VOL 1.
1994 / 2011 JANUARY 2021
THE BEGINNING
AN INTRODUCTION
Join us in celebrating the tenth anniversary of an Australian band called 5 Seconds of Summer
This is an unofficial publication and is not created by 5SOS or their team.
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10 Years Of 5SOS
LUKE HEMMINGS 5 Seconds of Summer, a four-piece band from the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, will celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band on December 3, 2021. To celebrate and commemorate a monumental career to-date, @10YearsOf5SOS will share mini magazines on Instagram and Twitter on the third of each month throughout 2021 to tell the story of 5SOS through documented facts and fan experiences.
Photo by @shmandeluca on Twitter / @andydeluca on Instagram
We are excited to share the story of 5SOS and look forward to working with fans worldwide to create a special tribute for the band. 1994 ¡ 2011
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BEFORE THE BAND
CALUM HOOD Calum Hood remembers the day music took over his life. While on the bus on his way home from school, a brother of Calum’s older sister’s friend handed him a CD with “American Idiot” written across the top in permanent marker. Although he’d already loved music and had been learning to play the guitar, one Green Day song changed his life. He loved the energy and emotion, often wondering how they wrote the album. Needless to say, he was captivated. Calum started playing songs like “Good Riddance,” and family members encouraged him to play more. Calum and Michael Clifford had known each other since Year 3 at Norwest Primary, but they didn’t become friends until they were in music classes together at Norwest Christian College and bonded over their shared love for bands like Blink-182, All Time Low and Green Day. The two went on to play “Beauty in the Breakdown” by The Scene Atlantic at Norwest Christian College’s “Live At Norwest” event. At that point, Luke Hemmings had been posting covers on YouTube and also played during the school’s event. Calum complimented his performance and covers, and the two quickly became friends. The following year, Calum and Luke played together at “Live in Norwest,” and not long after, Calum, Luke and Michael were all hanging out and playing songs they all loved.
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10 Years Of 5SOS
CALUM HOOD
Photo from @Calum5SOS on Twitter
1994 · 2011
5
ASHTON IRWIN
Photo from @Ashton5SOS on Twitter
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10 Years Of 5SOS
BEFORE THE BAND
ASHTON IRWIN While Calum, Luke and Michael were all beginning to form the band, Ashton Irwin was pursuing his own endeavors. Whether he was posting drum covers on Facebook or swim training, he was always pushing himself to raise the bar and excel. Ashton’s love for music began when his mom dated a drummer from a local band. This time played a key role in developing Ashton’s taste in music because Warwick, his mom’s boyfriend, and his friends would all spend hours listening to bands like Counting Crows, Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day, which quickly became Ashton’s favorite band. When he was around nine years old, Ashton’s friend asked him if he wanted to join a band and Ashton volunteered to play the drums. He turned to Warwick to teach him the basics and he quickly fell in love with the instrument. On the weekends, Ashton would join Warwick and the band to play a couple of songs at local pubs. He then started several of his own bands, including Swallow the Goldfish, in the pursuit to do what he loved.
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BEFORE THE BAND
LUKE HEMMINGS The Hemmings family wasn’t particularly musical, but music was always being played in the house when Luke was a kid. His dad, Andy, was a fan of older Australian bands such as INXS and AC/DC, which influenced Luke’s taste in music at a young age. Later, Luke’s older brothers, Ben and Jack, learned how to play the electric guitar and drums, so Luke joined them and began his journey as a musician at just 10 years old. In primary school, Luke frequently got in trouble for being too loud or skipping class. But when he joined Calum and Michael at Norwest in Year 7, he was quite reserved because most students had gone to primary school together. He spent most of his lunches alone in the music room or hung out with his older brother and their friends. Because of this, several years passed before Luke befriended Calum and Michael. Throughout his early years at Norwest, Luke was obsessed with learning how to play the guitar and spent hours watching tutorials on YouTube to find out how he could improve his skills. In Year 9, Luke and Calum covered a Secondhand Serenade song at “Live at Norwest,” and shortly after, Luke began posting covers on YouTube. The rest is history.
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10 Years Of 5SOS
LUKE HEMMINGS
Photo from @Luke5SOS on Twitter
1994 · 2011
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MICHAEL CLIFFORD
Photo from @karen.may.clifford on Instagram
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10 Years Of 5SOS
BEFORE THE BAND
MICHAEL CLIFFORD Michael has always loved playing video games, and they are the reason he fell in love with music. His parents bought him Guitar Hero and he became insanely good at the game, leading him to fall in love with the punk, metal and rock genres. Michael began singing and piano lessons, but hated them. He then moved onto guitar and nearly quit right away. However, his teacher encouraged him to keep up with it, which played a pivotal role in the creation of 5 Seconds of Summer. Michael had known Calum forever but it wasn’t until Year 7 that they became friends, over their shared love of music. The two would often cover songs and it was just a few short years later before they befriended Luke and started the band. Despite Luke joining Norwest in Year 7, he didn’t join Michael and Calum’s friend group until two years later once both Michael and Luke moved on from liking the same girl in school. Finally, in Year 9, the three became inseparable and spent every spare moment playing their guitars together. In March 2011, Michael turned to Calum and Luke in the music classroom and asked, “What if we start a band like All Time Low?” That was the beginning of 5 Seconds of Summer.
