Live Review: 5 Seconds of Summer
Take My Hand World Tour on the 30 November 2022 at HBF Stadium, Mount Claremont (Perth).
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photos by Sheldon Ang Photography
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Hysteria swathed the stadium in a current of deafening octave, rivalling the decibels of a 747 on take-off, and with the army in their thousands blasting to every syllable, chaos is exacerbated by the quartet through the visual catalyst of guitar swings, bass rhythm and the thundering drums. Draped in a cream coloured vest and pants, the lead vocalist spins with his instrument, with every twist and turn fueling the resonance that echoes within the fanzone.
“Perth, you have been absolute amazing tonight. You never know, three years later, you asked, ‘How’s the crowd gonna be?’” The fans simply annihilate any doubt by blowing off the roof. “One more time – make some noise for yourself.”
Once upon a time, some indicated that 5 Seconds of Summer aka 5SOS was the answer to One Direction. Sure, the Aussie band was propelled onto the world stage thanks to landing the support act for the global phenomenon in 2012. But that’s where the similarity ends, with the quartet from Sydney being accomplished on-stage, world-class musicians, with Luke Hemmings on lead vocals/guitar, Michael Clifford on lead guitar, while rhythm section Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin on bass and drums. The latter three are tagged with an Asterix as they are all vocalists in their own right, such as in Wildflower with the bassist taking the center stage role.
Started off as punk rock in 2011, sighting influences from the likes of Green Day and Blink182, 5SOS have evolved into the pop realm to fit into the present demographics, with first signs of musical shift in their third album. They are also the first Aussie band to debut three studio albums at number 1 on the US Billboard 100. During a moment at the concert, their world prominence was displayed on the LCD screen through montages of newscasters and talk show hosts in foreign accents such as Jimmy Fallon, echoing “5 Seconds of Summer!”
So fresh from their sold-out American tour, the band graced the stage for the first time in Australia on the Take My Hand World Tour by taking positions in front of white beaming LCD screen, carving their silhouette to the hysterical fans. They sparked the night with No Shame, Easier and More as their first three songs paving the way through a twenty-six song setlist from across 5 albums. It was evident that the prerequisite of being a 5SOS fan is knowing every lyric, from the obscure songs to the commercial wonders.
“Thank you so much for waiting for us. Sing your hearts out”.
A 5SOS live concert experience is like being in a dance rave but without the associated underground shadows – afterall there are a few mums and dads to accompany their star struck daughters (and some sons). It was also like being in a rock concert, with the sing along and hands in the air moments with fans jumping like Cris Cross to the music cadence, sending thumping reverberation across the floor thorough 6000 pairs of feet. If Wall Could Talk was simply boom-boom bombastic, and with Old Me and Me Myself and I – the energy drawn from the consecutive playlist was palpable, electrified by the heavy drums and kicks, addictive melody and strong riffs.
Amnesia took fans onto a recess through an acoustic display. Just like during the Ghost of You the capacity crowd turned into a sea of swaying lights, with the latter track providing the solemn but equanimous setting to the mournful lyrics.
She Looks So Perfect – the song that started the journey for 5SOS, sent a thunderbolt across HBF Stadium from the intro onwards. Fans also sank their soul into Teeth, before 5SOS closing the main stretch with Jet Black.
“Like all good things, it must come to an end.”
The night finished off with Youngblood, a track that propagated into the realm of the billion club on Spotify, and contributing to the 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Not many bands are able to shed their skin for a different genre, let alone with critical and commercial success. Tracks My Myself and I, Take My Hand and Easy for You from their latest album 5SOS5 were probably curated for live performances – because they sounded uber good, live! While the category of genres may define a band, they weaved through the revolving doors of punk rock and pop fusion which was mellifluously articulate and went unnoticeable. Perhaps fans were possessed by the presence of 5SOS, nevertheless it can be attributed to the brilliant, tight musicianship among the four men from Sydney.
5SOS are touring across Australia. Get your tickets from Live Nation Australia
The writer would like to thank Live Nation Australia and 5 Seconds of Summer for the Press Accreditation. Make sure you check them out for upcoming live performances
About the Author/Photographer: Sheldon is the founder of SAM. Since their launch in May 2022, they have been accredited to capture and review some of the hottest live shows across all genres in Perth, such as RnB Fridayz Live, KISS, Louis Tomlinson (One Direction), The Kid LAROI, Guy Sebastian and many more. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
