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 Leftƶver 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 ā 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.
Flower
Sonic Boom Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can I feel you, see the real you
I know it's there deep inside
You've got to let someone touch you
Cos in my dreams I still hide
Safe away from prying eyes
Where you can open like a flower
The words were not allowed to say
Can't give too much away
You've got to stay cold, stay strong
But let your guard down, have some faith,
That there will come a day when you can open like a flower
Where's the heart gone from my sleeve?
Can I thaw you, see the raw you
Not too far gone to retrieve
This is for you, I implore you
To be myself again
I know you feel the pain
Comes when you open like a flower
Healing wounds come apart again
This waxing moon
Dares to start again
And maybe soon she'll tend to all the broken parts of
Little loon, the warm winds drive the clouds apart.
The song "Flower" by Sonic Boom Six is a beautiful ballad about opening up and letting someone in after being hurt or feeling guarded. The first verse questions where the spring has gone from the singer's stride, and longs to see the real person beneath the defenses they have put up. The lyrics suggest that the person has to let someone touch them and open up like a flower to allow themselves to be vulnerable and show who they really are. The following verse acknowledges that the person has become old and tired and struggles to communicate their true feelings. The chorus repeats the request for the person to let their guard down and have faith that they will find the strength to bloom like a flower once again.
In the second half of the song, the lyrics become more introspective, as the singer asks where their heart has gone from their sleeve and implores the person to retrieve the part of themselves that they have lost. They acknowledge that opening up can be painful, but it is necessary for healing and growth. The final line is a beautiful metaphor, where the singer compares the person to a little loon who has the potential to soar if they allow themselves to be healed from their broken parts.
Overall, "Flower" is a poignant song about the journey of opening up and showing your true self to the world. It encourages vulnerability and acknowledges the pain that can come with it, but ultimately suggests that it is worth it to allow yourself to be seen and loved for who you are.
Line by Line Meaning
Where's the spring gone from my stride?
When did I lose my energy and enthusiasm?
Can I feel you, see the real you
Can I connect with you and understand your true self?
I know it's there deep inside
I believe that your true self exists within you
You've got to let someone touch you
You need to allow yourself to be vulnerable with someone
Cos in my dreams I still hide
In my dreams, I'm still afraid to be vulnerable
Safe away from prying eyes
In a place where no one can judge me or hurt me
Where you can open like a flower
Where you can finally be vulnerable and show your true self
When did you become so old and tired that you forgot how to say
When did you lose your energy and enthusiasm to the point where you can't express yourself
The words were not allowed to say
You were not given the opportunity to express yourself
Can't give too much away
You can't reveal too much about yourself, it's too risky
You've got to stay cold, stay strong
You have to remain distant and unemotional to protect yourself
But let your guard down, have some faith,
But at some point, you need to trust someone and allow yourself to be vulnerable
That there will come a day when you can open like a flower
That one day, you will feel safe enough to show your true self
Where's the heart gone from my sleeve?
Where did my willingness to be vulnerable go?
Can I thaw you, see the raw you
Can I help you open up and show your true self?
Not too far gone to retrieve
It's not too late to be vulnerable and connect with others
This is for you, I implore you
I am begging you to open up and be vulnerable with me
To be myself again
To feel comfortable being my true self
I know you feel the pain
I understand that it hurts to be vulnerable
Comes when you open like a flower
But healing and true connection comes when you allow yourself to be vulnerable
Healing wounds come apart again
Old wounds may resurface during the healing process
This waxing moon
The moon in its waxing phase
Dares to start again
Gives hope for new beginnings
And maybe soon she'll tend to all the broken parts of
And maybe soon, she'll help heal the broken parts of...
Little loon, the warm winds drive the clouds apart.
The warm winds are clearing the way for Little Loon to feel hopeful and to heal
Writer(s): Ben Childs, Laila Khan, Paul Barnes, Neil Mcminn
Contributed by Lily R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.