We’ll also get to a hotel, check in, and by the time we’re ready to go to our rooms, five minutes later, they’ll be there. At first it’ll be just four or five people, but an hour later there’ll be 200 hanging out. But that’s always amazing to see. The fans do so much for us and that’s why we’re able to do what we do – write songs, make albums, and play shows.
Seriously, we wouldn’t be where we are without them. They got us attention at the beginning, when we were still making YouTube videos and playing small gigs around Australia. That got us started. If no one had been interested in our music back then, no record label would have wanted to sign us. But that cool fan base got us attention.
Now it’s spread around the planet – to the UK, America, Canada, Sweden, Mexico, all over. It’s crazy in Italy and Spain, too. We did five European countries in five days to celebrate the release of “She Looks So Perfect” earlier this year. It was tiring, getting up at 5 am, flying somewhere, doing interviews, playing shows, and then falling into bed around 3 am for two hours’ sleep before doing it all over again. But the fans kept us going.
The first place we went to was Sweden. Then we went to Germany, France, Italy, Spain . . . It was tough at first and a little disorienting. We didn’t speak any of the languages – and the people who couldn’t speak any English were very confused when they met us.
I remember we got chased down the street in some parts of Europe. It was so funny – we’d seen it happen to other bands, but we never imagined it would happen to us. We got chased in America and in England on a small scale, but in mainland Europe it was on a whole other level.
In Italy and Spain we’d try to get to a venue in a random car and the fans would surround us. Then when we’d get out it would look like a scene from one of those zombie apocalypse shows like The Walking Dead – just hundreds of people running towards us. AAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!
When we first started 5SOS, one of the early gigs we did had 500 people there and that was cool for us because there were all these heavier bands saying, “Ah, 5 Seconds of Summer sucks.” Later we’d play small festivals and there would be a band on one stage and we’d be on the opposite stage, but we had a load of fans watching us, so that was pretty cool.
Earlier this year, we went back to Australia to tour and there was a girl who came to our Sydney show who had been at our first ever gig – one of the 12 at the Annandale! And she was following us still. I thought that was amazing. It showed how much she cared.
It’s only been two-and-a-half years since we played that first show, but it’s been a long two-and-a-half years. Plus, our performance was pretty terrible that night. But that girl must have seen something in us. For her to stick around all that time was really cool. It’s people like that who have got us to where we are today.
WHO’S YOUR BIGGEST HERO?
CALUM:
There are too many, but I think it’s gotta be Green Day for me. Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, Mike Dirnt – they’re the ultimate band. I was watching a DVD of their stadium shows recently and the way they control the crowd is just amazing. Everyone’s in the palm of Billie Joe’s hand.
LUKE:
Billie Joe of Green Day. I watch him all the time on YouTube. I don’t think I’d even want to meet him because I’d probably freak out. He’s a great frontman, he’s very smart, but I also think he’s underrated. To be able to lead a stadium like he does . . . I dunno how he does it. I aspire to do that.
MICHAEL:
Spiderman – he’s the s**t! I think he shows that anybody can be a hero, even a mild-mannered photographer, a weird guy who doesn’t know anything about anything. As far as music goes, though, it has to be Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low. He’s the reason I got into singing and playing the guitar in the first place. He’s the best ever.
ASHTON:
Dave Grohl. He’s conquered the world with his music and vision, and I really look up to that. I’d love to do some guitar and sing like he does. Who knows? I’m different from other drummers because I talk to the audience a lot. I’m very loud to the crowd. I’m the rock’n’roll voice at the back of the band.
My grandpa is my hero, too. I’ve never had a dad, but he’s sort of been my dad. He’s a very wise guy. He taught me that it’s OK to be human sometimes. I put a lot of pressure on myself when I was younger to take care of my brother and sister when times were tough with Mum. He told me that it was OK to be upset about it, to feel things and not be a brick wall all the time.
3. MICHAEL:
It’s been so nice to be able to give our fans the album. There have been some people who’ve been waiting two or three years for it. Now they can finally have a piece of us. Yeah, they can get a T-shirt, or an EP, or a single, but it’s not the same as an actual album.
For the past year, when people have said to us, “When can I get a record?” we’ve always answered, “Soon!” That’s all we’ve been able to say for two years. “Soon . . . Soon . . . Soon!” Now when people ask us we can say, ‘It’s out!” Not soon. Now. The fans can physically get it. It’s so exciting.
There are some fans who’ve been with us from the very beginning. One girl in Australia, called Melissa, has been with us since before our first gig. I saw her when we went back just a couple of weeks ago and was like, “You’ve been a fan of this band longer than Ashton has been with us . . . and you’re still supporting us? That’s really nice.”
She’s awesome – all of our fans are – but it’s weird to think that some of them have watched us grow from those first videos to the shows at Wembley Stadium. It must be so amazing to do that. I wish I could do that with a band – to see them blossom and develop into something big.
