As someone who has seen Busted live three times now, I speak as sort of an expert when I say they’re back performing at their best.

There was a level of passion for Busted’s pop-punk anthems at the Hydro on Saturday night that just wasn’t present at their reunion tour back in 2016. Fresh off the release of their fourth album, Half Way There, the band are clearly back at the level of enjoyment seen on their 2004 tour (which I went to in Glasgow at the age of 6!) and loving the music again.

In fact, perhaps the boys are happier now than they’ve ever been. This was the first time I’ve seen Matt Willis stage dive to finish the night! This was the kind of energy I saw from Busted all night; covering every inch of the stage, excited interactions with the crowd after every song and the perfectly synchronised ‘Busted jumps’ that the fans have become so accustomed to.

The set included fan favourites from their self-titled debut album like Britney and What I Go to School For, the chart-toppers You Said No and Crashed the Wedding and brand new singles Radio and Shipwrecked in Atlantis. This was the longest set Busted have ever played, but they showed no signs of tiredness, even during their encore of Coming Home and their biggest hit Year 3000.

Whilst Busted’s 2016 album Night Driver might not be remembered as a classic, it is important to recognise the synth-pop style of the album as the music that brought the band back together after ten years apart. The groovy On What You’re On from said album brought an interesting temporary change to the vibe mid-set.

It has been fifteen years since I first travelled to Glasgow to see Busted live, and I sincerely hope I’ll still be making the journey for them fifteen years from now.

By Joe Anderson