Sonic Boom Six first appeared on the Manchester punk scene in April 2002. Some of their members were previously in the band Grimace. Their self-titled demo, recorded with Jerry Melchers, was self-released in October 2002. To promote the CD, they toured the UK with third wave ska veterans The Toasters and London ska punk/hip hop band King Prawn. They also toured with Coolie Ranx and performed as his backing band. In September 2003, they released The Turbo EP, their first release for Moon Ska Europe. This was produced by Ace (of Skunk Anansie) and Christophe. After a series of good reviews, Sonic Boom Six were invited to perform a session on BBC Radio One's The Lock Up.
After further touring with Catch 22, as well as on the Moon Ska Launchpad Tour 2004 (alongside Zen Baseballbat, Graveltrap, Babar Luck and Dumpster Pop), the band re-united with Ace and Christophe to record their second EP. Sounds to Consume was released on Moon Ska Europe in August 2004, and include the Turbo EP as bonus tracks. After tour dates with Leftöver Crack and The Suicide Machines, the band appeared on BBC2's Asian arts programme Desi DNA performing in a scrapyard, as well as being interviewed by Adil Ray for his show on the BBC Asian Network.
Sonic Boom Six performing "All In" with Itch of The King Blues. Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, 27 August 2006
In early February 2005, Sonic Boom Six replaced guitarist Dave "Hellfire" Kelly with guitarist Ben, who used to play sax, thus making SB6 a four-piece. Ben's old sax parts are now played through a sampler when performing live, or by musicians from other bands, such as Grown at Home and The Flaming Tsunamis. In 2005, the band opened the Love Music Hate Racism event on the Leftfield Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, played Belgium's Sortie 23 festival and performed at the premier of the Rock Against Racism film Who Shot the Sheriff? with HARD-Fi and Roll Deep. 2005 also saw the release of the Champion Edition of Sounds to Consume, which featured four of their original demo tracks (remixed by Tim G), three remixes, an acoustic track and a video. They also embarked on several dates on the inaugural Good To Go Tour alongside The Aquabats and Never Heard of It.
In 2006, the band recorded their second session for BBC Radio 1's The Lock Up, which was broadcast on 27 June. They were joined by Pete and Tucker from Jesse James and Itch from The King Blues. Their debut full-length album, The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism, was released on 10 July 2006 on Deck Cheese Records, and in August 2006 the band played the Reading and Leeds Festivals as a last minute replacement for Paramore. They were joined again by Itch of The King Blues for a performance of "All In" (singing the parts of the song written by Coolie Ranx) and Nick 'The Blade' Horne of Howards Alias, partner of vocalist Laila, who played trombone on the songs "Bigger Than Punk Rock" and "Until the Sunlight Comes".
In May 2007, they played at the Slam Dunk Festival at Leeds University Union with Paramore and Reel Big Fish. During Reel Big Fish's set, Laila joined the band on stage to sing parts of "She Has a Girlfriend Now" alongside Aaron Barrett. She joined them again during Reel Big Fish's Monkeys for Nothin' winter tour in 2008. They played the Reading and Leeds Festivals again in 2007, on the Lock Up stage, playing not only their own material but covering the song "Sound System" by Operation Ivy. During this song, Itch from the King Blues once again joined them on stage to sing it. November 2007 saw the release of the band's second full-length CD, Arcade Perfect, on their own Rebel Alliance Recordings.
In May 2008, the band embarked on the Rude Awakening 2008 tour, alongside Big D and the Kids Table and Random Hand. 2008 also saw a second Ruff and Ready tour. This was followed by the release of a remixes, b-sides and rarities album entitled Play On: Rare, Rejected and Arcade Perfected, which the band toured in support of in late 2008. Nick Horne also joined the band as a full time member, now playing guitar and bass live as well as trombone. They played at the Hevy Music Festival on 1 August 2009.
