed by Nerdy and Without It. Matt then got everyone to ‘shake their arses’ to I Will Brake Your Heart as the winner won his sweaty towel.
Busted also played another classic Sleeping With The Lights which was actually a sweet performance from the guys who has their own personal synth drums. Crash the Wedding and Year 3000 were of course sung on the night with What I Go To School For as one of the encores.
They ended the evening with Those Days Are Gone which was a nice way to end a evening of new and old school pop rock. I think Busted is one of those band’s that shouldn’t like if you’re into heavy rock or pop punk but you just can’t help dancing to them.