Tom DeLonge is taking a trip down memory lane this week. On April 14, he shared the ultimate blink-182 throwback some fans may not have seen before.
The Angels & Airwaves frontman recently came across an old blink-182 gig poster he drew himself in the ’90s and revealed what he thinks about it after all of these years.
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Back in 1993, blink-182, then called Blink, were still making a name for themselves as they played shows across their home state of California. To help get the word out, DeLonge took on the role of designing some of the trio’s concert posters. Earlier this week, he came across one of his old designs and shared it with his social media followers.
The black-and-white poster features a bald man on roller skates who is whistling his way to blink-182’s show at SOMA in San Diego on April 7, 1993. The poster features the band’s original lineup of DeLonge, bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus and former drummer Scott Raynor.
Raynor performed with DeLonge and Hoppus on tour as well as 1994’s Buddha, 1995’s Cheshire Cat and 1997’s Dude Ranch. However, in 1998, he parted ways with the band and was soon replaced by Travis Barker.
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On the nostalgic blink-182 poster, DeLonge described the band as “alternative punk power pop” and also noted their hometown of Poway, California. DeLonge even included a very detailed map showing how to get to SOMA for the gig.
DeLonge wrote on Instagram that he created the poster when he was around 18 years old. Although decades have passed since this particular blink-182 concert, he thinks it’s pretty great the poster is still making rounds online.
“I actually drew this when I was about 18 maybe? Not sure,” he says on Instagram. “But saw this on my feed and thought it was really cool to see again.”
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Along with the old concert poster, DeLonge also posted a cropped photo of him and Hoppus during the early days of blink-182 with Raynor. In the throwback, both musicians can be seen rocking short haircuts while Hoppus holds a butcher knife with a menacing look on his face.
“Me and [Hoppus] getting into a bit of trouble,” DeLonge says on Instagram. “Just about to go chop shit up in this old pic [blink-182].”
Of course, these aren’t the only blink-182 throwbacks that have been shared over the past few weeks. Back in March, Hoppus sent fans into a theory frenzy when he tweeted some old photos of blink-182. The post was seemingly in reference to the difficult year the world has had amid the global pandemic. However, some fans theorized that the tweet could be a hint Hoppus, Barker and DeLonge are up to something.
March 2020/March 2021 pic.twitter.com/F36xWrUKZ8
— ϻ𝔞Ⓡ𝔨 𝐇𝑜Ƥ𝐩ย𝓼 (@markhoppus) March 3, 2021
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On April 9, DeLonge further teased Angels & Airwaves’ upcoming album. In a tweet, he confirmed that the new record is on the way and fans will get to hear the first single off of it in the next few weeks. In fact, DeLonge previously indicated that the new track will please fans of Box Car Racer.
“New [Angels & Airwaves] album coming,” DeLonge says on Twitter. “1st single in a few weeks…”
New @AVABandOfficial album coming. 1st single in a few weeks… pic.twitter.com/YU7ZPNI1Gj
— Tom DeLonge (@tomdelonge) April 9, 2021
Then, earlier this week, DeLonge seemingly hinted that Angels & Airwaves have actually finished work on their upcoming album. On Instagram, the frontman posted a photo of an orange hard drive with the words “AVA ALBUM #6 MAIN HD 1” written across the front.
“Yeah, 6 albums plus or minus 4/5 EPs [Angels & Airwaves],” DeLonge says on Instagram.
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As for blink-182, they also have new music on the way. Currently, the band are finishing up with their next album with producer John Feldmann which will mark their third full-length release since Matt Skiba joined in 2015.
The upcoming LP features collabs with Grimes, Pharrell and Lil Uzi Vert. In particular, Barker told Allison Hagendorf on the Rock This podcast that blink-182’s collab with Lil Uzi Vert may not be what fans are expecting to hear.
“I mean, it’s not like Blink’s making a rap song or anything,” Barker tells Hagendorf. “It’s like bringing Uzi over to our world. So it’s more of a punk kind of like reggae feeling song. I don’t think blink will ever be anything but a pop-punk band. I mean, that’s who we are. And I feel like our fans have kind of journeyed with us when we’ve done songs like ‘Miss You’ or ballads like ‘Adam’s Song.’ But, like, we’re never going to veer too far off from what we are–like, I’m like a punk kid at heart, you know what I mean? Whether it’s like pop-punk with blink or whatever with [Machine Gun Kelly] or whatever with Trippie [Redd], that’s where my heart’s at. Like, I was raised on rap music and punk rock music. It’s kind of all I know.”
Currently, the upcoming album’s official title and release date are unknown. However, back in October, Skiba dished some exclusive details about blink-182’s new music. On social media, Skiba revealed that the band’s new material reminds him of their classic Enema Of The State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket eras.
What are your reactions to Tom DeLonge’s old blink-182 concert poster? Let us know in the comments below.