Rock for Bangkok

5SOS hit the road

By Tatat Bunnag
Photographs courtesy of BEC Tero

Local music fans will be thrilled to know that 5 Seconds of Summer, the celebrated pop punk band from Australia, are coming to Bangkok for a concert as part of their Sounds Live Feels Live world tour. The band, also known as 5SOS, is promoting their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, which recently hit the top spot on music charts in several countries including the US, the UK and Australia.

5SOS — singer and guitarist Luke Hemmings, 19, bassist Calum Hood, 20, guitarist Michael Clifford, 20, and drummer Ashton Irwin, 21 — have achieved global success with their hit singles “She Looks So Perfect,” “Hey Everybody!,” “Don’t Stop,” “Amnesia,” “Heartbreak Girl” and “Jet Black Heart.”

The band's latest world tour is currently rocking through Japan, China, Malaysia and Singapore, before hitting Bangkok on March 8 for their concert at Impact Arena.

Student Weekly recently had an email interview with 5SOS. The band gave group answers to our questions about their touring experiences and their upcoming concert in Bangkok.

Student Weekly: How do you feel about going on tour again, especially since this is your first tour of Asia?

5SOS: We couldn't wait to get back on the road again. This band is happiest when playing live shows to fans, and to be able to do that in amazing cities in Asia is unbelievable. We've been to Japan but never to the other places on this tour. We've had fans throughout Asia from the beginning so we we've been desperate to play there for a long time.

Student Weekly: You guys recently released your new album, Sounds Good Feels Good. Can you tell us about the album and name your favourite tracks?

5SOS: Our favourite songs change daily. One day it's “Jet Black Heart” and the next it’s "Castaway."

We just wanted this album to be really personal to us, but also something that our fans could relate to. We think we achieved that. The music relates to where we were at when we wrote it.

Student Weekly: You guys started off playing small shows, and now you’re playing for thousands of fans every night. What has that journey been like?

5SOS: For any band like us who started playing really small venues to hardly any people, being able to then play our music to fans all over the world makes every show pretty unforgettable. Every day is different. It's very hard during the busy periods, but seeing fans singing our songs makes it all worth while.

Student Weekly: What have been some of the most memorable places that you've seen while touring?

5SOS: Everywhere is special in its own unique way. The best thing about travelling and touring is that every place is different. The fans are different in every different culture, too, even though they all hopefully share a love for the band. One of the reasons why we can’t wait to play to our fans in Asia is that they could be the best in the world!

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your experience touring as a support act for One Direction during their Take Me Home Tour in 2013?

5SOS: We learned a lot from those guys. They have an incredible work ethic and they really showed us how to conduct ourselves on a world tour. They’re good friends of ours and we will always be grateful for the opportunity they gave us.

Student Weekly: What's the craziest gift you’ve ever received from a fan?

5SOS: We love getting gifts but we definitely get a lot of weird underwear! [Laughs.] Maybe it's because our first single was about underwear.

Student Weekly: Will you be playing anything special at your shows in Asia?

5SOS: We will play some new songs for the first time, so it's going to be a really special start to the world tour.

Student Weekly: Do you have any particular message for your Thai fans?

5SOS: We hope to give you the best show of your lives. We’ve heard that Bangkok is an amazing city. We just hope our fans like the show so that we can keep coming back!

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