5 Seconds of Summer were happy to play their single “Teeth” on The Late Late Show on Thursday night (Sept. 12). It was just that other thing that host James Corden asked them to do that made them kind of nervous. Though most of them already have some ink, Corden invited them to play the “craziest” game they’ve ever rolled out on the show, one that he instantly regretted.
The premise was simple: five boxes, five men, one tattoo artist and one lucky winner/loser who had to either get a “Late Late” or 5SOS logo imprinted somewhere on their body live in the studio. “5 Seconds of Summer and a lifetime of regret,” Corden quipped about the possibility that he might pull the “tattoo” box, while noting that lead singer Luke Hemmings is the only band member with fresh skin. “I was banking on you to make this go away,” a clearly nervous Corden told Luke, as frequently inked guitarist Michael Clifford admitted that he was the most nervous because, honestly, “I just don’t know if I feel like getting ‘Late Late’ tattooed [on me].”
Meanwhile, drummer Ashton Irwin commiserated with Corden, saying he felt bad for the host because, “we have the worst logo… ‘Late Late’ looks cool, 5SOS, it is what it is… stock font.” Things were tense and when the boxes were all revealed, well, someone had to get that super cool ‘Late Late’ logo on their arm. (Watch the video below to find out which lucky man it was.)
Later in the show, the group returned to play their bubbling dance rock burner “Teeth,” with Hemmings busting out his falsetto on the song’s chorus as the search light-like stage lights lit him up with a yellow strobe glow.
