Live Review: 5 Seconds of Summer @ AEC Arena 04/11/26

The title Everyone's A Star from 5 Seconds of Summer's 2025 studio album was taken literally on a warm Wednesday night on the grounds of Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The over six thousand fans that littered the street all dressed in this theme, excitedly taking selfies out front of the AEC star with their jeans and tops adorned with gemstone stars, safety pins and studded ties. If the 2000s punk look of black ripped tights, fishnets, denim jackets and star symbols met a 2020 pop girl's DIY rhinestone wardrobe, this fandom would be it. The floods of people weren't dressed for a campy punk show, though, but to see Australia's favourite boyband, popular since the mid-2010s after they took an electro-punk sonic turn with their aforementioned latest album.

Taking a seat up in the stands and watching as floods of buzzing fans of all ages joined the arena floor, the excitement was palpable. Rumblings of conversations about who had seen the band play in Adelaide eight years ago and who had been dying to catch them since Year 9 rang through my ears. I suddenly remember being in high school and listening to mates argue about their favourite 5SOS song and who was the biggest fan. Surely if the band can withstand all these years and still draw a crowd this big, they're good, right? Right.

Support band Cub Sport opened the night, playing a mix of slow keyboard synth tunes "primarily from [their] first album" as lead singer Tim Nelson stated. An ambient synth-driven set ensued, led by careful, powerful vocals. The light show washed the stage with blues and greens, hitting the sea of swaying hands in the audience, appearing from the stands as a powerful scene. The tempo always remained restrained, yet the air held thick with energy and anticipation for the rest of the night ahead.

Finishing up their set with 'Come On Mess Me Up' earned its fair share of screams, while Nelson sang out to the front of the stage with a powerful and steady falsetto, asking the audience to hold up their lights high.

Turning my critical brain on, my only non-ecstatic notes would be of these moments before 5SOS reached the stage. Cub Sport, although being clearly talented musicians, were of quite a slow and atmospheric vibe to be supporting 5SOS, an upbeat pop band on tour for their latest electro-punk album. Maybe a more energetic act could have warmed the crowd more.

Between the changeover, three ads popped up on the arena's big screen – a Kinder Bueno ad and two Booking.com ads. I find this worth noting as the ads played on loop around 10+ times each, shifting the excited buzz to more of an annoyed sigh, as the ticket holders were force-fed ads over and over again. We get it Kinder Bueno, you are crunchy and yummy, but what have you got to do with 5SOS? 

Following the slow torture that was the ad debacle, vibes quickly lifted as the arena speakers blasted the 'Macarena'. Screams hit the air and the crowd in perfect sync danced the 'Macarena', from the pit to the top of the stands.

After a minute or so, a mock-documentary/video diary flashed up on the big screens, marking the first of many across the night. Each 5SOS member sat down in different mock-serious interviews about how they were "the biggest boyband in the world" and how this show, tonight, was set to be the band's final show ever. A clever opening to what would follow as a cleverly devised, tight and wildly impressive performance.

Act 1 "The Peak" flashed on the screen as the band entered the stage to screams and cries from fans flooding the arena floor and stands.

The sound of 'NOT OK', a banger of a single from Everyone's A Star, filled the room while Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford and Ashton Irwin each smashed the kit, their guitars and hit the mics with energy surpassing 100%, proving why after so many years they could still summon thousands of fans out to a gig on a Wednesday night.

Confetti cannons shot across the crowd while black-and-white live cam footage of the band playing displayed on the screens between each track's lyrics. The graphics were a masterclass in understanding your brand, making the songs feel dark and punky, but fast and clean.

The sound of 5SOS was tight, yet still clearly live, as they played through the gritty singles of the album Everyone's A Star with full energy and plenty of punk jumps. Not a still body stood on either the stage nor the audience, especially while the sounds of 2020's 'Teeth' played.

Suddenly, as the closing chords ran out, screams rang through my ears as the stage went black, the first of many times throughout the night preparing us for more footage on the big screens.

READ MORE: Live Review: The Rions @ Cloisters UniBar Adelaide 30/10/26

Next came Act 2, "The Fall". "It was us, the Beatles and Jesus," Irwin stated in the footage, trying to suppress a smile, giving the audience that witty cheek the band are so known and loved for.

