Reformed Blink-182 for UK tour

Blink-182 will play their first full headline UK arena tour in seven years

Blink-182 have announced details of their first UK headline arena tour in seven years.

The US trio, who reformed in 2009 and played this summer's Reading and Leeds festivals, will perform in July 2011.

They'll play gigs in Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Birmingham and London.

Singer Mark Hoppus told Newsbeat they've organised the gigs to set themselves a "due date" to finish their new album.

Band break-up

Five years ago guitarist and singer Tom DeLonge quit the group leaving the band on an "indefinite hiatus".

Drummer Travis Barker was involved in a plane crash in 2008

"Travis [Barker, drummer] and I wanted to keep going but Tom didn't want to keep going on the terms that Travis and I wanted to keep going on," said bassist and singer Mark Hoppus speaking to Newsbeat.

"I think that everything was overwhelming to everybody."

However, in 2008 drummer Travis Barker was involved in a plane crash, which killed four other people.

"When something that awful happens then you really realise that all the stuff we were angry about that long ago really was nothing," said Hoppus.

"After Travis and his plane crash we definitely all wanted to reconnect as friends.

"[The band] was just like this giant elephant in the room that nobody wanted to talk about.

"And then we were like, 'What are we going to do? Are we going to do this?' I said I think we should be Blink-182 again. It's too fun and great not to."

'Respect'

Hoppus explained that the three of them realised "it was time to let the past be the past". They announced in 2009 they were to reform.

"After having a hiatus for five years all the nonsense we were arguing about before went away. It gave us a chance to appreciate how lucky we are to be in Blink-182 and respect one another."

The band are currently working on new material in California - an as yet untitled album is due for release in summer 2011.

"This is something we've put in place to help us finish the record we're working on right now," said Hoppus.

He said they're working on "10 songs right now" or three or four finished. They don't plan on having any collaborations with other artists.

"We're starting the next chapter with new music," he said.

"The album is both stepping forward and I also see it as reminiscent of songs we've written in the past. It'll have a wider spectrum than on any other Blink album."

"When we first started off, all of us were single, all of us were young and excited punk rock kids.

"Now all of us are married, all of us have children and we're just punk rock adults instead. The past five years have helped us understand each other as people."

Blink-182 will play:

Manchester MEN arena - 8 July

Newcastle arena - 12

Nottingham arena - 13

Birmingham LG arena - 15

London O2 arena - 18