Without these people, there’s no hope for our band. If there are no supporters, there’s no band. That’s how it goes, and we couldn’t be where we are without the people who have been supporting us. If people didn’t come to the shows there’d be no tour. If people didn’t buy records, there’d be no more recording sessions, so everything revolves around other people. Like I say – no supporters, no band.
It’s mad to travel the world and have the fans waiting outside our hotel on the other side of the planet, though. It’s the perfect reminder that we’re doing something good. We always say that it’s weird that people want to meet us. Even when we’re in Milan or New York, they’ll be hanging around the radio stations or wherever we’re doing promo or shows.
When that happens, I always think, Those fans are here to see us? But I’m not that special. The fact that all those people have become pumped for four stupid dudes . . . it’s weird! But it’s so nice at the same time. It gives us a sense of reassurance that we’re doing the right thing. We want to keep making those people happy for as long as we can.
When things go crazy, when the fans are waiting for us and hanging out, I feel really humble. We all do. If there’s ever a mental moment where a hundred people chase us down the street to our hotel, we always get inside and look at each other, but without ever really wanting to talk about it. We’re shy.
The last thing we want to do in this band is give each other egos. We’ll never be like that. If someone starts being a dick in 5SOS, we’ll tell them they’re being a dick. We’ve been like that from the start and it’s really helped us. For us to be as close as we are and still feel like we’re the same four guys . . . that’s been good.
If one of us says anything lame or incredibly douchey, they get cut down by the others pretty quickly. We like to take the p**s. Like if Ashton wears a stupid hat he’s going to get stick. He can’t pull off a Pharrell!
But it’s our fans who have made us this way. They’re the ones who really keep us grounded. We can’t thank them enough.
IT’S YOUR LAST MEAL ON EARTH: WHAT ARE YOU ORDERING?
CALUM:
For the starter I’m going to have a chicken and corn soup, with bread. I’m a soft-roll kinda guy, with a bit of butter. For the main course I’m ordering a Sunday roast – I’m going for lamb, Yo
rkshire puddings on the side, with loads of veggies like carrots, peas, some green beans. I like to keep it simple. Then I’ll pour plenty of gravy over the top. I don’t like my gravy either thick or thin – somewhere in the middle.
I always feel bad when I eat desserts, but as this is my last meal on Earth I’ll take a hot chocolate brownie with ice cream! Then I’ll wash all of that down with a good lager.
LUKE:
For the starter, I’ll take the red pepper dip from Nando’s. Nando’s is so good, I love it there. I was thinking about having a Nando’s for my main, but I’d still like to be quite healthy. Recently I’ve been really into my chicken schnitzel with gravy and chips. As for dessert I’d love to have cookies-and-cream ice cream – I’m really into that. I’ll have a pint of lager to go with it!
MICHAEL:
I’d like some poppadoms to start. No matter what the main was, I’d order a big plate of the stuff – 100 per cent. And without the dips, too. I’ve eaten four bowls of them at an Indian restaurant before.
I think I would go for a fillet steak for my main, with chips. I like it cooked medium rare and with a Jack Daniel’s sauce on top – that’s a BBQ sauce but it has whiskey in it. For dessert, I’d have a warm chocolate brownie with ice cream melted on top. I’ve been hunting for the perfect brownie for a long time now. Oh, and I’d order a beer to go with it.
ASHTON:
Garlic bread, first up. Then Mum’s spaghetti – I used to look forward to it all the time. I never used to eat at school, I would wait until I got home. If Mum had cooked spaghetti it was always in a massive bowl and it was the best thing ever. For dessert you can’t beat an ice-cream cake. There’s a Cadbury’s one that is great. It’s what you’d probably give to a four-year-old for their birthday, but I don’t care. To finish off I’ll have a Pepsi. No beer for me.
4. ASHTON:
Every band is going to say this, but our fans are everything to us. The thing is, I don’t think they genuinely understand what they’ve done for 5SOS. In the place we’re from, people thought we were so weird. No one gave a crap about us or our music and we couldn’t wait to leave. It makes me emotional just talking about it.
We’d get cut down. People talked down to us. We didn’t have any other friends, we were outsiders. It was just us four and we were stuck there. People in our school thought we were oddballs because we were playing in a band and writing songs. We just wanted to leave so bad, but the fans were kinda like the Hand of God. They picked us up and got us the hell outta there.
I hope that can inspire other people – whatever it is they’re doing – to persist with what they want to do. Self-belief and the support of other people can get you to where you want to go. Look at us: times were tough, man, especially with our families. There was no money and it was rough – really rough, sometimes. But thanks to those fans who had a belief in us two-and-a-half years ago, we’re here now, having released our first album, and playing shows in America, Europe, Australia . . . everywhere!
When we see the fans, it’s so cool. There are lots of them, but we like to think of all those people as individuals who see something in our band. It’s great to think that people really care about our band. And if we can make them happy and do what the band does to make them feel something special, then that’s the best.
Of course it blows my mind. I used to see what we’re going through now on the news, but it was about other bands. I would sit there and go, “How the hell did they do that? Why are people acting like that with this band?”
