BELFASTS FAVOURITE BOYBAND - 5SOS RETURN TO THE SSE ARENA
5 Seconds of Summer could not have picked a better place to kick off the Everyone’s A Star tour than Belfast. Going into the show completely blind, from the stage setup to the setlist, only made the experience even more exciting for us, and not a single part of the night disappointed.
From start to finish, the show felt cinematic. We were hooked from the opening video intro alone, and it even made us wonder whether the band had taken some inspiration from Daisy Jones & The Six.
The staging played a huge role in bringing that vision to life. A semi-circular walkway extended out into the crowd, with a pit enclosed inside it, allowing the band to fully work the room and make the arena feel far more intimate than expected.
At one point, a drum kit was lifted up through the stage along the walkway for a performance, and they even sang their nostalgic hit “Amnesia” there, creating one of the most memorable moments of the night. The band even moved through the crowd at the end, breaking down the barrier between artist and audience and making the entire show feel immersive.
We’ve loved the direction the band have taken with this new album, reclaiming the boyband label and making it entirely their own. They pushed that even further on stage through video intermissions and theatrical skits. The different “acts” throughout the night kept the crowd on edge, constantly wondering what song would come next.
Everyone’s A Star is definitely our favourite 5SOS era so far - and potentially our favourite album too. That is a difficult choice, though, because there is such a strong sense of nostalgia attached to 5 Seconds of Summer. For so many girls in Belfast, they were the band of their teenage years. But what makes them stand out is their ability to keep evolving. They continue to release music that feels current while still holding onto what made people love them in the first place.
We were especially glad to hear our favourites from the new album, istillfeelthesame and i’m scared i’ll never sleep again. It was also great to see such a balanced setlist across their discography, particularly the moment when each member performed one of their solo tracks.
Their solo careers are one of the most interesting things about the Australian four-piece. They have been together for so many years, yet have remained such a strong unit that they have each been able to explore individual creative paths without that connection ever wavering.
The crowd stayed completely locked in during each of the short solo performances, but Ashton deserves particular praise. It is always impressive when a drummer can sing as well, and his vocals were incredibly strong and clear. He really proved himself to be a true all-rounder, later picking up the guitar as well.
On top of that, Luke Hemmings remains one of the most underrated vocalists of our generation. He has consistently been a standout singer, and somehow sounds even better live than he does on record. He is also one of the best frontmen we have seen in a long time.
The energy in the room never dropped. The Belfast crowd were completely locked in from start to finish, and you could genuinely feel how impressed everyone was - a rare atmosphere where both the band and the audience seemed to be feeding off each other in real time.
We left the show smiling ear to ear, more certain than ever that 5 Seconds of Summer are our favourite self proclaimed boyband and that, even after all these years, they can still deliver one of the best live shows around. This was easily our favourite concert of the past year.
If Belfast was anything to go by, Everyone’s A Star is shaping up to be one of their most ambitious - and most successful - tours yet.