Anyone who has ever been in a relationship will know the feeling: you're trying with all your might to sustain a bad mood with your erring compadre...only to have them ruin it all by having the sheer nerve to make you laugh. That is the closest I can get to describing the brand of enjoyment acquired from a Busted gig - entirely against one's will, but jolly amusing just the same. Having not been to a pop gig in nearly a decade, I have to admit to a certain level of consternation at how 'the youth of today' get their kicks. Yes, the ice-cream van was a nice touch...but cheering, nay, screaming at adverts? Light-up bunny ears? Pre-pubescent girls wearing outfits so indecent that, by comparison, Christina Aguilera looks like Mary Poppins in her Sunday best? If this is what a generation of children raised on a diet of Teletubbies and Tweenies has produced, then praise the Isle of Mull for Balamory, it's all that will save you now... Undecided and V The show kicked off with showcases of the respective talents of 'Undesided' and 'V'. The former is a band belonging to Mattie's brother: a gang of Sum 41 wannabees with a guitarist named 'Fluff' and an unfortunately-monikered set-closer entitled "What You Want" - perilously close to becoming victims of their own self-fulfilling prophecy, much like V, who proceeded to enter via a window-cleaner's lift. For fear of falling into the easy-target trap, V are your standard boyband aside from dance routines which display an unmistakeable 'Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah' influence and a rather concerning love of wearing glow-in-the-dark clothing, although to give them credit where credit's due - it sets an excellent example to kids about road safety. It is at this point that the realisation hits: you are looking forward to seeing Busted. Possibly because your retinas and cochleas are planning mutiny, yes - but this is the state of play. Even more alarming to the eltists among us is the fact that it isn't even that they look good by comparison to the drivvel of their support. Busted are simply one of the best live pop acts around at the moment. Spaceship shaped stage From the moment that they emerge from their spaceship shaped stage in a cloud of smoke, they have the audience under their spell. Leaving just enough to time to sustain a sense of dramatic tension, they launch into an energetic rendition of 'Crashed the Wedding', which causes another pang when you realise that you know all the words...and in a deafening cloud of unexpected yet pretty fireworks, the song is already over. | "If you want to experience what pop is like when it is done properly, then you can scarcely hope to find a better example than a Busted live show." | |
After charming the crowd with the usual only half-believable Birmingham flattery, they carry on with their never-ceasing powers of surprise, only this time at their lyrics - it is bloody hard to supress a smirk when you see a small child singing 'My bed is wet/Don't know how' without the faintest hint of irony. Between that and some animations with almost shockingly risqué overtones, it becomes clear that Busted have a sense of humour on them, well, after a fashion. During the set Charlie, James and Mattie all take turns to perform a song individually - and although Mattie's cover of the Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' hasn't exactly got the fire of the original, it was by no means dire (á la Snow Patrol's massacre of 'Teenage Kicks', for example). Solo careers? In fact, it is almost certain that solo careers await all three, should they choose that path. Their ballads have the same energy and drive behind them that their punchier numbers do - and I don't think you can underestimate how difficult it is to prevent a slow song from becoming dirge, or worse...Westlife.
When all three have finished singing solo, they huddle together at the smaller stage at the end of the catwalk for a few songs - and although it was fairly evidently an attempt to show that they can play other instruments, they seemed so happy with this arrangement that you come to your final pang of the evening before the acceptance sets in - Busted are as far from manufactured as it is possible to be, given their history. The chemistry between them, which is glaringly obvious when they're so physically close to one another, betrays a true friendship, and quite possibly one of the reasons why success has come to them. If you're looking for serious rock music, or someone to judge by the standards of rock...then Busted aren't your band. However, if you want to experience what pop is like when it is done properly, then you can scarcely hope to find a better example than a Busted live show. Just prepare to stick out like a couple of indie-striped sore thumbs, and all will be well. |