In May 2009 Sonic Boom Six released their third album City of Thieves, once again on Rebel Alliance Recordings. August 2009 saw Sonic Boom Six open the Main Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival.
On 8 October 2009, it was announced on the band's official website that Ben Childs would be leaving the band after the forthcoming "Boom or Bust" tour and that he would be temporarily replaced by Matthew Reynolds – current vocalist and guitarist with rock band Drawings and also formerly of Howards Alias. In February 2010 new permanent member James "Jimmy T Boom" Routh, formerly of Myth of Unity, joined the band on guitar.
Blood for Oil
Sonic Boom Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sorry to burst your bubble, it looks like Global trouble
Beards WMD's and chemicals that cause disease,
So step right up, we've got them all on Trading Blood for Oil
Prepare for the thrills and spills they're calling Collateral damage
The price of the life of an Iraqi, is less than Texas tea.
A few of the population, for the prize of Global domination,
Its time to sit back and enjoy the show.
Its new, full color and improved
And this time we'll be liberating everything that moves!!
24/7 see it blow by blow
Its new, don't let your morals spoil
Another gripping episode of Trading Blood for Oil
You can lead a horse to water but you'll never make it ask for proof
The public believe anything that isn't founded on the truth
I'll never die for my beliefs cos, hey I might be wrong
But I'll be strong enough to take a stand today and say 'HEY!'
Just because I'm brown it doesn't mean I fly around
And dream of knocking buildings down
They're living in your town (BOO!)
Once you can believe in such utter absurdities
You can commit atrocities
You're ready, come on down!!
Its time to sit back and enjoy the show.
Its new, full color and improved
And this time we'll be liberating everything that moves!!
24/7 see it blow by blow
Its new, don't let your morals spoil
Another gripping episode of Trading Blood for Oil
Fuck the UN give us a year and we can play it again
I'm talking about Trading blood for Oil
Trading Blood for Oil
T,R,A,D,I,N,G,B,L,O,O,D,F,O,R,O,I,L
And are you ready for the sequel???
Just roll up, roll up
We neglect to mention, America's Samanitary intervention
In the Congo, Chile and Nicuragua
And now a word from our Sponser.
Its time to sit back and enjoy the show.
Its new, full color and improved
And this time we'll be liberating everything that moves!!
24/7 see it blow by blow
It's new, don't let your morals spoil
Another gripping episode of Trading Blood for Oil
Fuck the UN give us a year and we can play it again
I'm talking about Trading blood for Oil
We know the score, why our brothers gotta die in a war
It's dollar dollar bill y'all
Fuck the UN give us a year and we can play it again
I'm talking about Trading blood for Oil
Trading Blood for oil
THEY TRADED BLOOD FOR OIL
The lyrics to Sonic Boom Six's "Blood for Oil" touch on the issue of the Iraq War and the American government's involvement in it. The song accuses the government of using the war as an excuse to gain control of Middle Eastern oil reserves. The lyrics also criticize the media's portrayal of the war as a heroic and necessary action, when in reality it is causing harm and conflict in the region.
The opening line, "Come on down! You are the next contestant," is a reference to the game show The Price is Right, and it sets the tone for the satirical commentary throughout the rest of the song. The lyrics point out the irony of using violence and destruction to promote the supposed benefits of democracy and freedom.
The chorus, "Its time to sit back and enjoy the show. Its new, full color and improved. And this time we'll be liberating everything that moves!!" is a commentary on the media's portrayal of the war as entertainment. The use of "liberating" is ironic, as the reality of the war is quite different from the government's stated intentions.
Overall, "Blood for Oil" is a powerful critique of the Iraq War, and calls attention to the actions of the American government and the media during this time.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on down! You are the next contestant
We welcome you to participate in the greed-driven, profit-motivated aggression that is fueling this war.
Sorry to burst your bubble, it looks like Global trouble
We regret to inform you that the consequences of this conflict extend far beyond just the countries directly involved.
