By Adam Maidment
Copyright manchestereveningnews
A pop star has been forced to cancel a special show in Manchester just days after their bandmate had to pull out of a major UK tour. Busted are currently on the road alongside fellow pop-rock band McFly as part of a special series of shows that have been hailed as a ‘ultimate battle of the bands’ spectacle between the two 00s acts. Last month, Busted – who are made up of Matt Willis, Charlie Simpson and James Bourne – announced that James had to leave the entire tour just hours before the first show kicked off. Ahead of the tour’s first show in Birmingham on September 16, James shared an update which said that ‘it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows’. He explained that he was suffering from a mystery condition and that it was decided he ‘should focus on the medical stuff for now’. Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here He added that he hoped to join the band on more shows in the future, but would not be taking part in the rest of the huge 35-date Busted Vs McFly tour. The two bands will bring the show to Manchester’s AO Arena on October 17 and 18, and then will return to Co-op Live on November 5. During the run of shows, Charlie, who won The Masked Singer as Rhino in 2023, had planned a series of after-party live DJ shows across the country. He had been due to play an event at Gorilla in Manchester on the night of October 17. The event has now been cancelled, and ticketholders have been informed of the decision with refunds now in the process of being made. The impact of James’ health on the band has been given as a reason for the cancellation. The three Busted Vs McFly arena shows in Manchester are still going ahead. In an email to customers, event promoter Throwback Events wrote: “Thank you so much for buying tickets to Charlie Simpson’s DJ set at Gorilla Manchester. Unfortunately due to the ongoing health issues of James and the strain that it is putting on Charlie and the rest of the band, he has to make the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming DJ sets. “All tickets will be refunded, please expect a refund in 3-5 working days. We are so sorry for any inconvenience caused.” The DJ set had originally been promoted as ‘keeping the Busted vibes alive long after the final encore’ with a mix of pop-punk anthems and throwback classics. As well as being in Busted, Charlie has also made a name for himself in the band Fightstar. Join our Manc Life WhatsApp group HERE
