McBusted

In 2013 the British pop/rock acts Busted and McFly first appeared together onstage at McFly’s tenth-anniversary concerts inside London’s Royal Albert Hall, an event that soon led both groups to form the supergroup McBusted. Every member of McFly took part, yet only Busted’s Matt Willis and James Bourne accepted the invitation; their former colleague Charlie Simpson turned it down to focus on his solo work and on his band Fightstar. The resulting six-piece lineup placed three guitarists—James Bourne, Tom Fletcher, and Danny Jones—alongside bassists Dougie Poynter and Matt Willis and drummer Harry Judd, with each musician also contributing lead vocals and harmonies. Throughout 2014 the band completed a 34-date U.K. tour that featured a headline slot at the British Summertime concert in Hyde Park, then joined boy band One Direction for several dates on the European portion of that act’s itinerary. Following widespread press rumors, McBusted confirmed plans to record original songs and entered the studio alongside blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus and All-Time Low guitarist Alex Gaskarth to write material for the self-titled album issued at the end of 2014.