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN A FEW WORDS
CALUM:
Hairless: I just don’t have any hair. I don’t have any on my legs, my arms . . . it doesn’t grow! All the other guys give me stick for it.
Shy: My mum told me recently, “When you were younger, doing your football trials, me and your dad said, ‘For every person you go up to and say, “Hello, my name is Calum,” we’ll give you $2.50.’” Apparently I only made $2.50. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
Clumsy: Sometimes my brain switches off and I go into cruise mode, and then that turns into accidents. And . . .
Party Tech: Everyone needs someone to bring the party together!
LUKE:
Strange: I’m a bit of a weird dude. I think you have to be a little bit insane to do this. I thought I was really uncool at school, too, so I’ll also say uncool.
Legs: I’m 60 percent legs – everyone says I have really long legs, really girly legs. We’re all quite tall in 5SOS. It’s weird, I worried that we wouldn’t be successful because we’re so tall and a lot of my favorite artists are pretty small – Billie Joe of Green Day, Kurt Cobain was small, Pete Wentz, too . . .
MICHAEL:
Hungry: I’m always eating. I’m a pretty avid eater. Food is great.
Foxy: I don’t know why – I just like foxes, I guess.
Sleepy: I love my bed, I love sleeping. I spend as much time as possible trying to sleep because I think that’s how you become a better person.
Geeky: I’m still a computer geek – I have games on my laptop and I take it everywhere. I’ll play a game for a couple of days and then I get bored with it.
Weird: I think we’re all probably very weird. We’re strange people. I think Calum is the weirdest. He tries to act like he’s the most normal, but he is definitely the weirdest. Ashton tries to hide it too, but he’s weird as well. Me and Luke are fine about showing that we’re weird.
ASHTON:
Loud: I like to yell and sing at the top of my lungs and I have a lot of issues when we’re in hotel rooms. The people next door always complain.
Moody: I have big mood swings for some reason. I can be happy and loud, even jumping around the room sometimes. Other times I’ll be very quiet and just want to listen to music. That’s just the human I am.
Forgetful: I’m terrible at remembering most things.
Rock: I’m a free person. Rock is about a lot more than music to me. It’s about being comfortable with the person you are and hopefully being loud about it and spreading that attitude to other people. It’s OK to be different and an individual.
Active: I used to be a swimmer, but I still like to keep fit with Calum. That’s our bonding thing. To play the drums as best I can, I have to be fit.
We love playing Australia. There’s a sense of belonging. The fans there know that they were the beginning of things for us, especially in Sydney. It’s not as fanatic as it is everywhere else in the world, and I guess people maybe think it would be, but I guess the attitude is: “Ah, there are those guys who come from an hour away on the bus.”
I think that’s why the people from where we’re from find it weird. People who know us from home say, “You guys are just those dorks from Western Sydney.” They don’t understand that when we go to Mexico, or Sweden, or Spain, it’s a huge deal.
It’s a weird thing for them, like it is for us. I don’t expect them to understand. When I try to explain our life and the band’s fans to my family, it’s hard. When they say, “What have you been doing?” I’m like, “Aw, the usual, just playing shows.” It’s really hard to explain what the life is like.
It’s always odd going home, though. It’s a different world down there – from a music perspective, too. It’s not the same as anywhere else. Australia feels a bit like it’s in its own little bubble. I guess it’s so far away from anything else. But when we saw our fans there, having been away for so many months, the reaction was as ridiculous as it had been anywhere else.
The thing is, there were police at the airport and I just hated it all. I hated all the fuss. I wanted to see the fans and look at them and say hey, but the police were holding them back. They were separating us. What was really weird was that when we flew out a week later there was the same amount of fans at the airport to see us, but there were no police. It was just the fans. It was great. I much preferred it the second time.
The one thing I do find crazy is when people get tattoos of the band. And it’s wild
that they spend all their wages on traveling around to see us because it makes them happy. But I’m glad that they do. And I love that they live by the lyrics we’ve written, in the way that I’ve done with my favorite bands. I’m just knocked out by the whole thing, really.
As soon as we had the Number 1 with “She Looks So Perfect,” everyone went crazy, but we only got there because of our fans. I’d hate to think that we’d be a band that went to Number 1 and then stopped meeting our fans, or forgot to pay respect to the people who got us to where we are.
I hate it when bands think they’ve done all the work and don’t have to meet anyone or wave to anyone. I don’t want us to be that band. I want to give our fans much more. When I get on stage I think, These are my drums, this is my band. And we know what we’re doing, we’re just gonna give the people out there everything we’ve got.
I don’t get nervous. I know how to play drums better than anything else I can do, and the stage is my office – that’s what I do. Instead of feeling nervous, I go on stage and think about how I can get our fans to have one of the best nights of their lives. When I go off stage I want to be able to hear the crowd scream.
I want them to want more.
We all do. They’re everything to us.
CREDITS
Hey, Let's Make a Band!: The Official 5SOS Book Page 8