Words: Trinity Zammit
Photos: Frances Beach for DORK

After being postponed due to the pandemic, 5 Seconds of Summer finally embarked on their world tour this month. I was lucky enough to see them in Cardiff’s legendary Motorpoint Arena on Friday. These tickets were my twenty-first birthday present this year, so to say I was ecstatic is an understatement. Since receiving the tickets in February, we have quite literally been counting down the days until we got to go to this concert and it was definitely worth the wait. 

I first saw 5SOS on tour with One Direction in 2015 but I have been a fan for much longer. My long term history with the group made getting to see them on the Take My Hand Tour even more special. Having not been to a concert since February 2020, just pre-pandemic, I was definitely craving some real live music. Luckily, 5 Seconds of Summer did not disappoint. 

Prior to the show, I had never heard of Coin or any of their music. However, I really enjoyed their performance and found myself trying to unpick their setlist whilst they were still playing so that I could add each song to my playlist. My personal favourite songs they played were Brad Pitt and I Want it All but I will definitely be listening to a lot more of their music in future and would highly recommend them to anyone who is a fan of groups like 5SOS. 

Then came the group we had all been waiting for: 5 Seconds of Summer. As soon as the lights went dark, you could feel the tension in the room rise. They opened with No Shame and the whole crowd chanted every single word. Definitely setting the tone for the rest of the night. 

As expected, the members put on an excellent show. Although the UK tour only started recently, the lads seemed so energetic and thrilled to be on stage performing again. You could feel it in the air at this Cardiff show. Particularly when Ashton pretended to be sick before shouting into the mic about how much he was enjoying the show. There was a palpable sense of excitement amongst the crowd, which after not being able to attend concerts for so long, felt so encompassing to be part of. Even Michael himself commented on how the Cardiff crowd seemed to be particularly happy to be at the show. 

5SOS have really smashed it in regards to the setlist for this tour; featuring newer songs such as Old Me and Lover of Mine, as well as absolute staples of their discography like Disconnected and Beside You. My personal favourite song to hear live was Wildflower as it is my favourite song on the CALM album. I also have this undying love for Calum Hood’s singing voice (or just Calum in general, if we’re being honest). 

However, it was also really exciting to hear Amnesia and She Looks So Perfect. These songs evoke a real sort of nostalgia within the fandom and both are essential listening within 5SOS’ discography. This was best demonstrated by the whole audience going into a passionate and intense sing-along for both songs. It was like we had been put on auto-pilot and our involuntary response was to move about and sing loudly. 

I also have to mention the songs they played from their upcoming album; Complete Mess, Take My Hand, and No Excuse. While all three songs were performed very well, the concert really gave me a newfound appreciation of Take My Hand. This was most likely due to the band’s evident and contagious enthusiasm for their newest release. If these songs are any indication, I think we are in store for what could be 5SOS’ best album yet.

Overall, seeing 5SOS in 2022 was a very different experience to the last time I saw them six years ago. On this tour, the band had this air of confidence and maturity that made the experience feel wholly new and fresh. Even if they were playing songs that I have been listening to for years. It feels like we have seen the group really come into their own and I can’t wait to see what’s next for them. 

If you’ve never seen 5 Seconds of Summer before, please take this as your sign to snatch up some tickets for an upcoming show. It’s safe to say that I am very jealous of anybody getting to see 5SOS at their next gig, and I will definitely be getting tickets to their next tour.