Mark Hoppus dropped a significant piece of news from the stage of the Sydney Opera House on Saturday night (March 21) — telling fans that Australian rock band Violent Soho are reuniting.
The blink-182 bassist was performing in Australia as part of his Fahrenheit-182 spoken-word storytelling tour when he made the announcement, before bringing out Violent Soho frontman Luke Boerdam and guitarist James Tidswell for an acoustic performance of blink-182’s “Dammit.”
“I wasn’t joking by the way, they really are getting back together,” Hoppus told the crowd, as per Blunt Mag.
The appearance marked the first time Boerdam and Tidswell had shared a stage since Violent Soho’s final show on September 10, 2022 at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane — nearly four years ago. Wall of Sound Neither band member addressed the crowd following the performance, and Violent Soho have not yet issued a public statement confirming a reunion.
The timing carries obvious significance. This month marks the tenth anniversary of WACO, Violent Soho’s landmark fourth album. Released in March 2016, the record debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and dominated triple j’s Hottest 100, with all six singles making the countdown.
Tracks like “Viceroy,” “Like Soda” and “Blanket” helped define Violent Soho as one of the most important Australian rock bands of the decade. A limited edition vinyl pressing of the album was also announced this week.
“When we made WACO we weren’t thinking about anniversaries or legacy, we were just trying to capture where the band was after years of touring and having some momentum from the release of Hungry Ghost,” the band said in a statement about the reissue. “We created some awesome memories in the studio and really tried to push our sound further.”
Hoppus’ connection to Violent Soho stretches back over a decade. He publicly declared his fandom in 2014, tweeting his admiration for the band’s single “Covered in Chrome” before the two acts formally crossed paths at Good Things Festival in 2019, when Hoppus was touring with his side project Simple Creatures.
Hoppus’ Australian run also included a Melbourne show earlier in the week, where he brought out my Shark to perform “Dammit” alongside a snippet of their 2018 collaboration “Psycho.” The tour wraps in Auckland next week.