When Charlie Simpson left Busted in 2005 he did so vowing never to return. But after several years trying his hand in punk band Fightstar and then as a solo acoustic artist, Simpson has decided the time is right for the original lineup of Busted to re-form.
The band, which features Simpson alongside Matt Willis and James Bourne, are set for a 13-date arena tour next year. The news comes after a week of rumours suggesting the unlikely reunion might be on.
“Busted only had two albums. So we’re probably going to play every song that you know then start all over again,” said Willis at a press conference in London.
During his decade away from the group, Simpson had a degree of success with Fightstar, and scored two top 10 albums as a solo act. His change of musical direction was criticised by some rock fans, who questioned his alternative credibility, while others pointed out that anyone prepared to walk away from the potential earnings on offer for remaining in Busted must have meant it. During their original lifespan, Busted released two triple-platinum albums in the UK.
Many thought Simpson would never return to Busted, having compared being in the band to “torture”. In the past he had said: “I wish Matt (Willis) and James (Bourne) all the best with their future projects, but I want to make it unequivocally clear that I have no interest whatsoever in rejoining Busted, and I never will.”
However, Simpson addressed these quotes saying: “Staying in the band at that time could have risked our friendship. I’ve lost count of the number of times where I’ve said publicly I wouldn’t do this again. But I have changed my mind.”
In recent years, the two other members of Busted teamed up with fellow pop-punk boyband McFly to form the hybrid group McBusted. There is currently no news on the future of that group.
