5 Seconds of Summer
Riverstage, Brisbane
Wednesday, October 28th
5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) opened the Australian leg of their Everyone’s A Star! tour to a packed crowd. The Sydney-formed outfit made up of Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin has been touring the show since March, saving their final performances for Australia in what feels like a victory lap.
With six studio albums under their belt, as well as their own solo work released in recent years, the show wasn’t about showcasing new music, but evangelising their existing work to the faithful disciples they have garnered over nearly 15 years as a group. It’s been four years since 5SOS have played in Brisbane, and their success has only grown in that time, culminating in five ARIA Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, an American Music Award, a People’s Choice Award, and the Outstanding International Achievement Award at the 2019 APRA Awards. Branding themselves as “unprofessional” as they spoke to our audience, it’s easy to forget that they are, in fact, pros who became the first band ever to have their first three records go to No. 1 in the U.S., won their third ARIA Song of the Year prize for “Teeth” in 2020 (a Guinness World Record), and landed on Billboard’s Top Artists of the 2010s chart.
Pathologically unserious, it was no surprise to see the boys design the show format to be split into seven acts, presented as a mockumentary centred around their identity as a boy band. Boy band may have been a title that they perhaps have shirked previously in their career, but now a prominent track on their most recent album, accompanied by a great video clip that echoes this very tour of an out-of-touch boy band. The faux-serious format might also be a commentary on the old Tall Poppy Syndrome, which is ingrained in Australian stardom and how we feel our homegrown talent is allowed to act. But in reality, and based on the playful nature of these once high school mates, it’s probably not that deep.
These acts of the show were The Peak, The Fall, The Yearning, The Breakup, The Rise, The Beginning, and finally The Return. The acts organised a full 27-song set-list, and were punctuated by pre-recorded videos of 5SOS being interviewed by 60 Minutes, self-reflections to camera, news bulletins and “live” coverage of an award ceremony. The stage was set with a pink floor of stars, and a pink limousine front and centre, which was a nod to their song “Evolve” from Everyone’s A Star! where one is mentioned, with a drum set on the top of the limousine, where Irwin bashed it out for the duration of the show.
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Act 1 (The Peak) introduced the tour, with a video playing before the boys even hit the stage. Each bandmate had their own one-on-one interview about what it’s like to be the best boyband in the world and how they have dominated every metric known to music. For fans who haven’t kept an eagle eye on the performances abroad, they might have taken a beat to realise that they were taking the piss out of themselves, proving that even though they now live in LA, they are still thoroughly Australian in their humour and easy confidence. “Not Ok,” “No. 1 Obsession” and “Teeth” fell into act one, with the two former tracks massive hits from their sixth and most recent album, Everyone’s A Star!. “Teeth” was just as energetic and a welcome throwback to their 2019 album, Calm, which delivered anything but, turning Brisbane Riverstage into a loud, frenzied pit of fans bathed in a pink glow from the stage.
Act 2 (The Fall) saw the band face obscurity as they recounted how losing perspective of their fame has meant they may no longer be the global sensation they thought they were. This act had the largest compilation of the show, giving us “Easier,” “More,” “istillfeelthesame,” “No Shame,” “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Boyband,” “Telephone Busy” and “Evolve.” The show really hit its stride here and showcased just how versatile the foursome is, sharing the role of lead vocalist and proving they are weapons in their own right on various instruments. It was equal parts impressive and fun how 5SOS could weave contrasting themes together, with the self-destruction from “Telephone Busy” and the personal growth of “Evolve,” side by side with “She’s Kinda Hot.” But alas, who were we to criticise the inclusion of every phase of their success?
Before 5SOS took to the stage, a QR code was shown on screens, encouraging fans to vote for the secret song of the night. Punters managed the tricky task of selecting a song from the huge body of work from the group, and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” was chosen by way of having a fan in the front hold a Price is Right-esque briefcase to reveal the song. This was one of many gimmicky moments in the show, and it was clear that they were in no rush to end this Australian reunion, even showing a PowerPoint presentation about how to have a great show – complete with pointers for the audience and each other. Breaking the fourth wall as artists rarely do, they noted that “dropping some lore” will get great engagement from a destination, and so they showed a clip of one of their early-day performances in Brisbane with the bandmates looking like mere boys compared to the 30-year-old seasoned artists they have returned as. They joked at their outfits, hair and the fact they had a bongo drum in the mix.
They also showed pictures of how they had been to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, eaten lamingtons, hung out with Jacob Elordi (Brisbane royalty) and drank Brisbane-brewed IPA. A cute and repeatable format for 5SOS to whip out at every pitstop of their tour, but telling the audience how much they loved lamingtons felt a little clunky, given they were Australian and only moved to the US five years prior.
5SOS stans may have held their breath when Clifford (vocals and guitar) and Hood (vocals and bass) released their solo music last year, which, historically for boy groups, can be the signal that the end is near for a group. However, they touched on these ventures in their own way in Act 4, through the 60 Minutes format, where they explained their need to do their own thing. The screens then gave way to the stage where each member took turns standing in the spotlight, singing their own solo song, with the remaining bandmates on backing vocals and instruments. However, they were shrouded in the coloured light, with the clear intention of these performances to be an opportunity for them to shine on their own. Hemmings performed “Starting Line,” Irwin performed “Have U Found What Ur Looking For?,” Hood performed “Don’t Forget You Love Me,” and Clifford performed “enough.”
From there, we were delighted to see that the band gets their act together once again, and even shows them sitting nervously at a table backstage waiting to hear if they have won Best Boy Band of the Year. It’s in the bag, and the boys accept the award greedily, before kicking off a slower but no less beloved ballad of their 2014 fan-favourite, “Amnesia.” They tell us that this marks a new era for the group and Act 6, The Beginning, is another bumper-to-bumper, hit-filled portion giving us “English Love Affair,” “Voodoo Doll,” “Don’t Stop,” “Jet Black Heart,” and “She Looks So Perfect.”
It goes without saying that the show closed with “Youngblood,” one of their most critical hits to date, with the timeless tune feeling like it is always in the zeitgeist and current, despite being released eight years ago. The obedient Brisbane audience jumped in beat with the song and waved their arms, creating a hypnotic illusion as the lights and pink inflatable balls bounced around the moshpit.
The Brisbane Riverstage really was a mix of all ages and demographics, with many giving themselves away as to which 5SOS album, era and sound were most impactful to them. The group have toured prolifically since they started in high school, and on December 3rd, they will celebrate 15 years as a band, an accolade rarely seen among bandmates only 30 years young.
