Mark Hoppus informed fans at the Sydney Opera House that Australian rock band Violent Soho are reuniting. He brought out frontman Luke Boerdam and guitarist James Tidswell for an acoustic performance of blink-182's 'Dammit.' The announcement coincides with the tenth anniversary of the band's album WACO.
On Saturday night, March 21, blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus made a surprise announcement during his Fahrenheit-182 spoken-word storytelling tour at the Sydney Opera House. He told the crowd that Violent Soho are getting back together, stating, “I wasn’t joking by the way, they really are getting back together,” according to Blunt Mag. Hoppus then invited Violent Soho frontman Luke Boerdam and guitarist James Tidswell onstage for an acoustic rendition of blink-182’s “Dammit.” This marked the first time the two had shared a stage since Violent Soho’s final show on September 10, 2022, at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. Neither band member spoke to the audience afterward, and Violent Soho has not issued a public confirmation of the reunion. The timing aligns with the tenth anniversary of WACO, the band’s fourth album released in March 2016. It debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and featured prominently in triple j’s Hottest 100 with singles like “Viceroy,” “Like Soda,” and “Blanket.” A limited edition vinyl reissue was announced this week. The band reflected on the album: “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. We created some awesome memories in the studio and really tried to push our sound further.” Hoppus has long admired Violent Soho, praising their 2014 single “Covered in Chrome” on Twitter and sharing a stage with them at Good Things Festival in 2019 during his Simple Creatures tour. His Australian tour included a Melbourne show earlier that week and continues to Auckland.
