Sydney superstar pop squadron 5 Seconds Of Summer have capitalised on the Queen fever triggered by the arrival of Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody by unleashing a cover of the band’s 1974 classic ‘Killer Queen’.
It’s for a good cause too — the lads had a crack at the iconic hit as part of a series of covers raising money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which is dedicated to supporting the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
“Queen have been such a massive influence on us as a band,” 5SOS said in a statement. “Their unique harmonies, the fluidity to their songwriting and how they each used their own musicality to back each other up have always inspired us.
“We chose to cover, ‘Killer Queen’ because we kept hearing it while writing our third album, Youngblood and were so enamoured by the production and their early realisation of the minimalist approach to the track. For us, the exploration of individual vocalists in a band is incredibly important and Queen helped us to see the future of how we want to sing, in addition to how we play our instruments.”
Their statement continues: “As a pioneer of individuality, Freddie taught us what it means to embrace the idea of truly being yourself and that’s a part of Queen that lives on in their music now, more than ever.”
And believe it or not, the internet actually reckons 5SOS’s rendition of ‘Killer Queen’ is pretty much ~guaranteed to blow your mind~:
https://twitter.com/jth0ma2/status/1056712189971697664
https://twitter.com/paraskevas97/status/1057520503886434305
https://twitter.com/Cochinoo__/status/1057450009845673984
My mam, a die-hard Queen fan likes 5 Seconds Of Summer's Killer Queen cover
— sam 🙂 369 (@L0NELYINCHICAGO) October 30, 2018
https://twitter.com/shnyngjnrx/status/1057121206107664385
https://twitter.com/kayleeakeeley/status/1056984008037416960
Amazing re-working of a Queen Classic: 5 Seconds of Summer have covered Queen’s ‘Killer Queen’ to honor Freddie Mercury and raise funds for the Mercury Phoenix Trust fighting AIDS worldwide. Listen here https://t.co/OSWJIR4BqA
— Nick Michaels (@nick3m) November 1, 2018
Give it a listen for yourself, below.