Beards WMD's and chemicals that cause disease,
The propaganda used to justify this war includes claims of weapons of mass destruction and other false claims.
So step right up, we've got them all on Trading Blood for Oil
Join the war machine and help prop up our oil-dependent economy by sacrificing human lives and wellbeing.
Prepare for the thrills and spills they're calling Collateral damage
Get ready to accept the inevitable casualties of this conflict as mere byproducts of our ultimate goal.
The price of the life of an Iraqi, is less than Texas tea.
In the game of resource acquisition, the value of a human life is cynically calculated in dollars and cents.
A few of the population, for the prize of Global domination,
Only a select few stand to benefit from this imperialistic endeavor at the expense of millions.
Its Friday night so come on down the price is right.
The capitalist mentality that pervades this war reduces human life to a commodity and markets it as entertainment.
Its time to sit back and enjoy the show.
The war is presented as a spectacle for public consumption, making it easier for the populace to accept.
Its new, full color and improved
We've polished the propaganda machine and are ready to serve up another round of lies and misinformation.
And this time we'll be liberating everything that moves!!
We're using the language of freedom and liberation to veil our true motives of conquest and resource acquisition.
24/7 see it blow by blow
Thanks to modern media, we can bring the horrors of war into your living room in real-time.
Its new, don't let your morals spoil
Don't let ethical considerations stop you from participating in this war, which serves the interests of only a few.
Another gripping episode of Trading Blood for Oil
The war is just another episode in the long history of imperial power struggles and resource exploitation.
Fuck the UN give us a year and we can play it again
We are willing to disregard international law and the authority of the UN to pursue our economic and geopolitical ambitions.
I'm talking about Trading blood for Oil
The war is about securing access to oil resources, whatever the cost in human life and suffering.
You can lead a horse to water but you'll never make it ask for proof
It's difficult to get people to question the official narrative, even when the evidence contradicts it.
The public believe anything that isn't founded on the truth
People are susceptible to propaganda and misinformation when it fits their preconceived notions or biases.
I'll never die for my beliefs cos, hey I might be wrong
The singer feels that intellectual humility is more important than blindly adhering to any particular ideology or belief system.
But I'll be strong enough to take a stand today and say 'HEY!'
The artist is confident in their ability to voice dissent and stand up against the propaganda machine that perpetuates the war.
Just because I'm brown it doesn't mean I fly around
The artist challenges the racist assumptions underlying the fears and stereotypes propagated by the war propaganda.
And dream of knocking buildings down
The artist points out the absurdity of associating certain races or ethnicities with terrorism or other extreme acts of violence.
They're living in your town (BOO!)
The singer emphasizes the fallacy of associating an entire people or religion with a few extreme actors, and encourages the audience to reject fear and hate.
Once you can believe in such utter absurdities
The artist points out the dangers of accepting false premises or propaganda that doesn't make logical sense.
You can commit atrocities
The singer argues that accepting lies or false information can lead to moral breakdown and loss of empathy for fellow human beings.
We neglect to mention, America's Samanitary intervention
The singer brings attention to the hypocrisy of the US government, which often intervenes in the affairs of other nations under the guise of humanitarianism or democracy.
In the Congo, Chile and Nicuragua
The singer cites specific instances in which the US intervened militarily or politically in foreign nations, often with disastrous consequences for the local populations.
And now a word from our Sponser.
The artist sarcastically highlights the commercialization of war propaganda, in which corporations and profit motives dictate the message that is presented to the public.
We know the score, why our brothers gotta die in a war
The artist challenges the notion that wars are necessary or inevitable, and asks why so many people have to die for the greed and ambition of a few.
It's dollar dollar bill y'all
The singer highlights the financial interests and benefits that underpin the war, emphasizing that money and profits are the true driving forces behind the violence and destruction.
Trading Blood for oil
The singer succinctly states the central thesis of the song, which is that the true motive behind the war is to secure access to oil resources.
Contributed by Olivia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.