They still made it down under despite suffering a pyro accident just days ago. But could 5 Seconds of Summer still bring the heat? Rachel Bache was there.
"I fought a fiery dragon, it tried to burn me," Michael Clifford of 5 Seconds of Summer promptly sang on stage at Auckland's Vector Arena. "I've got burns on my face but ... la la la."
The 19-year-old guitarist had an encounter with a malfunctioning flame-thrower only days ago, burning his face and hair. Close-ups of Clifford didn't seem to show much damage and the Aussie didn't seem too shaken by the occurrence, running around the stage as he soloed on his electric guitar.
However, 5SOS did leave the pyrotechnics out of their New Zealand show. Which is fair enough.
In a smart move the concert was seated - most likely to stop tweens from crushing each other in the round - though that didn't stop ecstatic fans from staying on their feet for the entire performance.
The crowd of predominantly of young girls screamed at an ear piercing frequency, swooning over their favourite band, comprised of lead singer Luke Hemmings, drummer Ashton Irwin, Kiwi born bass player Calum Hood and Clifford on lead. All with boyish, poster-worthy good looks.
But looks weren't all there was to 5SOS. Musically, they were on point, busting out their pop-punk skater pop tunes effortlessly, while interacting with the audience and getting them involved in the show. At one point they even invited a nine-year-old boy on stage to pluck a few strings on Hood's bass guitar. It was quite adorable.
Australian pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer.
The band's Vector show may have left out the fire, but it still sported an impressive light show, flashing and swirling around the venue in an array of bright colours. Giant screens hung above the band, switching between close ups of their instruments and faces. The stage was laid out so their were two big platforms on their side of the stage, with a third platform in the middle, raising Irwin and his drum kit high above the rest of his bandmates.
Though not as heavy as some of the bands they were no doubt hoping to emulate, 5SOS felt like they were bringing pop-punk to a generation who missed out on a time when 'the scene' was a big thing. For kids who missed bands like Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte, Yellow Card, Simple Plan and Green Day, 5SOS helped transport them all back a decade ago. When they performed a cover of American Idiot all of their fans sang along word for word.
Australian pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer.
They even, in a round-about way, shared a little Good Charlotte with their emotional song Amnesia, which was co-written by Benji and Joel Madden.
5SOS kept energy levels high throughout their performance, playing power-chord after power-chord, inspiring the room to dance, jump, clap and yell their little hearts out. Fans loved hearing the band's biggest hit SheLooked So Perfect, but they went nuts for the nasally sung Good Girls and their cover of The Romantics' What I Like About You.
Who: 5 Seconds of Summer Where: Vector Arena, Auckland When: Thursday, June 18
