5 Seconds of Summer return with a new single, ‘2011’, in celebration of their tenth anniversary as a band.
It’s been a spectacular decade for the Western Sydney band, who went from cutting their teeth at local joints like The Annandale Hotel to dominating arena stages globally.
5 Seconds of Summer will cast a wide lens on their journey, through a celebratory “10-year celebration” global live stream, set to take place at 9 am AEDT on December 4th.
The broadcast will be streamed on YouTube, the place where 5 Seconds of Summer began their journey covering the likes of All Time Low, and Bruno Mars from their teenage living rooms.
“This year we’re celebrating 10 years of 5 Seconds of Summer. Singlehandedly the best 10 years of our lives. So to honour every experience, lesson and person we’ve encountered we decided to make The 5 Seconds of Summer show,” the band wrote in a statement. “Something that captures the pursuit of creation, the love of the relationship we have with our fans and the endless boundary of what it means to be in a band.”
The 5 Seconds of Summer journey began in 2011. Frontman Luke Hemmings had been sharing lo-fi covers of schmaltzy songs by the likes of Mike Posner and Ron Pope on Youtube. The climate was fertile for an act like 5 Seconds of Summer: One Direction was at their apex, and Hemmings’ covers struck a chord with a cohort of rabid, insatiable teenage girls. His version of Mike Posner’s ‘Please Don’t Go,’ earned 40,000 views in a few months.
Hemmings, Calum Hood, and Michael Clifford were schoolmates at Sydney’s Norwest Christian College. Their debut as a trio, a cover of Justin Bieber and Chris Brown’s ‘Next To You,’ amassed 600,000 views on YouTube. Ashton Irwin, a local student at Richmond High School, was brought into the fold as a drummer, and 5 Seconds of Summer was born.
In the year since the band has racked up an impressive resume of accolades. They are the only band in history to see their first three full-length studio albums (2014’s self-titled, 2015’s Sounds Good Feels Good, and 2018’s Youngblood) debut at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. All four of the band’s full-length albums debuted atop of the ARIA Album charts.
“Above all else we were once again rediscovering how beautiful it is to be able to share our story together,” the band write. “Alongside that we will release a song called 2011 which is an homage to the past, and a nod to what we have in store to the future. We’ve loved every minute of being in this band. Here’s to another ten years of 5 Seconds of Summer.”
The 5 Seconds of Summer Show will premiere on YouTube, Saturday December 4th at 9AM AEDT.
