Arts & Entertainment
5 Seconds of Summer shares video for ‘Old Me’
Popular Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer are back with a new single and video, much to the delight of their legion of fans.
The song, “Old Me,” is taken from the pop-punk quartet’s fourth studio album, “Calm,” which is set for release on March 27 via Interscope Records. The single dropped on February 21.
For the video, which was released Tuesday, the band once again teamed up with director Hannah Lux Davis (Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, 5 SOS’ “No Shame”), and it’s all about nostalgia. Filmed in Sydney, Australia, it recreates moments throughout the band’s career and includes home footage from their early years, and culminates in a final shot featuring the four musicians walking onto the stage for a performance at the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert for National Bushfire Relief.
Director Davis says, “Working with 5SOS on this special project was so exciting. I love this band so much and I’m honored that I was able to collaborate with them to showcase their career progression and expansion. I wanted to make sure their experiences were portrayed as authentically as possible so that viewers could see the guys as their truest selves from the beginning of it all up until present day.”
Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood, and drummer Ashton Irwin, 5 Seconds of Summer first found celebrity posting cover songs on YouTube before rising to fame when they toured with fellow “boy band” One Direction. They have since released three albums and gone on three world tours.
5SOS has a sizable LGBTQ fan base, and have been known for their support of LGBTQ causes, such as contributing a cover of “Killer Queen” in support of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an HIV/AIDS charity founded by members of the band Queen after the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury. They have said that they felt “especially proud” to be Australian was the day “when the bill for gay marriage went through.”
The band recently announced the North American leg of their “No Shame” 2020 Tour, which begins August 12 at Mexico City’s Sports Palace and wraps up on September 26 in the Bay Area at the Concord Pavilion. Tickets are on sale here.
You can watch the video for “Old Me” below.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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