After over a decade on the global stage with 5 Seconds of Summer, Calum Hood is stepping into the solo arena.
Last night, inside the velvet-lit confines of Newtown’s Pleasure Club, Hood debuted a deeply personal set for Calum Hood Live in Nova’s Red Room, offering an exclusive live preview of tracks from his forthcoming solo album ORDER chaos ORDER.
The performance, hosted by Nova’s Kent “Smallzy” Small, marked his first as a solo artist in Australia, just two days before the album’s official release.
Calum Hood performing for Nova’s Red Room
A calculated pivot for brand Calum
While Hood has spent the last 14 years as a cornerstone of the 5SOS brand, touring, recording and cultivating a fierce global fanbase, his Red Room performance signalled something different: a strategic, personal repositioning.
But, this isn’t a rebrand for the sake of it.
As he told Smallzy during the show’s live Q&A segments, the solo record isn’t about distance from the band, it’s about depth.
“I wanted to hone in on who I was so I could bring that back to the band,” he said.
Calum Hood performing for Nova’s Red Room
Songs laced with emotion
Musically, the night was both stripped back and emotionally rich.
Hood opened with Don’t Forget You Love Me a meditative anthem he described as a mantra that wouldn’t leave his head, setting the tone for a set driven by personal storytelling and unpolished vulnerability.
Among the standouts was I Wanted to Stay, written about his dog, and Streetwise, a sobering reflection on homelessness, both met with stillness and then rapturous applause.
All My Affection offered a melancholic sway, while Sunsetter, his favourite track on the record, closed the show with a nod to the younger artist inside him.
Calum Hood and Kent “Smallzy” Small at Nova’s Red Room
A well-calibrated launch moment
With the album’s official release just around the corner, Hood’s Red Room appearance wasn’t just a performance, it was a soft launch.
Whether ORDER chaos ORDER charts globally or becomes a cult favourite, Hood’s intention is clear: to connect. And connection, as every advertiser knows, is the currency that counts.
Want to hear more?
From insights into his creative process to the real story behind some of his most emotional tracks, Calum Hood Live in Nova’s Red Room is now available to stream via Nova’s platforms.