With tabloid reports alleging that Simpson was planning to quit Busted at the end of their December tour, we confrunted the singer/guitarist with the questions he's going to have to answer if rock fans are really going to give his new band a chance..
Can you see why people might think that Busted ripped off New Found Glory and Blink 182 and now here's the same bloke doing the same thing to post-hardcore bands?
Totally. The Busted thing happened when I was 16.I saw an opportunity, took it and it was better than being at school. It was cool, it was a fun job to do to do but I'd never claim Busted was anything other than a pop band. Busted is not the ideal band I'd like to be in by any stretch of the imagination. This is my ideal band.

Do you feel like a fraud when you're on TV with Busted in, say, A Funeral For A Friend t-Shirt?
I want kids to pick good music instead of shit music. A 12 year old told me they'd checked out the Aereogramme album. That's fucking cool! If kids are looking up to Busted, I'd much rather they came away from it thinking, 'He likes that band, let's check them out' rather than checking out some wanky top 40 record.

If you had to choose between a big-money Busted tour or a toilet circuit tour with Fightstar, what would you do?
It's not about the money. The money means nothing to me. I'm completely at peace with myself doing this so I'm happy with whatever comes with it.

So you'd consider Fightstar over Busted?
Yes. If that situation came up then, at the end of the day, my passion lies in Fightstar's music.

Do you think you being in Busted will hold Fightstar back?
I can see why people are suspicious. It only gets in the way when people can only see me as Busted. Lots of people say to me, 'I completely hate Busted'. That's completely cool with me. I understand why. Some people will hold it against me and some people won't.

Would you quit Busted for Fightstar?
I can't say too much because of the politics involved, but Fightstar is what I do and so, if I have to choose, there's not even a question as to what I'd do.

Do you regret joining Busted?
For all the shit Busted gets, it's given me an opportunity and it's fun. I'll never say Busted should get respect from a magazine like Kerrang! because it shouldn't - it makes me laugh when we even get a mention. This is really a separate world and it's a world I really want to get stuck into.