Luke Hemmings may have successfully convinced us that Friday the 13th is not really the day when terrible things happen, because it is was on a Friday the 13th, August 13th 2021 to be precise, that his album When Facing the Things We Turn Away From was released. Although, maybe not, as When Facing the Things We Turn Away From does make us ugly sob whenever we listen to it or even think about one of the songs (we are kidding. Nothing Luke Hemmings does could ever be considered bad to us).
We have basically named our fave Luke Hemmings songs already which you can read about here! So, we thought we’d take a different direction and talk about our fave moments from the When Facing the Things We Turn Away From era.
Are you a new listener of Luke Hemmings? Don’t worry, we got your back. Here is Your Guide To Luke Hemmings: A Fandom FAQ.
‘Starting Line’ Music Video
The Starting Line for this article is the ‘Starting Line’ music video itself. 4:29 minutes of Luke singing, running, and jumping in the streets? I-freaking-conic in the fandom. Watching Luke superhero jump around as he runs through the mostly-empty streets? The entire fandom is weak (though, that may slightly have to do with how good he looks). There’s not much to say about this music video except that it will be forever iconic and one of the peak moments in the When Facing the Things We Turn Away From era.
The Outfits
Luke Hemmings served with his outfits during the When Facing the Things We Turn Away From era. But when does he not serve with his looks? The turtle neck? The shirts? The suits? We could go on and on but we think we can all agree that Luke could wear a garbage bag and it would still be a serve.
A special shoutout to his hair and curls during the 2021 part of this era because oh my god!
The Album
Yes, we know. The album is why the era exists. But it has to have a mention! When Facing the Things We Turn Away From is such a good album that it deserves to be mentioned in this list. The album showcased Luke’s talent and songwriting as well as showed us exactly what he brings and adds to 5 Seconds of Summer, the band he has been the lead singer of since 2011 with his three brothers, Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, and Michael Clifford. The vulnerability that Luke put into this album had us and still has us all in tears. Every song talks about something he struggled with or felt, or does currently too, but it’s written in such a way that we all relate to the songs despite not having the exact same experience as him (well yeah duh. We aren’t all rockstars even though we really wish we were).
The music is so different from what we normally hear from 5 Seconds of Summer but at the same time so quintessentially Luke. We will never ever ever get over the masterpiece that is Luke Hemmings’ album When Facing the Things We Turn Away From.
Live Performances
You are missing out on life and everything good in the world if you haven’t watched the live performances of ‘Motion‘ and ‘Place In Me‘ over on Luke Hemmings’ YouTube channel. Perfections.
‘Motion (Live Performance)’
How does one play every single instrument of the song and sing backup and lead so flawlessly all at the same time? Luke never fails to blow us away with his talent. We are currently watching the live performance, wide-eyed because it should be criminal to look and sound this good and have this much talent! *crying in awe and pride* God really does have his favorites.
‘Place In Me (Live Performance)’
We are currently crying. The song itself is so emotional but this live performance? Is there a word for more than emotional because that’s the one we’d use to describe this live performance video. The setting, the lighting, and the tone change when he sings the first “now.” Leave us alone to curl up on the ground and sob till we’re dehydrated. The deep voice when he sings the outro “You’ll always have a place in me“??? And the look on his face before the camera pans away? We are not emotionally stable.
We will add that it is hilarious when Hemmings keeps smirking and smiling at someone off-camera during this live performance. Like, sir? You are performing a devastating and heartbreaking song right now. It is not the time to be smiling and smirking.
One Night at the Fonda (which turned into Two Nights at the Fonda)
And last but not least, the concert that only some of us got to attend in person (when are you announcing the world tour Luke!? We’re all waiting!). We, like most of you, were attending the concert on the Instagram and TikTok lives of those few angels attending. But nothing can beat being there in person, right?
We had been begging for this concert ever since the album was released. And Luke did not disappoint. A lot happened on these two nights. The outfits, the makeup, the lighting, the interactions with fans. We won’t get into his performance because it was beautiful and impeccable just as we expected. But has Luke ever given a bad performance? Of course not. Meet us in the parking lot if you think otherwise. But other than his performance, what is important to remember from these two nights is Luke barking at the crowd and calling Sierra Deaton his wife. It shocked us and had everyone screaming, crying, and throwing up. Luke is a husband (allegedly)! We need the photo dump of the wedding, Luke.
We cannot thank Luke enough for this album. Neither can we put into words how much we love the album and how proud we are of him. When Facing the Things We Turn Away From will forever have a Place In Us. And it will be living on in our hearts and music apps decades later.
What moment from the When Facing the Things We Turn Away From era was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or over on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at @thehoneypop!
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