Utilita Arena, Birmingham, U.K.

28.10.25

Decades of built-up rivalry were felt even outside the arena. The crowd split into groups, with opposing bands’ faces on their T-shirts and nothing but pure excitement in their eyes. Fans discussed their favourite songs, memories, and moments throughout the years, laughing at the times they dreamt of marrying the one they had on their bedroom wall when they were younger—how their music helped connect them with friends and heal from their first heartbreaks. There was no doubt about it: this night was about to be a much-needed trip down memory lane for all.

15,800 screams bellowed through the walls of the Utilita Arena as the lights cut off and the sound of “YMCA” filled our ears, serving as a little warm-up to get everyone’s energy high before the screen cut to a story montage of both bands’ history. The cheering, feet stomping, and clapping were nothing compared to the sound they all made when McFly suddenly burst up through the stage floor, going straight into one of their biggest hits, “Star Girl.” The energy within the room was electric as Tom, Dougie, Harry, and Danny took everyone back through time, performing hit after hit: “5 Colours In Her Hair,”“Obviously,” “One For The Radio,” “All About You,” to name just a few. Their stage presence was captivating, and the pure love for their fans was undeniable throughout the entire set, with the way they engaged with as many faces as they could see.

Time flew inside the arena, and before we knew it, we were transported to the “Year 3000,” with Busted breaking out of the shadows with their first song of the night, “Crashed The Wedding.” As Matt and Charlie ran around the stage with the same energy they had in the 2000s, the crowd reacted like teenagers all over again. Unfortunately, they had to announce that James Bourne was unexpectedly sick and had to pull out of the tour. They expressed his sadness at having to do this and told the crowd he was watching everyone’s TikTok posts each night to stay updated. As a stand-in for his absence, James’ younger brother, Chris Bourne, was invited onto the stage to take over his older brother’s guitar parts, which the crowd welcomed with cheers and screams. Busted continued to rock through their set, performing hit songs such as “Air Hostess,” “What I Go To School For,” “Who’s David,” and “3am,” to name a few.

The crowd itself this night was a nostalgic sight to behold. A clear theme of friendship was seen throughout the arena. One spot in particular caught my eye first, as in the standing section of the floor, next to the stage at the back, there was a larger group of what looked like could have been childhood friends reuniting. Men and women in this group were jumping, dancing, and screaming the lyrics to every song from each band the entire night at the top of their lungs. With arms around each other, clinking their plastic cups in a cheer of celebration, they looked as though they had been transported back to their teenage era and were having the time of their lives on a school night. For a moment, it was as if they truly had gone back to that time when they were first listening to the songs and didn’t have the adult responsibilities of today; maybe they even all went to this gig back then, and this genuinely was a moment they reminisced about and felt young and free.

Then, there was the theme of mothers with their daughters, a pure, heartfelt memory being made where these women were bonding over the joy of the music; where the mothers were sharing such a special memory that they maybe once even dreamt about, hoping that when they grew up, their favourite boyband would come back to their hometown and they could girl-gossip with their teenage daughter about the boy who stole their heart before she met their father. Where their daughter would shake her head, and they would share a laugh before singing her favourite song together.

In the section I was sat, just below me was Matt Willis’ wife, Emma Willis, supporting her husband along with her family as he rocked the stage with his bandmates. Matt shouted his wife out multiple times throughout the night, which caused the fans to scream and show just how much they all loved to see him so happy. It was beautiful to see Matt searching for Emma in the crowd and pointing at her at various moments throughout the night. Emma joined in with the fans, cheering and screaming all the lyrics to her husband’s songs, and beautifully danced the night away with her loved ones around her.

The last section of this night brought together McFly and Busted, who entertained their fans with humorous rivalry and fighting talk about who was really the favourite tonight. The crowd, seemingly once split in half, was ultimately joined together in cheers and screams as they realized they all shared one main thing in common: just how much they loved the men acting like teenage boys on that stage. They’d all shared excitement, laughs, tears, and joy throughout the last 20 years because of the people in front of them, making this night not really about who was the better boyband but rather, honestly, just the guys’ down-to-earth love and humble appreciation for their fans, who have supported them all these years and wanted them to feel like teenagers again. Overall, this night was a blast from the past, filled with nothing but love and positive energy.