Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Hannah Ewens

5 Seconds of Summer: ‘The boyband label was emasculating. It felt like, how are we ever going to grow up?’

Ashton Irwin Los Angeles Michael Clifford One Direction Calum Hood 5SOS Luke Hemmings Peter Pan 1D Nomad
Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin: a boyband all grown up - (Brian Ziff)

A dozen buzzing 5 Seconds of Summer fans are congregating outside the Nomad hotel in Covent Garden. Inside, somewhere, is the boyband I’m on my way to interview. Twenty-somethings Amy, Kate and Max flew in from Ireland this morning, all because a matter of hours ago, the group’s Calum Hood (The Chill One) posted a TikTok of himself diving onto a bed in what they managed to identify as a Nomad hotel room. “We got ready in a Wetherspoons bathroom and came straight here,” laughs 26-year-old Dubliner Amy, pride in her voice. “We’ve been fans since they supported One Direction. Every time they put out a new album, they’ve grown with us…”

But before she can finish that thought, she screams. Everyone screams. It’s Calum – the member who created the security risk – wandering out of the hotel for some fresh air. He looks around, scratches his head, and laughs. “How did you find us here?” he asks. “You!!” they reply.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
US Schools Record Nearly 12,000 Book Bans, the Highest Ever in a Single Year, as 'Jane Eyre' and 'Lessons in Chemistry' Join the List
PEN America reports nearly 12,000 book-ban instances in US schools, a record total, as Texas overtakes Florida and AI tools enter the removal process.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Alice Zaslavsky’s shortcut beetroot baked risotto – recipe
An unconventional technique makes this vibrant rice – finished with dill fronds – a lower-touch dinner for weeknights
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Does your sleep tracker get it right? A Pittsburgh neuroscientist weighs in
On a typical night, I go to bed wearing a tracking watch on one wrist and another type of tracker on the other wrist. Then I compare their sleep findings while I drink my morning coffee.
The Conversation
The Conversation
There's A Reason Taxi Cabs Are Almost Always Yellow
Yellow taxis are easy to spot in traffic, but the color's history goes far beyond simple visibility.
Motor1
Motor1
How ‘technoference’ can disrupt parent-child connections
Have you ever been telling someone a story when their phone lights up, and their eyes flicker toward their device?
The Conversation
The Conversation
Holding Lightning by Emily Lordi review – an intimate portrait of Whitney Houston
An empathetic biography of the the singer recasts her tumultuous later career as a triumph of self-expression
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play