1994 · 2011
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THE BEGINNING HEMMO1996 In the year 2007, at just 11 years old, Luke created the YouTube channel, Hemmo1996. Four years later, this channel would launch his career. On February 3, 2011, Luke posted his first cover – Mike Posner’s “Please Don’t Go” – on YouTube. Over the course of the next few months, Luke shared additional videos that showed off his guitar skills and vocal range. These videos spread around Sydney, and even Ashton, who didn’t know the other three boys until later in the year, had seen some of Luke’s covers. In March of 2011, Michael created Twitter and Facebook accounts named “5 Seconds of Summer,” which led to the formal creation of the band. Photos from 5SOS on YouTube
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10 Years Of 5SOS
2011 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
Photo from 5SOS on YouTube
On April 16, 2011, Calum and Michael announced the band’s name on YouTube and linked to the official Facebook and Twitter, thus starting an online community for 5SOS fans across the world. While only their moms were watching them perform at the time, it wouldn’t be long before they were playing to crowds of thousands of people.
1994 · 2011
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THE BEGINNING
That summer, Luke, Calum and Michael posted several covers on their channel, including “I Miss You,” “Forever My Father” and “Rolling in the Deep”. The band’s popularity in Sydney was surging, and Michael reached out to a local hotel manager to see if they could play a show. The Annandale Hotel – an iconic venue in the city, would be the place 5 Seconds of Summer would play their first show.
Photo from @AVEETA on Twitter
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10 Years Of 5SOS
2011 Annandale Hotel: The First 5SOS Show At 12 p.m. on December 3, 2011, 5SOS played their first show. Despite having more than 300 RSVP to attend on Facebook, only 12 showed up. The band made the most of it and played a mixture of original songs, like “Gotta Get Out,” covers of their favorite bands, and even played a few songs requested by fans.
Photo from Rolling Stone
Photo from @ashtonirwin on Instagram
Michael and Luke knew they wanted Ashton to join the band as soon as they finished their first rehearsal. However, it wasn’t until after the Annandale Hotel show that the boys made it official. Following the show, the boys got down on one knee and proposed to Ashton asking him to join the band. This was just the beginning for 5 Seconds of Summer.
1994 · 2011
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THANKTURNS YOU 25 CALUM
“
I love how he treats his fans. He’s always so sweet and I can’t wait to meet him. I’m so in love with his smile and
makes his words that much more impactful when
It’s amazing to see how much fun he has on stage. - @chelssos on Instagram
“ “ “
he does speak up about something.
“ “ “
- MD
I love that Calum is so care free and doesn’t
I absolutely love his humor and his sass. although he doesn’t speak much in interviews his comments always make me laugh. - Emma R
care about what anybody things about him. I also love his sassy attitude. - Evelyn Z
My favorite thing about Calum is the way he interacts with fans, online and in person. It’s like you might’ve known him
He’s just amazing, fun loving and talented. - Emily C
personally for years. - Charlotte F
His cheekiness - just watching him laugh can easily put a smile on your face - Alexis C
“
Though he’s quiet, he’s so introspective and it
voice. When I’m sad, I just watch videos of Calum on stage.
“
Calum HoOoOoOd. love how enthusiastic Calum is. I haven’t been a fan for long, but I know that Cal always has a smile on his face. Whether I’m looking for laughs or searching for a smile I can always count on Cal. - Lauren A
He’s a really quiet person, but when you get to know him, he’s really boisterous and funny. He cares a lot for the fans and tries to unite them, even though it can be so toxic here. He shows love for everyone and is such a sweet person. - Bean I
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10 Years Of 5SOS
CALUM TURNS 25
Photo by @_lovelovelove13 on Twitter / @lovelovelove343 on Instagram
1994 ¡ 2011
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MEET THE FANS Hayley M (@jetblackhales) Hayley first became a fan of 5SOS in 2012 and has been a part of the fandom ever since. She found out about them when Louis Tomlinson of One Direction tweeted their “Gotta Get Out” acoustic video in November of that year. In the time since, she has seen them a total of nine times, which include once on the Take Me Home Tour, three times on the Where We Are Tour, two times on the Meet You There Tour, two times on the World War Joy Tour and once at Jingle Ball in Boston in 2019. Her favorite 5SOS moments are their big milestones and achievements. Hayley loves it when they release an album, a single, get a number one, or sell out certain arenas such as Madison Square Garden in New York City. She also loves their interactions with one another when they are onstage. For example, when Calum and Michael mess with Luke during their shows. Seeing them happy and in love with what they do are Hayley’s favorite 5SOS moments. “5SOS’s passion for their music and live shows is the best part of the band,” Hayley said. “I also love their interactions with fans because they show how much they care, and it is very admirable to see.” Her favorite 5SOS song is Jet Black Heart, and it means a lot to her. If she had the opportunity to tell 5SOS anything right now, it would be, “thank you for everything. They have helped me in ways that I never thought imaginable, and I love them very much.” She hopes that they are staying safe and healthy during these difficult times and cannot wait to see them on tour again soon!
