5SOS at the Enmore Theatre - 30/4/14 - Live Review

I didn't know what to expect as I rocked up to the Enmore Theatre on the 30th of April. I was armed with little more than a fourteen-year-old sister, who had seen them support One Direction and thought they were “so great because they actually play instruments!!” And play their instruments they did.

5 Seconds of Summer put on one of the most energetic shows I’ve ever witnessed to an incredibly adoring and passionate crowd. The first support act, Little Sea opened the night to a massive sea of teenage girls, playing a set of acoustic guitar driven pop, which included a rousing cover of A Great Big World’s ‘Say Something,’ encouraging many to hold hands and sway, in a unifying 3 minutes that had the potential to bring a tear to one’s eye. The highlight of the set was the band’s newest single ‘Thank You,’ a catchy song that the crowd impressively enough knew all the words to.

Next up was one-man band Mike Dignam, who hails from England, a fact that Dignam stated at least 5 times and each time elicited 5 times more screaming. Songs like ‘Young’ and ‘Great Escape,’ consisted of pretty melodies and boppy guitar, again the audience sang every word, they had done their research.

Before long it was time for the main event. I will say one thing; the 5SOS boys know how to make an entrance. The room darkened, the hysterical screaming of innumerable girls was dominated by an ominous droning noise. As smoke engulfed the stage the screams of the teens reached a climax of anticipation. The lights flashed on and off as one by one, four boys clad in matching skinny jeans and singlets took to the stage. Kicking things off with ‘Eighteen,’ the band spared no time in warming the crowd up.

Their set moved reasonably quickly with their first single ‘Out Of My Limit’ and upcoming single ‘Don’t Stop,’ both catchy songs that saw band members interchange the role of lead vocalist. When singers/guitarists, Luke Hemmings, Callum Hood and Michael Clifford weren’t fronting the vocals, they ran enthusiastically to either side of the stage, pandering to the euphoric fans that had secured a front row spot. The band then introduced themselves individually, as if their fans didn’t already know their names (along with their dates of birth, favourite food and any other obsessive but useless fact that could be picked up by spending hours watching their countless video diaries), it was all a bit Hi-5.

After this, things slowed down a bit for the acoustic heartbreak number ‘Amnesia’ which combined warm guitar and pretty harmonies, played to a sea of sparkling mobile phones. The highlight was the catchy chorus of newer song ‘Disconnected,’ which I was singing to myself on the way home. Admittedly though, if you closed your eyes you could almost convince yourself you were listening to The 1975’s ‘Chocolate.’

After a quick cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream,’ 5sos announced, to an epic communal ‘AWW’ that they would now play their last song: ‘She Looks So Perfect’ (you know, the one about the American Apparel underwear). Every girl in the room was singing along at the top of her lungs and at one point I was afraid the seating section would collapse from all the jumping.

5 Seconds of Summer left the stage to rapturous applause and deafening screams. The noise of the crowd did not falter in the break between their exit and return for an encore of The Romantics’ ‘What I Like About You,’ and 2013 single ‘Try Hard.’ The 5 Seconds of Summer Sydney concert was apparently the boys’ chance to prove to their mums that leaving school to pursue a music career was a viable decision. Judging by the unwavering success of their sold out show(s), they wont be returning to maths class anytime soon.

Review by Grace Griffiths

Photos by Geneva Valek - see full album here

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