If you haven't heard of 5 Seconds of Summer, you've either been living under a rock or you just don't know any teenagers. Like a lot of the most successful musicians of this decade (see: Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Troye Sivan), the band started out posting covers of other people's songs on their YouTube channel. Two years later, they were travelling the world as the supporting act on One Direction's Take Me Home Tour. Five years after that, they boast over 12 million Twitter followers and a fanbase that would do almost anything to catch a glimpse of them.
Their first and second albums – 5 Seconds of Summer and Sounds Good Feels Good – both peaked at No. 1 in the US and their home country of Australia. Now, after an almost three-year-long break from releasing new music, 5SOS are back with their third album, the more pop-sounding Youngblood.
When the band – Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Ashton Irwin, and Michael Clifford – visited BuzzFeed's London office recently, we thought we'd take the time to get to know them a little better. Oh, and they put our quiz-making skills to the test in the process...
QUESTION ONE: If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
Ashton Irwin: Flute. No, recorder.
Michael Clifford: I’m going to say keyboard. I’m trying to assign each answer to the four of us.
Luke Hemmings: If I’m a recorder, then I’m very upset.
Calum Hood: I’m gonna do–
Michael: You be the keyboard too.
Calum: No! I’m gonna do whatever I want. The drums.
Michael: Luke, you should probably pick guitar.
Luke: No, I’m gonna pick whatever I want. Drums.
QUESTION TWO: Pick a pop punk icon.
Ashton: I’m gonna pick Billie Joe Armstrong, because he looks creepy in that photo.
Michael: I’m gonna say… Well, there are two Madden brothers on here. I’m gonna say Tom [DeLonge].
Calum: I don’t want to choose between the Maddens, so I’m gonna go with DeLonge as well.
Luke: Billie Joe.
QUESTION THREE: Which piece of graffiti art speaks to you?
Ashton: This one. I don’t even know how to describe that.
Michael: I’m also gonna say that one. I like that one. The bottom left.
Calum: I’m gonna go with the sky.
Ashton: Ooh, super-grandpa.
Luke: The one with the rainbow thing.
QUESTION FOUR: Pick an Australian animal.
Ashton: A platypus, because they’re actually pretty harmful if you get too close.
Michael: You know what, I hung out with kangaroos once when I was in Australia, so I’m gonna pick them.
Calum: Ahh, I like the koala. He’s got some sass.
Luke: Koala.
QUESTION FIVE: Which 5SOS cover is your favourite?
Ashton: I like the Romantics one, that’s a good one.
Michael: You know what, this is tough, because I love all of them, don’t I? [laughs] I’m gonna say “Teenage Dream”.
Calum: Let’s go Green Day. Why not?
Luke: The Romantics – it’s the only one worth listening to. Apart from “Teenage Dream” on LiveSOS. “American Idiot” is great, actually. Aw, no, I can’t go back!
QUESTION SIX: Which kind of sauce is your favourite?
Ashton: Well, this looks like poop, so I’m picking chocolate sauce.
Calum: I realise why this is relevant now. I thought it was out of the blue for a second.
Michael: Ohhh, sauce – five-sauce. I get it.
Calum: That Hollandaise looks murky.
Luke: It looks like old urine.
Michael: I’m gonna say chocolate sauce too.
Calum: Let’s go with murky Hollandaise.
Luke: Tomato sauce.
QUESTION SEVEN: Pick a pair of American Apparel underwear.
Ashton: I would rather never wear a pair of these. Look at these dodgy things.
Calum: That’s a strong outline.
Luke: This guy’s weiner’s all out of whack.
Ashton: It’s pointing upwards. Like an antenna. Is that even erect?!
Michael: I’m gonna pick this dark pair because you can’t see his penis.
Calum: It gets more and more prominent every time we come back down here. I’m gonna go with pink.
Luke: Pink underwear.
RESULTS
Ashton: I got Luke. I’m Luke Hemmings.
Michael: I’m Ashton. Dammit. I wanted to get myself.
Ashton: What do you mean, dammit?!
Calum: I got Ashton Irwin. “You’re a goofball with a heart of gold, just like Ashton. You love to have a good time and you’ll do anything for a laugh.” That’s right, you are a laugh fiend.
Ashton: [laughs]
Luke: We’re all Ashton Irwin!
Calum: “You’re a goofball with a heart of gold…” [everyone bursts out laughing]
