From teenage chart-stormers to seasoned pop-rockers
Crowd snapshots and deep-cut notes
After a long pause in the late 2010s, the band returned with fresh energy and a guitar-forward sound that nods to their early records. They first rose from early 2000s UK pop-rock, born out of a writing-room connection with
Busted, and quickly became a self-contained unit built on sharp hooks and harmonies. Expect a set heavy on punchy singles like
Five Colours in Her Hair,
All About You, and the sky-reaching
Star Girl. They often work
Obviously into the mid-set to reset the tempo before kicking back into faster cuts. The crowd skews multi-generational, with thirty-somethings who grew up with the band next to kids on shoulders and first-time gig-goers from the local area. One fun footnote: the drummer first popped up in
Busted's Crashed the Wedding video before joining the lineup. Another tidbit: their debut LP
Room on the 3rd Floor was written at speed in a hotel writing blitz, a habit that still shows in their tight song forms. For clarity, these song choices and production touches are informed guesses based on past shows and could shift on the night.
Forest Pop Kids, Denim Jackets, and Loud Choruses
Nostalgia in stereo
Small rituals, big singalongs
You will likely see denim jackets over band tees, bright scarves nodding to the five colours lyric, and a mix of comfy trainers and checkerboard belts from the early-2000s playbook. Parents bring kids with ear defenders while long-time fans trade set predictions and point out old merch designs to newer friends. When
All About You starts, couples sway and the crowd hums the wordless bits between lines, and later the
Star Girl chorus turns into a mass na-na sing. Handmade signs reference satellites and school lockers, and a few fans flash wrist banners from that McBusted era. The merch table tends to lean retro, with varsity fonts, pastel posters, and plectrum keychains that match guitar picks on stage. Between songs, the banter is dry and quick, and the shared jokes feel earned from years of following the band.
Guitars First, But Harmony Runs the Show
Choruses built to soar
Little tweaks that make it live
Vocals sit up front, with two lead singers trading lines and stacking tight thirds while the bassist adds a warm middle harmony. Arrangements favor crisp intros and punchy bridges, keeping songs lean so the hooks hit clean. The guitars bite but leave space, with one rhythm part chugging while a second part chimes against it to widen the chorus. On a couple heavier numbers they drop the low string to D, which adds a thicker grind without muddying the mix. The drummer locks the snare on two and four and pushes fills into the chorus, giving the songs that extra lift. They often stretch an outro for call-and-response, turning
Star Girl or
Five Colours in Her Hair into a shared chant before a tight cutoff. Lighting stays bold and color-blocked, with warmer ambers for ballads and sharper whites when the drums kick harder.
If You Like Hooky Pop-Rock, Start Here
Neighboring sounds, shared crowds
Hooks, humor, and heart
Fans of
Busted will recognize the punch-up choruses and cheeky lyric turns.
McBusted appeals to the same crowd because it literally blended the two camps and leaned hard into bright guitars and playful gang vocals.
The Vamps land nearby with radio-ready sheen but still bring live drums and a friendly, fan-forward energy. If you like tighter pop-punk edges,
5 Seconds of Summer share the sprinting tempos and big group sing moments. Both
Busted and
McBusted connect on shared songwriting DNA and a taste for harmony lines you can hum on the walk out.
The Vamps overlap on the teen-to-adult pipeline, where fans that grew up stay on for the craft.
5 Seconds of Summer make sense for anyone who favors slick but guitar-led sets that still feel like a band in a room. Taken together, these artists suggest a night that values melody, tight chops, and a wink of humor.
