Pop band 5 Seconds of Summer believe fellow Aussie group INXS was “way ahead of their time”.
The four-piece consists of Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin. Since getting their big break supporting One Direction on its Take Me Home tour, the boys have had a number of hits of their own including She Looks So Perfect. With the release of their second album Sounds Good Feels Good, Luke revealed to Rolling Stone which other artists have influenced their sound - with INXS at the top of the list.
“Being an Australian band, they're really important to me,” Luke said. “Seeing a band go from the middle of nowhere in Perth, Australia, to playing stadiums around the world is pretty incredible. They kind of invented a new song, really. They were way ahead of their time. When I listen to them now, I'm still amazed that they could sound the way they did.
“Michael Hutchence is an incredible frontman and a huge influence on me. I really love Mystify and New Sensation."
American bands Good Charlotte and Green Day also made a big impact on the group. 5SOS always put on an energetic show for their fans, and Luke admits they aspire to be like the American Idiot performers in particular.
“Just the way they play live and the energy they bring to a show is incredible,” he continued. “They can really command a whole stadium. After American Idiot came out, I went back and looked at the other ones; I was pretty young at that point. But with American Idiot, the way they made that huge statement was pretty bad**s. I still love that band. As a band, Green Day is probably (5 Seconds of Summer's) favourite. The band's favourite band.”
