There are few songs that can bridge generational gaps like Busted’s ‘Year 3000’.
And at Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday night, it did exactly that — uniting lifelong fans, curious newbies, and a surprising number of Jonas Brothers devotees in one gloriously chaotic singalong.
By the time the opening riff kicked in, the crowd at Seaclose Park was already primed. Busted had spent the past hour steamrolling through their back catalogue with punk-pop precision — all high kicks, power chords, and perfect chaos. But this was the one. ‘Year 3000’ felt like a time machine in itself, hurling the crowd back to when CD players were king, trousers were dangerously low-slung, and Busted were the band on the cover of Smash Hits.
It wasn’t just the 30-somethings screaming every word like they were back in their childhood bedrooms. A whole wave of Gen Z kids, many of whom discovered the track via the Jonas Brothers’ 2006 Disneyfied cover, were just as loud — maybe even louder. And honestly, no one cared which version got you here. The point was that everyone was here now, jumping like maniacs, shouting about triple-breasted women and under-water cities like it was gospel.
Charlie Simpson’s voice — once gravelly, now somehow even grittier — held up like a tank. Matt Willis leapt around like the world’s most jacked Duracell bunny. And James Bourne, still the cheeky glue between them, looked like he was loving every second.
If Busted ever needed proof that their songs had properly stood the test of time, this was it. The energy was ridiculous. The joy was real. And when the band hit that final chorus, fireworks might as well have gone off — the entire field felt like it was levitating.
They might have come from the past, but with ‘Year 3000’, Busted reminded everyone that their brand of melodic mayhem still has a place in the future.
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