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10 Years Of 5SOS
MEET THE FANS Marina R (@kanothenano) Marina first became a 5SOS fan after discovering the Hemmo1996 YouTube channel. The first video she remembers seeing was their cover of Jasey Rae. It wasn’t until years later that she realized who exactly 5SOS was and what their YouTube covers turned into. Marina had thought that the band on YouTube, the band who opened for One Direction and the band who sang Youngblood were three different bands! Marina has not seen 5SOS on their own tour, but she did have the opportunity to see them perform at Chicago’s Jingle Bash in 2014 and 2018, and she plans on seeing them during their Chicago show during the No Shame Tour. Some of her favorite moments are their old keeks. Marina likes to go back and watch them whenever she needs a good laugh. She believes that the best thing about 5SOS is how close they are with their fans and how their music speaks to people. They write about real things that people deal with but in a happier, upbeat way, so their music isn’t as depressing as the story may be. One of her favorite 5SOS songs is Social Casualty because it is about avoiding expectations that are set by society. It is about breaking out of your mold and being your own person. She also really loves Broken Home, and it has helped her realize that she’s not alone and others are going through exactly what she has gone through. Although she doesn’t live in a Broken Home, it still lets her know that everything is going to be okay. If she could tell 5SOS anything right now, it would be, “Thank you for everything. Thank you for the laughs and for giving me something to look up to and cherish. Thank you for writing these songs and sharing your talent with the world so we can relate to these songs. Music helps when nothing else can.”
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THANK YOU Thank you to those who helped create
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TIMELINE TEAM
DESIGN TEAM
@amyf_28 Amanda Anderson · @aquahaz Milica R · @castawaylietome Lynnsey Spader · @devilatmahdoor Teagan Waggoner · @ghostofteagan Katelyn Reis · @IoneIyvapor Hayley Miranda · @jetblackhales Marina Roe · @kanothenano Brooke C · @maybe_ed
@5sosashorses @amyf_28 Jackie Gray · @JGrayDesigns_ Margot R · @mgtommo @Texas5SOSTeam
PHOTO TEAM
EDITING TEAM
@5sosashorses Lynnsey Spader · @devilatmahdoor Kay Da Costa · @kaylftv @yoketchupbro
Amanda Anderson · @aquahaz Teagan Waggoner · @ghostofteagan Hayley Miranda · @jetblackhales @Texas5SOSTeam
10 Years Of 5SOS
THANK YOU this volume of 10 Years of 5SOS FACT CHECKING TEAM LEADERSHIP TEAM @amyf_28 Amanda Anderson · @aquahaz Milica R · @castawaylietome Lynnsey Spader · @devilatmahdoor Teagan Waggoner · @ghostofteagan Katelyn Reis · @IoneIyvapor Hayley Miranda · @jetblackhales Kay Da Costa · @kaylftv Brooke C · @maybe_ed Margot R · @mgtommo
@10YearsOf5SOS Lynnsey Spader · @devilatmahdoor Teagan Waggoner · @ghostofteagan Hayley Miranda · @jetblackhales Katia W · @katiaw2 @Texas5SOSTeam
PARTNERS
WRITING TEAM
@5SOSBrazil @5sosworldalerts @ashtonupdating @5sosBayAreaTeam @charts_5SOS @fivesauceonline @gallery.lrh @Global5SOS @superbands_
Katelyn Reis · @IoneIyvapor @Texas5SOSTeam
Information included in this volume comes from the following sources: Hey, Let’s Make a Band by 5 Seconds of Summer · 5 Seconds of Summer on YouTube
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@five5sauce
@babyhoneyhemmo
@calumbigtoe
@lietomepetunia
@nyanbina
@tia_c_madden
@sophiapuy
@azzurrosilvia
@Shadow_Dancer07
@graceswilflower
@afterlows
@regnaultloisr