As Act 2 began, the band jumped straight into the falsetto of 'Easier', a song that's live harmonies tickled a part of my brain I didn't even know possible. Backed by an insanely tight drum part (that lasted all night – MAD props to Irwin here), each song transitioned seamlessly into the next. This gig wasn't just a show; it was a well-oiled performance. A masterclass in showmanship.

Finishing their third song of the act, the band finally addressed the room and introduced themselves to the wild crowd, promising to give 1000% of themselves to the room tonight. "Scream so loud so we can convince our agents to come back to Adelaide on [the] next tour", they asked of us, before jumping into a four-part slideshow on how they were trying to make it up to SA for skipping us on their last tour (spoiler alert: it did include drinking lots of wine and singing Sia).

"Let's play some old shit to get you onside," they finally proclaimed, launching into 2015's 'She's Kinda Hot'.

After more fantastic renditions of songs from across their catalogue, we moved into Act 3, "The Yearning", an act devoted to different forms of 5SOS love songs.

Each track brought an emotional performance from each vocalist, met with swaying hands and so many torches up from the crowd that if they were lighters, someone would have had to call a fire marshal. 5SOS traded their electric guitars for acoustics and showed off their tender but powerful singing voices they’ve each developed since they started the band at 15 years old.

Act 4, "The Breakup", served as a funny yet clever way to introduce each member's solo careers, as they traded taking the lead vocals and literal spotlight for each next song. Each song gave each member their real time to shine, which highlighted their immense talent.

'enough' by Michael Clifford, I found, was a highlight of the night for me. The raw powerhouse vocals felt grungy yet pure. So much emotion dripped from the track, met with the perfection of Clifford’s melodic vocals.

Act 5, "The Rise", documented their early days, opening to one of their most nostalgic singles, 'Amnesia', as the band huddled at the front of the stage, all holding acoustic guitars and singing together. The moment was stripped back and beautiful, allowing audiences to reminisce and sit with the song quietly.

The secret song was next, 'Wrapped Around Your Finger', voted by fans by QR code at the start of the night. This 2015 track serendipitously fit right in as a beloved deep cut from the start of their career and assisted in moving seamlessly into their next act, Act 6, "The Beginning".

Across 'English Love Affair' and 'Why Won’t You Love Me', the crowd was screaming every word while the harmonies on stage created a stunning stacked effect that was goosebump-inducing. In the boppier moments, I would remember to look up and see the tops of the emptier stands flooded with girls dancing shamelessly with huge grins on their faces, enjoying their night out.  

As the night was wrapping up, then came their final (pre-encore) song, the formidable 'She Looks So Perfect'. Cue the opening "heyyy ay ay's" of the song and all of a sudden, huge blow-up balls hit the floor from the back of the pit, driving the already heightened energy even higher. The guitars were temporarily drowned out by screams, as fans were reminded of the song that launched 5 Seconds of Summer into the stratosphere back in the summer of 2014.

After the stage went black and a few minutes of fans screaming for the four-piece to return, Act 7, "The Return", commenced with the band walking out from the back right side of the floor pit. Their "punk" outfits were back on, each wearing tinted sunglasses and carrying Coopers tins, singing the electro-punk 'Everyone's A Star' as they touched the hands (and hearts) of the fans before making it back onto the stage.

After a tight, energetic rendition of their latest album’s namesake, they finished the night with a bang, playing their biggest track, 2018's 'Youngblood'. The moment brought a huge smile to my face as it dawned on me that although I had walked into the arena as a neutral party, I was going to leave with a huge sense of admiration for this classic Aussie pop band. They had successfully not only made a fan out of me, but proven that after so many years, they were confident and unafraid to experiment sonically and knew that their audience still had their backs, and that they would (after 70+ shows on the tour) still send it each and every night, giving that 1000% of energy they promised.

Walking away, the first thing I said to my fiancée, who I had brought along for the show, was "tonight was a win for live music", and he agreed.

Everyone in the world may not be stars, but 5SOS definitely are.

Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.