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Laila K is the sort of woman punk boys dream about. Diminutive, sexy as hell, and she fronts one of the tightest punk / ska outfits on the UK circuit right now. The energy she exudes whilst bouncing around the tiny stage tonight is startling, and is quite simply infectious, both to her crowd, and the band behind her. Right from the opening tonight there was no doubting that the show was going to go off, but few could have predicted just how much.
What draws many fans to Sonic Boom Six is that they are so very different to their contemporaries. Not afraid to mix genres, they experiment with punk, ska, rap and reggae, and even a spot of down and dirty metal when it is called for. The result is an enthralling soundclash which thrills in its sheer unpredictability.
Sonic Boom Six's trademark, 'Sound of a Revolution', pops up early in the set, and always goes down well, and it could be surmised that this story of a kid finding himself after finding punk hits a note simply because it is the pattern followed by so many of this band's fans. It also helps that it is instantly hummable yet never gets stale. Tonight, it is responsible for kick-starting the front row kids into action, and ensuring that everyone got nicely hot and sweaty. As if the crowd wasn't already onside, the band proceeded to rip through the establishment baiting 'Piggy In The Middle' before 'Meanwhile Back In The Real World' managed to slow things down a little, without losing any of the edge that had been build so far.
Of course, SB6 have a new album to promote, so tonight's set was heavy on new material. 'Rum Little Skallywag' is top-notch ska-lite and 'Bang Bang Bang Bang' is as instant as they come, and both sat happily alongside older fan favourites, as did the remainder of the new offering. The new album has received criticism for being somewhat more 'difficult' than Sonic Boom Six's previous albums, and on tonight's showing, this was apparent on occasion. There can, however, be no doubting the quality of the new material, which is as good as anything the band have released previously, and in many case better.
Having bubbled under the surface for a number of years now, one has to wonder if Sonic Boom Six will ever break through to the mainstream. Seemingly improving as a band with each tour, they are certainly proficient enough to do the job, but given the lack of attention paid to even the very best ska and punk in this country, they may be destined to play out their days to small, but packed venues. One has to wonder whether they would have it any other way.
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article by: Tommy Jackson
photos by: Tommy Jackson
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| published: 26/05/2009 11:36 |
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