So this has been something that's been brewing in my mind for quite some time now. I have a lot of opinions on this, and I've seen that many many others do too. So... McBusted.
I love McFly. I love Busted. As a girl who grew up in the Noughties, it was inevitable that I'd fall in love with these bands. Their catchy songs, their (in hindsight, god-awful image but) dashing good looks, everything about them was, and still is brilliant. I was devastated when Busted split up, but at least we still had McFly to carry us through the years.
I never forgot about Busted, don't get me wrong. I still have their albums on my iTunes, and I still listen to them from time to time. But I listen to them nostalgically. I listen to Crashed The Wedding and I think about school discos and boys sliding on their knees whilst the girls argued over which member of Busted they were going to marry. I listen to Year 3000 and remember my absolute horror when discovering The Jonas Brothers (our music fan base enemy) had covered it. Busted and their music remind me of so much of my childhood.
And then we have McFly. The band who stayed with us right up until we were adults. We watched them grow up whilst they provided the soundtrack to us growing up. We saw them progress as artists, changing their sound as they grew. Alright, we can all agree that Above The Noise was a bit of a hiccup, but then they brought out this book that admitted it wasn't their best, and filled us with hope of the valiant return of McFly, and promised us a ton of new music. Us as fans were damn excited! We had our boys - now men - dressed in smart suits with a more mature, yet still fun-loving sound and the Galaxy Defenders loved it.
And then it happened.
Now, I was there for one of the dates James Bourne supported McFly on their tour. It was great, because everybody in that arena was absolutely bursting with nostalgia. Arguably, this should have been the end of the Busted revival. But obviously, this is where the McBusted idea was born, and were then included in McFly's 10 year anniversary shows. This could also be argued as the place McBusted should have stopped. It was nostalgic, it was fun... it was enough.
Okay, okay. Give them a tour. They were obviously enjoying themselves. I went to the Cardiff date of the McBusted tour (I was very ill, but I went anyway) and I'll admit - it was a damn good show and I had a really good time. Again, it was extremely nostaglic and everybody was there to remember, and relive.
There's no argument to it. This is where McBusted should have ended.
Here's my argument. Busted were a very successful band in their day. But today isn't their day. They ended all those years ago for a reason. Busted was a threesome, and should always remain one. I know they're friends, and I know they were invited, but it just doesn't seem fair for two members to latch on to a band who are still doing incredibly well for themselves, who have god knows how many fans waiting on their new material. Not McBusted, but McFly.
It was revealed at some point that McFly have two whole recorded albums, just sitting on a shelf doing nothing. The fans are dying to hear this music, and now we don't even know if we ever will. And it's frustrating. It's like dangling something you've wanted for ages in front of your face then pulling it away and replacing it with something old you used to have 10 years ago.
I know I sound harsh and bitter, but the truth of it is, it's what a large majority of fans are thinking. However, there is another side to the story, and something we have to consider.
All our lives, we've had mentors and people we look up to tell us, "Chase your own dreams. Never be pressured into doing something you don't want to do. Do what makes you happy." That's what McBusted are doing. They are a group of friends taking charge of their own careers and altering them slightly to do something they're evidently having the time of their lives doing. Yes, they have an audience to entertain... but do we as an audience hold the right to tell them not to do what they're loving doing? Do we really hold the right to spam their instagrams and twitters with "wee hate McBusted" and so on?
We all have the right to our opinions. But they also have the right to work on whatever projects they like. If we don't like it, we don't have to consume it. If you're sick of it, just stop buying the music. Don't go to the concerts. But don't just sit behind a screen and throw abuse at them. They know that what they're doing won't please everyone, and that's a decision they've obviously made. It's a disappointment to a lot of people, but that's life. They're having a whale of a time, and it's been long enough for me to become indifferent to it.
In short, I suppose this post is here to say if you don't like it, you're not alone because neither do I. But we don't have the right to dictate their careers. Just find another band to listen to if it bothers you that much.
Do let me know if you agree, or maybe if you think I've been too harsh. I've stated my opinions, but I wouldn't say they were hateful. It's all interpretation, I suppose.
That's it, I think. Yeah.
Until next time, muchachos
xoxo
