Live Review: 5 Seconds Of Summer

5 Seconds Of Summer

The Ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle once defined the four principle elements of nature as Fire, Air, Water and Earth. But in spite of his genius, the great Aristotle neglected to mention the most powerful force of them all: teenage girls. Capable of moving mountains and sustaining the billion-dollar boy band industry, they've gathered, denim-clad, here tonight at Melbourne's 170 Russell. The occasion? To see 5 Seconds Of Summer play a 45-minute set of their poppiest pop-punk numbers. While the set may seem brief to most, you've gotta remember it is a school night.

An explosively successful, albeit manufactured, band of boys from Sydney, 5 Seconds Of Summer sound like the end result of forcing both Good Charlotte and One Direction into that teleportation machine from The Fly. No doubt some record executive at Capitol screamed, "It's alive!!" when their debut dropped in 2014. With no support act and a huddled mass in attendance, the boys appear on the fluorescent stage like angels selling hair product. The crowd goes wild and earplugs are inserted to block out the screams, not the band.

Beginning the night with the innocuously sweet She Looks So Perfect and powering through their set with some new Bieber-esque numbers, 5SOS sound just like their records thanks to some dynamite mixing and backing tracks. Despite their New South Wales heritage, these boys chat and sing like Valley Girls from LA. "Speak in your normal fucking accent!" shouts one tipsy fan, prompting their drummer, Ashton Irwin, to volunteer for a shoey to silently pardon their treason. Their banter and mannerisms all seem a bit eerie and plastic thanks to this affectation. But, then again, no one should have to hear pop punk sung in an Aussie accent.

While it's safe to say that the average reader of The Music won't have any 5SOS posters plastering their bedroom walls, there's something to be said for attending a gig that's totally out of your element whether you're the reluctant boyfriend, the tired husband or the supportive best friend.

Everyone remembers their first real concert. And considering this evening's main demographic, it's clear that many wide-eyed first-timers are here in attendance and 5 Seconds Of Summer play like they know that, too.