McBusted

Brighton Centre, King’s Road, Tuesday, April 7

SUPPORTING One Direction on the Australian tour as Zayn Malik left the band was an unusual experience for McFly and Busted supergroup McBusted.

“I think maybe [former Busted members] James [Bourne] and Matt [Willis] could relate to that a bit,” says Dougie Poynter, McFly and McBusted bassist and guitarist. “Charlie [Simpson] left their band ten years ago.

“We [McFly] couldn’t really relate to any of it. All we have ever wanted to do was be in a band. Everyone really enjoys it – we have outside projects, but everyone really likes hanging out and being in a band.”

McBusted came into being after a show at the Royal Albert Hall marking McFly’s tenth anniversary.

As part of the show the four-piece invited James and Matt from Busted onstage to sing their hits Year 3000 and Air Hostess.

“We’ve always been a bit incestuous – writing songs for each other,” says Poynter. “Tom [Fletcher, McFly vocalist and guitarist] has been friends with Busted for 15 years now.”

Following the success of the Royal Albert Hall show McBusted was born, allowing both bands to explore their back catalogues live.

“There was no room for any new material,” says Poynter.

“It was rad – like a travelling stage show. Everybody was on the bus together, in the same dressing room. It was never boring.”

The supergroup released their self-titled debut last December, which shot into the top ten.

“We wrote a couple of songs for the album where we were all in the room,” says Poynter. “It actually worked out that it was counter-productive in the long run – a classic case of too many cooks.

“We broke off into pairs and threes and then brought everything we had written to the table.”

Some of the songs date back as far as 2003, with Bourne contributing What Happened To Your Band, which he originally penned after Busted broke up.

The supergroup also brought in some outside influences.

“It was amazing to work with people that inspired us to be in a band,” says Poynter of his time spent in the studio with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth and Weezer main man Rivers Cuomo.

“We were just hanging out and having fun trying to write the best songs we could. Some had really silly lyrics which is always fun to write.”

The first single, Air Guitar, about someone losing themselves in a musical fantasy, features plenty of self-deprecating digs, such as the lines: “In my head I am a rock star/And I probably date a popstar/A popstar and a model on the side”.

“Our main thing is you should always make fun of yourself,” says Poynter. “Then you can make fun of other people.”

For now Poynter is looking forward to heading out on the road.

“We never really plan anything,” admits Poynter. “We never expected the first McBusted tour to sell as well as it did – it just sounded like a lot of fun, and it blew up. We have always just been happy to see what happened and take the opportunities as they came.

“It was a rad mix of fans – some had gone on to procreate and brought their offspring along to the show, which was really awesome. Seeing a group of ten-year-olds doing Air Guitar, alongside the 30-year-olds jumping around at the front is awesome.

“Having two bass players, two guitarists and two more singers means everything sounds louder – we’re like a juggernaut of noise turned up to 11.

“The difference is there is less room on stage – and we have a touring physio now...”

Support from New City Kings and Symmetry.

Doors 6.30pm, tickets £41.50. Call 0844 847 1515.