'The Hanmade Website's tribute to Busted'....

By Hannah Tobin

Hello everyone and welcome to The Hanmade Website! Happy new year to you all! Just had to write a little something about the parting of Matt, James and Charlie - Also known as Busted. They announced on 14th January that Charlie was leaving the band to be with his other band, 'Fightstar' - They had agreed that if ever a member decided to leave, Busted couldn't carry on....And they kept to that decision. It's such a shame, especially for Matt and James, because they were on an absolute high and were hugely popular - They had two sell out arena tours last year - Which I am so glad I got to see! If you were lucky enough to see Busted live, you will know what I mean when I say they were an amazing live act, with great original songs that immediately grab the audience's attention and ears!! They also had great stage presence. As they said many times, they weren't a 'boy band' (How many boy bands write their own material?!) who "danced, sat on stools and wore white suits", they were a real band (That was started by Matt and James and then Charlie auditioned for them after seeing an ad in the NME), who played instruments, wrote a fine collection of songs and were natural performers. Something else that I will miss about them is their sense of humour! 'America or Busted' proved what great guys they are and their sense of fun was always there in the songs, appearances on TV and radio, interviews and of course, during their live shows! To quote a song of theirs, they didn't seem to be 'fake'! Some people (including newsreaders!), didn't take them seriously and just thought of them as just another young boy band, but they were a lot more than that! Just listen to their songs, such as, 'Sleeping With The Light On', 'Year 3000', 'Better Than This' (Or watch it live on their DVD!), 'That Thing You Do' and even, 'Britney' - Just to name a few! They're all brilliant little songs! - None of which were miserable or really serious, like some songs in the charts - They were a bit different and the made you feel good! The guys also knew how to have a laugh and always seemed natural in front of the cameras. I always looked forward to their TV appearances because you never knew what to expect, but you knew it would be entertaining! Shows that will stick in my mind include their classic appearance on 'Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway', 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross', winning Record of The Year in 2004 with 'Thunderbirds Are Go' (Nail biting stuff!), following the guys on tour on TOTP Saturday, 2004 Brit Awards, Party in the Park 2004 and their appearance on 'This Morning' last year - Thank you for answering my question James! - Hope you pass your driving test soon!:-) They were a band who appealed to a wide audience, not just little kids and I think there are a lot of 'secret' Busted fans out there who are probably just as sad as the real fans that they have split. I hope Charlie is happy with his band, 'Fightstar' and that James and Matt continue to produce and write music - either together or solo - because I'm sure they have much more to give - Especially Matt and James (Keep songwriting, James!). And above all, any band that can include, 'Flux Capacitor' in one of their songs is alright by me!:-)

So, thank you Busted!:-)