Gig review: Blink 182

SO FAR as band reformations go, Blink 182's has been one uncommonly shy of cynicism, and for good reason.

Drummer Travis Barker survived a plane crash in 2008, a tragedy which shocked the other two members of the multi-million-selling Californian slacker punk-pop trio – guitarist and singer Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus – into speaking again for the first time since 2005, and finally burying the hatchet.

They seem to have picked up where they left off, with DeLonge and Hoppus enthusiastically trading insults between songs, to the tune of the latter referring to former as "ugly" throughout. Maybe they always do that, or perhaps they were just making ironic fun of their historic animosity – either way, nobody seemed to be taking it personally.

It felt like fans were getting a pretty authentic Blink 182 live experience, rather than a re-hash to satisfy the band members' bank managers.

The set was filled with many more of their hits – Rock Show, First Date and I Miss You all included, and late 1990s MTV staples la What's My Age Again and All the Small Things – than a casual observer might give the band credit for.

Blink 182's sugary three-chord jams are dumb enough to make Green Day songs sound like brain surgery, yet they don't lack for energy or hooks, and it's easy to see why their sell-out appeal hasn't dissipated.

A new album and more touring is promised, but even if this proves a swansong rather than a new dawn, fans can feel satisfied that they were left on a high.

MALCOLM JACK