BUSTED fans don’t have to wait until the Year 3000 to see their heroes again – the boyband favourites are heading to the North East this summer to headline an outdoor concert.

Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne will take to the stage at Bents Park, South Shields on Sunday 16 July in the second of this year’s Sunday Concerts held as part of the South Tyneside Festival. 

And fans wanting to guarantee entry to the gig are being urged to snap-up one of a limited number of special advance tickets to ensure they don’t miss out. 

Priority Access Tickets have been introduced for the first time this year following the success of last year’s concerts. They are priced at £5 each and will ensure entry to the show they are purchased for, as well as allow priority access to the park.

Admission remains free for anyone not wishing to buy a Priority Access Ticket, but will be subject to availability on the day.

Famed for hits including Air Hostess, What I Go to School For, Crashed the Wedding and Year 3000, the double Brit-winning pop-rock trio returned to the spotlight last year following an 11-year break.

Following their success in the early 2000s, the band went their separate ways in January 2005. Simpson worked with his other band, Fightstar, before going on to record as a solo artist while Willis became a respected TV personality and musical theatre actor.

He and Bourne tried unsuccessfully to get Simpson back on board for a reunion, and in 2013 the pair teamed-up with McFly to form McBusted. 

After a year of touring as a superband, Simpson had a change of heart in 2015 and re-joined. Last year they released their third album Night Driver and returned with single On What you’re On, as well as enjoying a UK tour.

“We can’t wait to come to South Shields this summer to headline this exciting event,” said Busted. “We always get a fantastic reception whenever we play the North East and we can’t wait to come back and entertain the people of South Tyneside.”

Busted will be joined at Bents Park by local acts The Understudies, Call on Sunday and Sonny.

The Understudies are a four-piece covers band who are all veterans of the local music scene. They play an eclectic mix of rock, indie, punk and new wave music, and can regularly be found  performing in pubs and bars across South Tyneside with their set list which includes tracks from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, ELO, David Bowie, The Police, Talking Heads and many more.

Call on Sunday, formerly known as The Waiters, are also South Shields born and bred and are no strangers to the Bents Park stage, having performed there in 2015 alongside 90s pop acts 5ive and Atomic Kitten.

The four-piece pop band have also supported the likes of Ed Sheeran, Nicole Scherzinger and Labrinth and with fans from all over Europe look set to be on the brink of big things.

Also hailing from South Shields is teenager Sonny, who will be playing an acoustic set on the day. The 18-year-old, who got his first taste of fame when he auditioned for X Factor, has appeared at the festival previously, under his real name Stevie Tennet.

The singer-songwriter has already been tipped for big things, and is currently promoting his new music, described as a mix of indie, R&B, folk and soul.

Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, with responsibility for Culture and Leisure said: “We are thrilled to be able to announce Busted as headliners at our second Sunday Concert this year, supported by two local bands 

“We know how popular the Busted boys are, and we expect this could possibly be our biggest concert of the year, so we’re urging fans to pick up one of our Priority Access Tickets if they don’t want to miss out, as I am sure we will reach capacity very quickly for this one.”

The Sunday Concert series, sponsored by Port of Tyne, Colmans Seafood Temple, Town Centre Automobiles and Little Haven Hotel, is one of the most popular elements in the annual South Tyneside Festival and regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors from across the region and further afield.

Priority Access Tickets for the Busted show are available to buy now from Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/southtynesidefestival or by calling 0844 844 0444. They can also be purchased over the counter at Shop @ The Word in Market Place, South Shields.

For more information and full listings visit: www.southtynesidefestival.co.uk