McFly have found themselves at the heart of a pop culture dispute after Paloma Faith took a playful, yet pointed swipe at the band in a recent TikTok video.
The singer-songwriter revisited albums that prevented her from clinching the No.1 spot on the UK charts over the years. Among them was McFly’s 2020 album, Young Dumb Thrills, which reached No.2, while her own single Infinite Things peaked at No.4.
In her video, Paloma didn’t mince words: “No.2 was Young Dumb Thrills by McFly. Ugh. Come on, it’s a teen band. Actually, it’s a teen band still followed by fortysomething fans who’ve grown up with them.”
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This comment triggered an immediate reaction from McFly’s passionate fanbase, many of whom leapt to the band’s defense, praising McFly’s enduring appeal and musical legacy.
Drummer Harry Judd responded on X, stating, “Paloma throwing us shade on TikTok… be better, not bitter.” His classy reply earned applause from fans who found Paloma’s remark unnecessary.
McFly are no strangers to rivalry, especially with their longstanding, good-natured competition against Busted. The highly-anticipated Busted Vs. McFly tour kicks off on September 16 at Birmingham’s BP Pulse Live Arena. Spanning 33 shows across the UK and Ireland, the tour promises a thrilling battle of the bands.
Bassist Dougie Poynter has described the tour as “very WWE,” suggesting the performances will be highly competitive and theatrical, with band members playfully wrestling for supremacy on stage.
In an earlier interview with Guitar.com, Dougie explained their show planning: “We’re figuring out how to make the show flow and what silly tricks we can include. Both bands play instruments, so it’s about finding moments to add fun theatrical effects—maybe even some magic tricks to move members across the arena. It’s very WWE, and we want that aspect to shine for both teams.”
McFly and Busted have history together, having formed the supergroup McBusted when members joined forces. Busted’s frontman Charlie Simpson once joked that McFly would act as a “support” band on the upcoming tour, just like during Busted’s 2004 gigs for “Year 3000.”
He humorously remarked to The Sun, “We said, ‘We don’t want to go out again, but we will if we have to take you on. You can support us one more time, yes, just like in 2004.’”
In response, McFly’s Harry Judd shot back, “To be honest, these guys have already celebrated their 20th anniversary and milked it, so they needed us — and we felt charitable.”