5 Seconds of Summer take London’s The O2 by storm for their biggest show yet
The Australian band bring their 6th album to their second home, with support from Haiden Henderson and South Arcade.
Photo: Brian Ziff
Love, adoration and genuine gratitude: that’s what the foursome from Australia emanated on Thursday night. Finally gracing the stage after a rockstar-ready performance from Haiden Henderson and a punky set from Oxford’s South Arcade, 5 Seconds of Summer appeared on screens, mimicking sipping tea from Union Jack printed mugs in the back of a limo, bringing all the punk aesthetics from their sixth album, EVERYONE’S A STAR!, to The O2, as the opening chords to NOT OK sent the London crowd into a frenzy.
It’s been thirteen years since my sister took me to see One Direction as a thirteen-year-old on the cusp of turning fourteen. It was the second gig I had ever been to, the first being McFly some five or so years before. As soon as those four — Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford and Ashton Irwin — bounded onto the stage, I was mesmerised. I still remember Ashton’s Batman logo t-shirt after all this time, or that I became instantly obsessed from that day onwards, and our deputy editor, Chloe, soon followed suit.
The show we were about to witness was a far cry from the fresh-faced teenagers I had witnessed, who had yet to release an album. It felt polished, despite the band acting as if they weren’t following a loose script at times. Adding layers, they split the set into different acts, making it feel like we were witnessing a movie unfold before us: Act I: The Peak, Act II: The Fall, Act III: The Yearning, Act IV: The Breakup and Act V: The Rise.
Following on from the premise of their latest album, the band satirically call themselves the “best boyband” in the world, and run on stage from the limo interior set-up just to the side of the stage, with each band member dressed fittingly: Michael’s bright red hair covering his eyes, Luke in an orange shirt and leather jacket, Ashton rocking an all-leather get-up and Calum donning his usual skirt and shirt.
I fell out of love with the band almost as quickly as I fell in and, by 2015 and the release of Jet Black Heart, I had turned my attention to indie music (Wolf Alice, Peace, Swim Deep, etc) and, thus, felt like I had to leave that part of me behind. But, as most people know, when you grow older, nostalgia is the best (and safest) drug — and one I can never quite resist.
We’re taught that loving boy bands is cringe. For a long time, I shared that belief. You think you’re too cool to listen to the music you loved as a teenager, until you’re in your 20s and realise you can just enjoy what you want, without a care in the world. One Direction were one of my top 5 most-streamed artists in 2024, as I craved a connection to that lost teenager who found solace in being boyband-obsessed.
I hadn’t listened to a 5 Seconds of Summer album since their self-titled debut when I saw they’d announced EVERYONE’S A STAR!. Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying it, and hoped I was making that teen-self proud by reconnecting with that part of me. Before this tour, I did my research; I knew there would be songs I’d missed, and I wanted to enjoy every moment to the max.
Despite my lack of knowledge and minimal streams, tracks from their 2020 album CALM — Teeth, Easier, No Shame — felt authentic to the band, and sounded just as strong as new album tracks No. 1 Obsession and istillfeelthesame. Thanks in part to the fact that all four members of the band’s vocals were unmatched that evening, leaving a lasting impression.
When you think they’re done surprising you, the band came back on stage after No Shame, standing in front of a PowerPoint Presentation, detailing what to do in London, with a nod back to their time here last time for the release of their sixth album, when Ashton rode the London Underground with fans, who took him to Banquet Records and made him say “see it, say it, sorted” for a TikTok.
“You look beautiful this evening, thank you for singing your hearts out — we appreciate it,” Luke told the crowd, before turning to read the PowerPoint displayed behind him, telling the crowd that, when the crowd don’t make noise, their ‘star power’ goes down. Ashton’s slide told the crowd to ‘give people what they want’, before giving the crowd an old song in the form of She’s Kinda Hot, a track that Luke still refuses to sing (I didn’t believe it at first, but he really does).
Once again, the band leave the stage for another hilarious segment — something they’ve refined to a tee on this tour, by the looks of things — before they’re spotted eagerly waiting by the side of the stage to see if they’ve won the award for ‘Best Boyband’. A fan in the pit was given a golden ticket, and alas was dressed as a giant golden star to give the band their award, with Luke saying, “London, this is so unexpected, nobody could have expected this”. Launching into album track Boyband, the band poke fun at the label stuck to them, and one that’s followed them around since their inception.
Highlights of the night came from the strongest tracks from their latest album, I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again and Evolve, with the latter leaving the crowd in a frenzy, as frontman Luke exclaimed, “I didn’t know you’d like Evolve that much!”
One of the most memorable moments — and most unique — came once a videotape played on the screen of the band pretending to break up, earning lots of laughs from the audience, and leading into Luke taking to the stage by himself before starting his solo track, Starting Line, swiftly joined by the rest of the band’s instruments.
The band delivered this section seamlessly and impressively, moving into Ashton’s Have U Found What Ur Looking For? with slight technical issues with his microphone, and Calum’s Don’t Forget You Love Me, which is arguably the best solo track of theirs, before ending with Michael’s enough. Seeing them all take centre stage individually showed a band mature enough to go their separate ways without it feeling like it has to be a competition.
Throughout the night, it was clear how incredibly grateful the band were to be in this position, with Luke telling the crowd how crazy it was to perform to 16,000 people — their biggest show yet — and Calum expressing his thanks for being able to make music with his best friends. Before Amnesia was performed, Calum took to the mic: “We’ve been a band for fifteen odd years, and we can still come to London and see this many beautiful faces. I just feel so grateful, so lucky to be here with you all right now, playing with my best mates, still doing what we love to do. Thank you for giving us the space to do that.”
Nostalgia took the spotlight as the night drew to a close; Amnesia saw the four at the very front of the circular stage, performing it acoustically — as it should be. English Love Affair went down a treat with the British crowd, as expected, and Voodoo Doll was a highlight of the night, before She Looks So Perfect, the single that really put them on the map, seemingly ended the night.
The band returned to the stage through the back of the crowd, working their way through the packed O2 floor, giving security the daunting task of separating the crowd so they could make their way through. Hands grabbed at them as the opening notes to the title track played out, with the band looking as if they were about to enter a boxing ring for the finale.
Everyone’s a Star! proved to be a hit when performed live, before they played us out with their smash hit, Youngblood, which actually is one I was very familiar with, having snuck it onto party playlists back at University. It’s a perfect closer, and it’s one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time: fantastic production, great setlist and, all in all, a really fun time, made more fun by the fact that the four were clearly in their element and having fun themselves. It’s nice to see they’re still as funny as I remember.
Setlist:
Act I - The Peak
NOT OK
No. 1 Obsession
Teeth
Act II - The Fall
Easier
More
istillfeelthesame
No Shame
PowerPoint Break
She’s Kinda Hot
Boyband
Telephone Busy
Evolve
Act III - The Yearning
Bad Omens
Ghost of You
I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again
Act IV - The Breakup
Starting Line (Luke Hemmings solo)
Have U Found What Ur Looking For? (Ashton Irwin solo)
Don’t Forget You Love Me (Calum Hood solo)
enough (Michael Clifford solo)
Act V - The Rise
Amnesia
English Love Affair
Voodoo Doll
Waste the Night
Jet Black Heart
She Looks So Perfect
Encore:
Everyone’s a Star!
Youngblood
