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.
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Sonic Boom Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I read the answers in a magazine. What's your fantasy? Woah.
One, two, three, we're all living like we're off TV.
Sex and the city and the guest list please for this VIP.
Oh but her dress is not right and all her legs are all cellulite,
Her belly really is a sad sight. Not on the list tonight. We all need to...
Read all about it. These scars are skin deep so pick
Pictures of you we transmit. No depth, no feeling.
Well there's a brand new diet that you just have to try, a feature on bulimia on page 25.
Read all about it.
One, two, three, let's stick them in a house for our TV
And laugh about how desperate they be, maybe they'll even...
One, two, three, tackle a footballer on Saturday
And the position in her box he played was such a fine display.
It's in the Sunday Supplement mag we buy to tutt about the daft slag.
She gets a lovely Prada handbag so who's laughing last?
And we're the ones with the obsession with the plastic and the escapades and all the spitroasts and the dildos and the marmalade
And the procession of confessions that the paper paid and laid bare. No depth and no feeling.
Read all about it. These scars are skin deep so pick
Pictures of you we transmit. No depth, no feeling.
Well there's a new position for the kids to try, a treatment for Chlamydia on page 45.
Read all about it.
We all need to...
We all need to...
And now we're ugly sisters. And now we're ugly sisters.
And now we're ugly sisters. And now we're ugly sisters.
Watching our ugly mothers, it's all beneath these covers
And though we hate each other, now I need you.
We all need to...
It all smells so sweet. Same time next week.
Read all about it. These scars are skin deep so pick
Pictures of you we transmit. No depth, no feeling.
Now you bought this food for thought you are what you eat, who will do the dishes? Better keep your receipt.
Read all about it. No depth, no feeling.
We all need to fuck.
The lyrics of Sonic Boom Six's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" are written as a social commentary about how society's obsession with sex and celebrity culture has negatively impacted how people perceive themselves and others. The first verse talks about how people are constantly trying to attain perfection and be complete, and how they are influenced by unrealistic and superficial standards portrayed in magazines and television. The line "What's your fantasy?" sarcastically points out how these standards perpetuate unattainable desires in people’s minds.
The second verse describes how people are constantly judging and degrading others based on their appearance or personal life choices. The lyrics mention how people ridicule someone for having cellulite and a sad belly, and how they obsess over plastic surgeries, sex scandals, and other controversial stories in tabloids. The line "No depth, no feeling" is a reference to how the media only superficially portrays people and stories, without examining the emotional or psychological aspect of the situation.
The chorus talks about how people need to be sexually active as a way of rebelling against these societal norms and to find a sense of self-worth. The line "It all smells so sweet" is a metaphorical way of expressing how people crave something that is taboo or forbidden. The final verse brings attention to how people are creating a shallow and judgmental culture by constantly demeaning others and feeding into the ideals portrayed in media.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, another step for me to be complete,
I'm following society's expectations and ticking off boxes to feel fulfilled.
I read the answers in a magazine. What's your fantasy? Woah.
I'm looking to media to provide answers to my questions and validate my desires.
One, two, three, we're all living like we're off TV.
We're trying to emulate the unrealistic lifestyles portrayed in media.
Sex and the city and the guest list please for this VIP.
We're obsessed with the glamorous lifestyles and social status of celebrities.
Oh but her dress is not right and all her legs are all cellulite,
We criticize and shame people's appearances, especially women's bodies.
Her belly really is a sad sight. Not on the list tonight.
We exclude and ostracize people who don't fit our ideals of beauty and social status.
It all smells so sweet. These scars are skin deep, so...
We're seduced by the superficial pleasures of consumer culture, but it's all surface-level and ultimately unsatisfying.
Read all about it. These scars are skin deep so pick
Media promotes shallow and superficial values and messages.
Pictures of you we transmit. No depth, no feeling.
The media reduces people to images and stereotypes, without understanding their true selves or experiences.
Well there's a brand new diet that you just have to try, a feature on bulimia on page 25.
The media promotes harmful and unrealistic beauty standards and diets, even glorifying eating disorders.
One, two, three, let's stick them in a house for our TV
Reality TV exploits people's personal lives and emotions for entertainment and ratings.
And laugh about how desperate they be, maybe they'll even...
The media encourages us to mock and ridicule people for our own amusement and superiority.
One, two, three, tackle a footballer on Saturday
Sports culture objectifies and dehumanizes athletes, especially women.
And the position in her box he played was such a fine display.
The media sexualizes and fetishizes women's bodies, reducing them to objects of male desire.
It's in the Sunday Supplement mag we buy to tutt about the daft slag.
We consume media that reinforces misogynistic and judgemental attitudes towards women.
She gets a lovely Prada handbag so who's laughing last?
The media promotes materialism and status symbols as measures of worth and success.
And we're the ones with the obsession with the plastic and the escapades and all the spitroasts and the dildos and the marmalade
We're fixated on shallow, hedonistic pleasures and sexual experiences, caught in a cycle of consumerism and self-indulgence.
And the procession of confessions that the paper paid and laid bare. No depth and no feeling.
The media exploits people's vulnerability, often paying them for their traumatic or intimate stories, without any genuine emotional connection or reflection.
Now you bought this food for thought you are what you eat, who will do the dishes? Better keep your receipt.
The media sells us empty ideas and messages, often with harmful effects, and we must confront the consequences of our consumption.
We all need to fuck.
We're reduced to our primal desires and physicality, without any emotional or intellectual depth or connection.
Contributed by Stella T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.