BUSTED’S Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson broke their silence on bandmate James Bourne’s absence from their huge new tour with McFly last night.
Just days before the arena run was due to begin, James announced that he had been forced to pull out due to a health issue.
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None of the boys wanted to let fans down and so they decided to push ahead with a replacement on guitar.
Last night, bassist Matt told the Birmingham crowd: “You may have noticed our bestfriend is not here tonight. James Bourne is really f***ing sick and we love him and we miss him.
“This is the first show we’ve ever played without him and it’s really weird but we’re going to do the best we can.
“This happened really fast, y’know, health is wealth.”
He explained how they asked James whether or not they should continue and he told them: “You should totally do it”.
They then introduced a familiar face to the stage.
Matt said: “You might recognise this little guy from the Year 3000 video. This is James’s brother Chris Bourne.”
Chris then appeared from the wings and was greeted by cheers.
Fans of the band supported the move, with one saying: “Chris is an amazing musician in himself. Best choice for the replacement.”
Another said: “So emotional. Love the support to James. His brother did an incredible job.”
A third shared: “What a great night. Fantastic performances all round.”
The epic opening night began with a 12-song McFly set, before Busted came out and blitzed through 10 anthems.
What followed was the ultimate pop battle as the groups went head to head and even performed some McBusted faves.
In his statement, James cited health problems and said he “hoped to come back further down the line”.
He wrote: “The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I’ve been all year for this tour to begin, I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows,”
Although he didn’t disclose what the health issue is, James said: “There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on medical stuff for now.
“I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line.
“It’s still going to be an amazing show and I will miss being there!”
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He ended it with: “See you all as soon as possible.”
James’s followers rushed to wish him well, including McFly drummer Harry Judd, who wrote: “Won’t be the same without you dude.
“Hope you’re back on Tour asap.”
Another fan echoed this, and said: “Aww, wishing you a speedy recovery James.”
James shot to fame when Busted arrived on the pop scene in 2002 with What I Go To School For.
After that the band continued to rack up hit after hit.
Busted VS McFly Tour dates
SEPTEMBER 2025:
16: bp pulse Live, Birmingham
19: OVO Arena Wembley, London
20: The O2, London
23: Utilita Arena, Cardiff
26: Utilita Arena, Sheffield
27: First Direct Arena, Leeds
30: P&J Live, Aberdeen
OCTOBER 2025:
2: OVO Hydro, Glasgow
7: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
10: Utilita Arena, Newcastle
14: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
17: AO Arena, Manchester
20: 3Arena, Dublin
21: SSE Arena, Belfast
But by the end of 2004, Charlie had set his sights on a different musical direction, and Christmas that year he told a tearful Matt and James he wanted out and would be forming a new band, Fightstar.
That signalled the end of Busted, and the boys confirmed their split in an emotional press conference on January 13, 2005.
However they thrilled fans when they got back together ten years later, and have been going strong ever since.
Busted have always been really good friends with McFly and have done several tours together over the years.
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They famously formed the supergroup McBusted.
The six-piece supergroup consisted of Matt and James along with the four McFly boys, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd.
Last year, the two bands revealed they were reuniting once again for their Busted VS McFly tour; the ultimate battle of the bands.
James said at the time of the announcement: “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.”
While another added: “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.”
