By Sam Abercromby

I knew my ears were in for a pounding when I could hear the high-pitched screams from outside the venue, even before teen pop-rock chart-toppers Busted took to the stage at the Oxford Apollo.

Signs advised that ear-plugs would be available and the St John's ambulance were on standby as hoards of screaming teens packed out the historic venue to watch their idols.

After some great support acts, including upcoming British Avril Lavigne/Britney Spears cross Maria Willson, the banners started flying and the theatre began ringing with cries of 'We want Busted!'

The fans weren't disappointed as the curtain dropped and the boys went straight into their latest hit You Said No. Full of energy, they jumped off speakers and lived up to their cheeky 'clean Blink 182' rock image.

This energy continued throughout their performance as James, Mattie and Charlie played not only their recognised singles and album songs, but also some rockier B-sides and a great cover of Van Morrison's 'Brown Eyed Girl'.

The guys took time to thank their fans and get the crowd involved, and clearly looked like they were enjoying themselves. The fans certainly were, with boys and girls of all ages singing along to all the tracks.

The highlight of the night had to be when after a cheeky reference to Michael Jackson, James busted (ha!) into a complete dance routine complete with a perfect moonwalk across stage. Very impressive.

The show lasted for just over an hour and it was a bit disappointing that they didn't perform an encore, but everyone seemed to have a great time.

The stage looked good, the band gave everything (even taking the time to sign posters for fans pre-show) and we left the venue with our ears ringing not only with teenage screams but also some cracking upbeat pop-rock songs.

Move over Westlife - here's to the future of pop music!