After 10 years of jokes about penises, unprintable between-song comments and multimillion-selling three-minute pop-punk anthems about spots, Blink-182 are officially growing up. Out go songs about girls and cars, replaced - on recent album Blink-182 - by themes of fear, warfare, paranoia and death.

Tom DeLonge (the "thinking" member of the group) has started talking about September 11 in interviews. However, the trio still take the stage to a barrage of musically accompanied expletives, while drummer Travis Barker launches spittle over the crowd. In the surreal world of American superannuated punk rock, even maturity is relative.

The shift towards darker themes may have something to do with all three Blinks' recent fatherhood and the posting of DeLonge's brother to Iraq. However, for much of their largely sold-out return to the UK, the band make an awkward job of getting the balance right. When DeLonge sings, "Where are you? I'm sorry," he sounds genuinely anguished, but the impression is somewhat undermined by the sight of singing bassist Mark Hoppus waggling his big-shorted bottom at the crowd.

Musically, the balance is about 30% new material that sounds like they've listened to a lot of Pink Floyd and the Cure, and 70% old bubblegum punk anthems. In fairness, they do these extraordinarily well. It's hard not to be swayed by DeLonge's fearsome pop melodies or Barker's hyperactive but sublime drumming.

However, DeLonge's between-song expletives seem laboured, and songs such as the spooky Asthenia - about an astronaut wondering whether to return to a troubled earth - suggest a songwriter yearning to create something of more substance. As it is, the clearest sign of maturity comes when they pack up after under an hour - surely a telltale sign of creaking bones.

· At Nottingham Arena tonight. Box office: 0115-853 3000. Then touring.