5 Seconds of Summer at the Adelaide UniBar
by Melina Scarfo
Sydney pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer drew a large crowd to the Adelaide UniBar on Thursday night for the fourth date of the ‘Pants Down Tour’. Since their formation in December 2011, Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin have gained a massive following online, released their debut EP and toured with One Direction. Quite impressive for a band who started by uploading covers to YouTube.
I felt like I was back in high school being surrounded by so many teenage girls. Mothers waited patiently at the back of the bar while their daughters crammed near the stage, vying for the best view. But don’t let their young fan base fool you; 5 Seconds of Summer are more than just cute faces and catchy tunes. They play their own instruments and have a sincerity which is rare to find these days.
5 Seconds of Summer kicked the night off with the upbeat “Lost Boy” and “Green Light”; unreleased songs from their upcoming debut album. They then launched into a tight cover of “Year 3000” by Busted, a band who has been a major influence on the boys. The raunchy “Good GirlsAre Bad Girls” had fans swooning at their feet.The shared role of lead vocals between guitarist Luke and bassist Calum is refreshing and it doesn’t hurt that the other two members sing every now and then as well.
Things slowed down with tracks from their debut EP ‘Somewhere New’ and fans sang their hearts out to the honest“Beside You” and “Gotta Get Out”. A punchy cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” got the crowd dancing and“Voodoo Doll” and “Heartbreak Girl” continued the high energy. Being the teenager boys that they are, cheeky comments and witty banter were maintained throughout the night. Judging by the sneaky glances and grins between the boys, they were loving every minute up on stage. They even gave a thoughtful shout out to the all mums in the crowd.
5 Seconds of Summer were welcomed back to the stage for the encore with ear-splitting screams and cheers. They launched into crowd favourite “Out of My Limit” and the excitement must have been all too much for Calum because he repeated the first verse. But that’s okay because we forgive him. The night ended with the much anticipated “Try Hard” and excitement levels were at their peak.
Despite half of the set list consisting of unreleased songs this didn’t deter the enthusiastic crowd. They had clearly done their homework and knew every lyric to every song. 5 Seconds of Summer prove they are not just another ‘boy band’. They are capable of delivering a fun, energetic show packed with cleverly written pop rock tunes. With a dedicated fan base which shows no signs of slowing down, this is just the beginning for 5 Seconds of Summer.