Blink 182 HHV Records 14 Items

Skateboards and Unbridled Live Shows

The pop-punk giants Blink-182 came together in 1992 in Poway, California: Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Scott Raynor met in the skateboarding scene and did not exactly form a trio of straight-A students – Mark was expelled from high school for alcohol consumption, Tom worked in construction. Nevertheless, he said, “We had a lot of fuckin’ fun. We were out all night skateboarding.” Out of this lightness, the three recorded their first demo tape in 1993 and joined the live scene in San Diego. Punk rock was scarce there at the time, making Blink-182 stand out even more – they released their demo album Buddha in 1994 and attracted the attention of the Cargo label, which sent them to the studio for their next album, Cheshire Cat. The record made waves throughout the country in 1995, and with bands like NOFX and Pennywise, they went on tour—soon the name Blink-182 spread in the USA and beyond. Their unbridled and humorous live shows established the band as a must-see in 90s punk, and a year later, the major label MCA finally took them under its wing.

On Pop-Punk Riffs Naked through L.A.

The single Dammit skyrocketed nationwide in 1997 after the release of the album Dude Ranch. In the tradition of bands like the Descendents, the punk prophets wrote a timeless genre classic. The trio, now with Travis Barker on drums, only became superstars with Green Day producer Jerry Finn in tow: emotional pop-punk riffs, youthful humor, and breath-catching rhythms made Enema of the State a platinum album in the United States, and Blink-182 became regulars on MTV—with songs like Adam’s Song and All the Small Things. In What’s My Age Again? they ran, inspired by their early concerts, naked through L.A. Pop-punk thus definitively entered the mainstream, and the trio provided a timeless blueprint. They captured the excesses of their arena concerts in 2000 on the live album The Mark, Tom and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!), and with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, they hit the bullseye again a year later: the album immediately dominated the charts in several countries, establishing Blink-182 as the biggest punk band of the decade. In addition to a smaller project under the name Box Car Racer, they released their self-titled longplayer in 2003, shaking up Blink’s international fan base and expanding the style of their 90s hits with experimental elements.

The Show Must Go On

In 2005, after some time of silence, it became clear what was happening with the trio: they had grown apart over the years—besides constant touring, there were also family and other music projects. Blink-182 was officially declared dissolved for over three years. In 2008, Travis was involved in a traumatic plane crash, which he barely survived and prompted him to persuade his former colleagues to reunite. Neighborhoods was released in 2011, showing the Californians in their usual form. However, the old lineup did not remain stable for long: Guitarist Tom was abruptly thrown out of the band in 2015 after not showing up in the rehearsal room or the studio. With Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio backing them, they went back on tour after the successful 2016 album California: “The show must go on for our fans.” With Mark’s cancer diagnosis in 2021, there was again bad news—but he officially defeated the disease in the same year, and at the same time, Tom rejoined the band: on One More Time…, he can be heard again on the riffs, filling the halls together with Mark and Travis. Because, in the end, for the three, “Like any brothers, you have your little spats over the years, and you grow apart.” And: “You come back together.”