Busted's James Bourne reveals he will not be joining the Busted Vs McFly tour
He's shared a statement
Last updated 15th Sep 2025
Busted AND McFly are taking to the road this month for the ultimate battle of the bands as they go head-to-head to perform full live sets for their fans across the UK.
As McFly played their 21st birthday show at London's O2 Arena on Wednesday 9th October last year, Busted stormed the stage to announce they will be going head-to-head on tour together in 2025.
Sadly, just a day ahead of the tour's first date, Busted's James Bourne has revealed he will not be touring due to a health condition. Taking to Instagram to share a statement, James said: 'The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I’ve been all year for this tour to begin, I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows :-(
'There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on the medical stuff for now.
'I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line. It’s still going to be an amazing show and I will miss being there!
'See you all as soon as possible. ✌️✌️'.
Since sharing the sad news, McFly's Harry Judd commented: 'Won’t be the same without you dude. Hope you’re back on Tour asap. 🤟🏻'. With fans adding comments such as: 'Take care of yourself, James! Get better soon ❤️'.
Starting on Tuesday 16th September 2025, the bands will take to the stage at bp pulse Live in Birmingham, before performing at both Wembley and The O2 in London, Cardiff, Sheffield, Leeds, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham. After announcing their original dates, they added a massive 21 dates to their line-up which sees them perform to a combined total of 110,000 fans in London alone!
Speaking of the tour, McFly threw down the gauntlet and commented: "Busted gatecrashed our show tonight (not cool), and challenged us to a VS tour next year. They’re old men now, and we show tonight (not cool), and challenged us to a VS tour next year. They’re old men now, and we are gonna blow them and their carers off the stage next year. We’ve had a great time celebrating our 21st birthday this week and next year is going to be even better - P.S Busted Suck."
Busted fought back and added: "There’s been a lot of talk recently…. This is where the talking ends….! We are ready to show who is the better band once and for all. McFly suck and Busted Rock!"
What dates are Busted V McFly performing in the UK?
See the full list of dates below.
September 2025
Birmingham, bp pulse Live – Tue 16th
Birmingham, bp pulse Live – Wed 17th - NEW DATE
London, Wembley Arena – Fri 19th
London, The O2 – Sat 20th
London, The O2 – Sun 21st - NEW DATE
Cardiff, Utilita Arena – Tue 23rd
Cardiff, Utilita Arena – Wed 24th - NEW DATE
Sheffield, Utilita Arena – Fri 26th
Leeds, First Direct Arena – Sat 27th
Leeds, First Direct Arena – Sun 28th - NEW DATE
Aberdeen, P&J Live – Tue 30th
October 2025
Glasgow, OVO Hydro – Thu 2nd
Glasgow, OVO Hydro – Fri 3rd - NEW DATE
Cardiff, Utilita Arena - Mon 6th - NEW DATE
Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena – Tue 7th
Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena – Wed 8th - NEW DATE
Newcastle, Utilita Arena – Fri 10th
Newcastle, Utilita Arena – Sat 11th - NEW DATE
Newcastle, Utilita Arena – Sun 12th - NEW DATE
Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena – Tue 14th
Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena – Wed 15th - NEW DATE
Manchester, AO Arena – Fri 17th
Manchester, AO Arena – Sat 18th - NEW DATE
3Arena, Dublin - Mon 20th
Belfast, SSE Arena - Tue 21st
Belfast, SSE Arena - Wed 22nd - NEW DATE
3Arena, Dublin - Sun 26th - NEW DATE
Birmingham, bp pulse Live – Tue 28th - NEW DATE
London, The O2 –Thur 30th - NEW DATE
London, The O2 – Fri 31st - NEW DATE
November 2025
London, The O2 - Mon 1st - NEW DATE
Glasgow, OVO Hydro - Tue 3rd - NEW DATE
Manchester, Co-op Live - Thu 5th - NEW DATE
Sheffield, Utilita Arena - Fri 6th - NEW DATE
Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena - Sun 8th - NEW DATE
How to buy tickets to see Busted V McFly
You can buy tickets to see Busted Vs McFly now from Aloud.com
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