The End of the World.... Tour Starring 5SOS

I am drowning in tears of emotion because my four young boys from Sydney Australia finished their first ever headlining world tour. I think I'm taking this harder than the end of their tours with One Direction. And that was the end of an era! It was two years of 5SOS and 1D. Now 5 Seconds of Summer are off on their own, headlining their own shows around the world. They went from filming in a bedroom with pink speakers, to playing gigs with 12 people, and ended up with a headlining world tour, playing to hundreds-sometimes thousands-of people every night.
If you don't know who 5SOS is, you're going to have to use this awesome thing called Google. I could go on forever over these boys. The basics I can handle. Despite their name, their are only 4 members. Luke Hemmings (guitar), Ashton Irwin (percussion), Calum Hood (bass), Michael Clifford (guitar). All four contribute vocals, but Luke is the front man. Ashton is the oldest at 21. The rest are 19. The band started out with just Luke, Calum, and Michael. Ashton joined shortly before their first gig. The band has released multiple EPs and two full length CDs. They have won plenty of awards in the short amount of time they've been in the spotlight. Most recently, they won MTVs Song of the Summer for the second year in a row. The first was because of their first single "She Looks So Perfect". This year the fuss was all about "She's Kinda Hot". The band has also started their own record company called "Hi or Hey Records". Also, they are punk-rock. Punk-pop is acceptable, but they are NOT a boy band.

As many people already know, they got a huge helping hand from One Direction when they were asked to open for them on their Take Me Home tour. They asked them to come back for parts of their Where We Are tour. So, yes, a good portion of their fan base are Directioners, but 5SOS still has a die-hard fandom that I'm proud to be a part of. The fans are what makes the band. The boys realize that. It's one of the reasons I love them so much. They know they owe everything to their fans and they give back everything they have. They are such down to earth amazing musicians. I honestly can't imagine my life without them in it. They have had a huge influence on me and the person that I am today. I have a lot to thank them for. They always tell their fans that they have a lot to thank us for, but really it's the least we could do.
I was lucky enough to attend one of their concerts for this tour, Rock Out With Your Socks Out. (Amazing name btw!) It was literally the best night of my life. The only time I have ever cried from joy was when my purchase went through for my tickets. The second time I cried because of happiness was when I saw the four of them walk out on to the stage in front of me. They put on the best show I have ever seen. They were bouncing all around, interacting with each other and the crowd, and they never missed a beat. They performed songs that haven't been released yet, their most popular ones, and for the ones that have been there since the beginning they played a few of their originals. They managed to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. The best part was that they didn't hold back and hide who they really are. They were on stage doing what they love and being their weird, funny, adorable selves. They have a special talent that not many people posses.
The best part is that they're using their talent to spread a message, to show support for people who are struggling. They are using their name and talent to raise their voices and shed some light on issues and people that get over-looked. Towards the end of the tour, they announced that they are releasing their second full length album "Sounds Good Feels Good". Along with that, they started a new age. The age of the New Broken Scene. It's something that their fans can get behind, support, and allows them to be themselves according to the band. How many people create something just so their fans feel like they belong to something important? Actually, to show them that they are a part of something important. So, not only was it the end of their first world tour (cue tears), it was the start of something new, exciting, and meaningful. I wish that these boys could've stayed my little secret, but I am overwhelmed with joy that they are making a name for themselves and doing something to make a difference. They deserve the world. They've come so far and learned so much, but we still don't know if it's hi or hey.

BOOM!!

Simple Plan. Please for the love of God tell me you know who Simple Plan is. I mean, how could you not? You're totally uncultured if you have no clue who I'm talking about. Need a hint? Scooby-Doo. The band sang the theme song for "What's New Scooby-Doo", had two of their songs play during the cartoon, appeared in their own episode, and they had an original song "Don't Wanna Think About You" on Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Did that help at all? It better have. 

Simple Plan is a five piece rock band from Canada. Yes, Canada. The same country that gave us Justin Bieber. However, Simple Plan is 100 times better. Their sound is described mostly as pop punk. A few people say that they have more of an "emo" sound to them. Either way, they're still amazing and one of the founders of the pop punk scene. Band members include lead singer Pierre Bouvier, percussionist Chuck Comeau, lead guitarist Jeff Stinco, rhythm guitarist Sebastien Lefebure, and bass guitarists David Desrosiers.
The band started in 1999. In the bands life span, they have put out 4 full albums: No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls (2002), Still Not Getting Any... (2004), Simple Plan (2008), and Get Your Heart On (2011). They have also released two live albums: Live in Japan 2002 and MTV Hard Rock Live (2005). They put together an EP titled "Get Your Heart On- The Second Coming" in 2013. They have a 5th album on the way. Rumors say that it will be dropped in 2015. So, be expecting it in the next couple of months.
Not only has the band produced amazing albums and worked on Scooby-Doo, they also played a ton of Vans Warped Tours. The played at every single tour from 1999 to 2005. They also played in 2011, 2013, and 2015. The band has also started a successful foundation simple titled Simple Plan Foundation. There's not many like it out there. Their foundation focus mainly on the problems teens face including suicide, poverty, drug addictions, and abuse. They released a single, "Save You" to benefit the foundation. The song was inspired by cancer patient survivors and the video featured the people the inspired the song. Not only that, but they also donated 10,000 to Japan in 2011 after their natural disaster. Most recently, the band released a book Simple Plan: The Official Story. All proceeds went in to the foundation. This foundation hits home for me since I've struggled a lot in my teen years and I still am struggling with depression and anxiety.
The whole point of this blog is to promote their newest single and my current favorite song, BOOM! It was released on August 28th. The music video they made for it was released the exact same day. What a better way to drop a new single than to do it with a music video? The video is just as amazing as the song. It features cameos from members of the bands MxPx, PVRIS, Silverstein, Black Veil Brides, Parkway Drive, and Issues. My favorite appearances were from the members of Pierce the Veil, Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low, and Brian Logan Dales from The Summer Set. BOOM is a perfect example of the type of band Simple Plan is. It shows exactly why they are considered to be founders and kings of the pop punk scene. Everybody was more than excited to be taking part in this historic bands video. BOOM is simply amazing. I don't know who else to describe it. It's upbeat, energetic, but it still holds that unique sound that makes it punk. Simple Plan has perfectly mixed the two genres (pop and punk) in to one with this song. More people need to be talking about this! Simple Plan is back baby! :)