McFly and Busted to go head-to-head on ‘fight to the death’ tour in 2025 – here’s how to get tickets

THEY dominated the British Noughties pop scene with a combined total of 11 No1 singles.

Now I can reveal Busted and McFly are going head-to-head on a joint tour which will see them battle it out to be crowned the best.

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And announcing the 2025 shows here in The Sun, the gloves were firmly off.

Bizarre’s Howell joined them at London’s O2 Arena last night for a secret interview to discuss the project and they had some serious smack talk for each other.

James Bourne, who is in Busted with Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis, said: “The whole tour is to find out who’s a better band. Fans can decide.

“They can come and support their band and they might change their mind. It’s going to be a fight to the death.”

Matt continued: “It has been a long time coming, this tour. Fans have wanted this.

“There’s a massive crossover in the fanbases but secretly I think everyone likes Busted more.”

Teased the news

Tickets will go on sale on Friday, October 18, for the 14-date tour, which will kick off in Birmingham on September 16 next year.

The news comes a decade after McFly, featuring Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter, joined forces with Matt and James to form McBusted — releasing a Top Ten album and touring the world.

But the supergroup split when Charlie miraculously decided to rejoin Busted, ten years after quitting.

Now Harry reckons they’re in desperate need of their help.

The McFly drummer said: “To be honest, these guys have obviously had their 20th anniversary and rinsed that and I think they’re a bit short on ideas, so they needed us and we felt charitable.”

Tom joked: “We said, ‘We’ll save you again’. We did it once with McBusted.”

But Charlie butted in: “We said, ‘We don’t want to go out again, but we will if we have to take you on. You can support us one more time, yes. Just like you did in 2004’.”

They teased the news at London’s O2 Arena last night when Busted joined McFly on stage to challenge them to the head-to-head.

It followed a summer of shows across the country where both bands made continued digs at each other at their respective concerts.

Now they will have plenty of material to work with to put each other down at the ultimate battle of the bands. Talk will soon turn to which band will get to open the show, and who will close it.

Harry insisted: “We’re not precious like that.”

Matt smugly replied: “Great, so we can finalise it that we headline, right?”

Harry joked: “I wouldn’t say ‘headline’. We just have to take care of Busted’s egos.”

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Matt continued: “It’s going to be hard if we don’t go last because then they’ll have to play a song after Year 3000 and that is the one that goes off at the end. People start leaving once we’ve finished that song.”

For now the plan is for them to alternate, but given their fierce rivalry, that could change before they hit the stage.

Dougie added: “I don’t know what I think about that but we’ll have to talk about it . . . Our people will talk to their people.”

Reflecting on their stellar success after Busted reunited, Matt admitted: “We’ve never mentioned McBusted ever again.” Going in with another jab at Matt and James, Harry winked: “What were you two doing before McBusted again . . . ?”

But in a brutal takedown, James, who wrote Five Colours In Her Hair, Love Is On The Radio and Obviously among others for McFly, said: “I was in New York, mate, living a very good life.

Barbed insults

“I was actually quite rich because I wrote all your songs.

“Harry mate, I took Tom and Danny to Disney World on holiday while you stayed home and learnt how to play the drums. And you’re still not as good as Charlie.”

On a serious note though, they insisted this will be totally unlike McBusted this time around.

Charlie, who had hits including Crashed The Wedding and You Said No with Busted, explained: “That was a different thing. This is very much, we’re doing it as two different bands.

“The way we’ve set up the show is different to a normal show. It’s not a co-headline tour and there are going to be some surprises along the way which people genuinely won’t have seen before.”

They’re good at talking, but they’re s**t as a band

Danny Jones

Tom interjected: “Like Busted playing live.”

Not one to be put down, James recalled: “Remember that time I went on stage at your show in Manchester [in 2013], played live with an acoustic guitar, and it was so good that you stopped being McFly and decided to join McBusted, where your band name isn’t even in it? It’s two letters. Let’s get real for a sec.”

Danny snapped: “They’re good at talking, but they’re s**t as a band.”

Now that Liam and Noel Gallagher have made up, someone has to make up for the lack of barbed insults in music.

This lot will be taking that responsibility very seriously if this meeting is anything to go by.

That said, I think both bands’ fans are more wholesome than the Oasis ones.

Rather than knickers or lager, they have been getting something very different chucked on stage.

Tom added: “We got cardigans on the last tour. It’s changed slightly.”
I’m sure they’ll be bringing the spirit or rock ’n’ roll regardless.

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Grande comeback

ARIANA GRANDE will have another album out next month with the Wicked soundtrack.

It is being released through Republic Records on November 22, which is the same day the film hits cinemas.

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It will feature Ariana and her co-star Cynthia Erivo singing hit songs from the musical, including Popular, Defying Gravity and Dancing Through Life.

‘She’s Nat into me’

DAVID WALLIAMS needs to sort out his chat-up lines.

The Little Britain star confessed he fell “like a ton of bricks” for Natalie Imbruglia but ended up being pied.

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Dave said: “She’s very much friend-zoned me.

“You know when that happens, that you have a huge crush on someone and you sort of imagine being married and what your kids look like and all that sort of thing.

“We didn’t go on any dates. We just became very good friends and we hung out together.

“The sort of gay best friend is how I’m seen by a lot of people.”

When asked why he thought former Neighbours actress Nat put him at arm’s length, Dave added: “Well, look at me.

“Let’s be honest, you can do a lot better.”