Everyone’s A Star but 5 Seconds of Summer Will Always Shine the Brightest
Your favourite boy band, 5 Seconds of Summer’s Everyone’s A Star Tour, has crash landed in Cardiff. Tangling the insanity of the rise and fall of fame into a night that’s their best and boldest live show to date.
Joined for the evening by two equally brilliantly chosen support acts, Haiden Henderson and South Arcade, both brought a different edge to an already lively Cardiff crowd. First gracing the stage with a setlist mostly centred around his latest EP Tension (heightened), already hailed as one of the most promising rising stars of the moment, Haiden’s stage presence was captivating from the very beginning. Opening the entire evening with the EP’s namesake Tension, there’s a dark and hardy edge to his sound which carries through everything he performs, translating perfectly into a crowd-pleasing cover of Lady Gaga’s Pokerface.
Keen to stress the sentiment of the occasion, Haiden proudly told the crowd how important the Aussies have been in his journey. “I learned how to sing by watching these guys make cover videos on YouTube. I learned how to play guitar by seeing them live.” Destiny, if you will, to be offered the supporting slot to perform his biggest shows to date under the band that inspired his journey into music in the first place. Haiden’s charismatic set ended with Hell of a Good Time. Having already amassed such a devoted fanbase, there is no doubt that Henderson is only at the beginning of his journey.
Next up were South Arcade. The band from Oxford, composed of Harmony Cavelle (vocals), Harry Wink (guitar), Ollie Green (bass) and Cody Jones (drums), brought their pop-punk energy to the now-primed audience. Having formed as a band only in 2021, they delivered their set with a confident punch, even teasing a previously unreleased track, Superman.
Between playfully poking fun at the fact that it was Easter Sunday and launching mini eggs into the audience, and Cody taking a talking break to explain that having been to so many shows at this very venue as a teen, it felt like a dream to be playing the stage himself, their set landed with a surprisingly nostalgic energy. Y2k pop-punk at its finest, not too dissimilar from the likes of Avril Lavigne or Pale Waves.
Shortly before 9 pm, the lights dim, an intro video begins, and an hour and a half of the best kind of chaos unfolds. Expanding on an era that has so cleverly poked fun at the concept of being thrown into the spotlight so young and dealing with the sometimes stubborn public perception, the Everyone’s A Star show only pushes these themes further. Opening with NOT OK! live from inside the pink limo present in so much of the promo, before the band are illuminated onto the stage.
Drummer Ashton Irwin takes his seat at the kit atop the front of the limo, crashing through the back of the set, before Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings and Calum Hood follow suit at the front of the main stage. The first chunk of the setlist is a gritty intro to the classic Aussie rock that has cemented the band as one of the best live performers of our time. NOT OK! immediately conjures energy from an eager crowd, building through No. 1, Obsession, and Teeth, landing into the fan-favourite and all-too-familiarly captivating Easier – More transition.
The expertly crafted setlist landed as a strong mix of emphasis on their new album and some old classics. Joking during a PowerPoint presentation near the start of the show, the band seem unphased by the relentless love for their early work. Comfortable in equal measures finessing live performances of their new album, and belting out English Love Affair or She’s Kinda Hot to a crowd, delighting in the pure nostalgic value.
A pillar of 5SOS live shows is the inclusion of skits to ease the story along. This time, they are framed alongside a series of candidly sarcastic interviews. The story follows a band’s monumental rise to power and fame before it all comes crashing down, and they separate to work on solo projects. Perfectly setting up a particularly lethal section of their solo work.
Rising from the centre of the circular walkway, the angelic piano echoes of Starting Line sent the crowd into a state of shock. An unexpected delight to hear the band as a collective performing work from their solo repertoires. It’s easy to take for granted the talent of the foursome because of the collective chaos and energy they bring to live performances, but it’s incredibly special to witness each member thrive solo, with the full instrumental backing of their bandmates. It speaks so much to the relationship the band has managed to sustain with one another to be so at ease supporting each other through opportunities to exercise themselves alone creatively, while still coming back together to lift one another at every opportunity.
In their trademark ‘don’t take themselves too seriously’ style, there are points of pure sarcasm in the show that only deepen the pure joy of the audience. Inviting a fan on stage to present them with a boyband award, a whole PowerPoint presentation of city lore from the night’s tour stop, and a random meme every evening from the band’s early days. Something they always manage to deliver on is making sure the fans from the early years are appreciated, while still reminding everyone just how much their music and talents have developed over the past decade and a half in the industry.
Making great use of the circular walkway enveloping the VIP pit, a highlight of the night was hearing Telephone Busy and Evolve performed from the edge of the circle. The band touched down in the centre of the audience to bring pure power through two of their most recently released tracks. Balanced against the band’s softer classics like Ghost of You, which lit up the Arena, and an acoustic version of the beloved Amnesia. Certain songs will live on their setlist forever, but still invoke the most touching parts of the band’s performances.
After a short intermission, darkness falls on the arena again as anticipation hangs heavy as the band appears on screen, making their way through the crowd. Necks craning and flashlights everywhere for a glimpse of the guys as they walk from the edge of the back of the pit back up to the stage. Hemmings delivers the vocals of Everyone’s A Star through the first verse before the full band kicks in for an immaculate performance of the title track.
Before a few thank you’s and a final call to give the band everything you’ve got through the last chorus of Youngblood. With a final bow to both the pit and the audience, the band waves their goodbyes, and the walkway closes over to end a magical evening. Though slick production and an immaculate set design, the show itself is a spectacle, truly one to be seen and appreciated live. Through solo music, some city-based fan surprises, and a handful of their classics, this is truly 5SOS as their best rockstar selves, while still maintaining all the charm and charisma of the band we’ve admired for a decade.
The Everyone’s A Star World Tour is currently working its way through Europe, before heading out to the US and Latin America, closing out in Australia at the end of the year. If you needed a reminder of why our love for 5 Seconds of Summer was never just a phase, this is it.
