Busted – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Kirsty Masterman, July 2025
“This venue is incredible”. The gravelly voice of Charlie filling the courtyard as he takes to the stage. “What a place.”
Cue 6000 cheers. It’s safe to say, he has the audience in the palm of his hand right from the off, setting the scene for what is to be another momentous concert, here at the historic Piece Hall.
Tonight, it is pop-punk trio Busted’s turn to bring the energy to Halifax in another sold-out show, brightening an otherwise drizzly summer evening, with their catalogue of hits.
“Explosive”
The evening began with sets from North West indie rockers Muddy Elephant and rising indie-pop quintet Soap, who warmed up the crowd with an energetic catchy set – which included a fantastic (and unexpected) ‘rock’ version of Abba’s SOS, before, slightly later than billed, Charlie Simpson, James Bourne and Matt Willis burst onto the stage belting out ‘Crashed the Wedding’, and the courtyard erupting into a bouncing frenzy of dancing and singing.
From the get go, the energy is explosive and the atmosphere electric. The audience, a mixture of the very young and the more mature all singing along, word for word as a wave of nostalgia sweeps through the venue.
The momentum keeps going as they slip straight into ‘Air Hostess’.
‘Meet You There’ and ‘Loser Kid’ follow, before it’s time for the band’s first-ever number one, ‘You Said No’ closely followed by their 2003 hit, ‘Sleeping With the Light on’
“The dancing never stops”
“It’s great to be playing these songs again” says Matt, as they make their way through a 15-strong set list, clearly relishing showcasing their hits for the first time in a while. With a tour kicking off in September, a fact they don’t fail to slip into the evening’s conversation, if tonight is anything to go by, they will be on fire by the time they get to Sheffield,
As the lads settle into the set, and the banter starts to flow, James confesses, after a slip of the tongue, that he has forgotten where he is. To which, chants of “Yorkshire, Yorkshire” ring out around the courtyard.
While the dancing never stops, it’s the classics that get the biggest reaction. The 2002 hit, ‘What I Go to School For’, being one of them. A reminder that this pop-punk trio have truly reignited a generation’s love for their sound.
“High-octane anthems”
‘Who’s David’ follows, one of the band’s more mature tracks, followed by ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’, another crowd pleaser, to which Matt reveals they love to play, even though the movie was *****.
From high-octane anthems to heartfelt ballads, the crowd remain captivated by Charlie’s gritty vocals, Matt’s unrelenting energy and James’ playful banter. And, as darkness sets in, and phone lights glisten in the drizzle, the buzz in the courtyard remains electric.
“So, you didn’t fancy Oasis then?” shouts Matt, as fans cheer loudly, confirming that a night in drizzly Halifax is just as appealing.
“Sing their way through every song”
From their opening riffs of ‘Crashed the Wedding’ to the closing notes of ‘3am’, fans old and new sing their way through every song word perfect.
“Will they sing it?” My 11-year-old daughter asks. “Do you promise?” she says, looking down at me from the shoulders of a fellow fan, an element of doubt on her face as the trio leave the stage. “I promise” I say, breathing a sigh of relief as they explode back onto the stage for one final energy-laden performance.
Perhaps their most well-known song – and the only one my daughter actually knows (she’s been waiting for this all night), ‘Year 3000’ is the perfect way to end what has been a spectacular night. Clearly a fan-favourite and an anthem among their following, the trio belt out the lyrics from the 2003 futuristic hit. I don’t know about futuristic, but tonight fans are dancing like it is 2002 with an energy to rival any of those up on stage.
“A sense of pride that Halifax is my hometown”
The night concludes in euphoric fashion, with fans leaving in a buzz of unfiltered joy. The smiles on faces as the singing continues long after the final notes have been sung, prove just why Charlie, Matt and James remain the pop-punk icons they are.
I always leave these gigs feeling a sense of pride that Halifax is my hometown, and that a landmark I visited regularly as a child is now hosting some of the biggest bands around, all of which seem to embrace its Yorkshire charm – Busted, another name that can now be added to that list.
I think the fact that I dragged an 11-year-old, 50 miles down the M62 to stand for 3 hours in a damp and drizzly Piece Hall courtyard, to see a band of which she only knew one song, and she didn’t complain once, and left announcing, “I’ve had the best time!” while repeatedly singing the same two lines of ‘Year 3000’, speaks volumes about these guys and the show they put on. Charlie, Matt and James have certainly gained themselves another fan tonight. This is one party I’m glad we crashed!
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
