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.
Shareena
Sonic Boom Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time for you to shout about the voice you've found.
Building from within you is a brand new sound.
Only pick you up so they can put you down.
Summer comes around when the seasons change
Just like people, now it feels so strange.
Just another marriage that they can't arrange
So don't be ashamed.
Shareena, you've got to know,
Don't be blaming yourself no more.
Don't you know that your heart is pure?
And you know he's worth fighting for.
Shareena don't you know
That you can't replay this act
Once it has faded to black.
Time up! Act now,
You have to somehow stand up,
Shout loud because family should be proud
Of you whatever you choose or lose your love forever.
Shareena you are who you are.
Wage the war that went before the last two years,
Can't just keep on smiling through the dried-up tears,
Face the only part of you that you can't pierce,
Caught between your culture and a life that's here.
Looking like you've found a place where you belong,
Always with apologies upon your tongue.
If he makes you happy how can it be wrong?
He's waited this long.
Shareena, you've got to know,
Don't be blaming yourself no more.
Don't you know that your heart is pure?
And you know he's worth fighting for.
Shareena don't you know
That you can't replay this act
Once it has faded to black.
Time up! Act now,
You have to somehow stand up,
Shout loud because family should be proud
Of you whatever you choose or lose your love forever.
Shareena you are who you are.
Everything you can be,
A star in front of me,
That's all they need to see.
Time up! Act now,
You have to somehow stand up,
Shout loud because family should be proud
Of you whatever you choose or lose your love forever.
Keep your head together through the stormy weather.
The sun will come through.
Shareena, you've got to know,
Don't be blaming yourself no more.
Don't you know that your heart is pure?
And you know he's worth fighting for.
Shareena don't you know
That you can't replay this act
Once it all fades into black.
You can never get it back.
Time for you to take a breath and look around,
Time for you to shout about the voice you've found.
Building from within you is a brand new sound.
Only pick you up so they can put you down.
Summer comes around when the seasons change
Just like people, now it feels so strange.
Just another marriage that they can't arrange
Just another daughter has to live estranged.
Finally its time for you to make that choice,
Hearing the sincerity that's in my voice
Telling you to do whatever you decide,
Girl you are so beautiful, I'm by your side.
This was always more than just a lost romance,
Don't forget that this could be your final chance.
The lyrics to Sonic Boom Six's song "Shareena" tell the story of a young woman caught between the expectations of her family and her own desires. The song encourages her to take control of her life, to fight for what she wants, and not to be ashamed of who she is. The opening lines suggest that it is time for her to stop hiding her true self and to speak out about what she believes in. The verse goes on to describe the conflict between the old and the new, between tradition and modernity, as exemplified by Shareena's inability to reconcile her culture with her life in the West. The chorus is a plea to Shareena not to give up on what she wants, not to blame herself for what others think, and to recognize the value of her own heart. The bridge reinforces this message, telling her that she is who she is and that she should be proud of that fact. The final lines of the song leave her with a decision to make, but the singer lets her know that he will be there for her no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
Time for you to take a breath and look around,
It's time for you to pause and observe your surroundings
Time for you to shout about the voice you've found.
It's time to freely express and make known the voice you discovered
Building from within you is a brand new sound.
A new sound is developing from inside of you
Only pick you up so they can put you down.
People only encourage you to bring you down in the end.
Summer comes around when the seasons change
When the seasons change it's that time of year again
Just like people, now it feels so strange.
Change can feel strange in the same way that new people, places, or things can.
Just another marriage that they can't arrange
It's just another marriage that can't be arranged
So don't be ashamed.
No need to feel guilty or embarrassed
Shareena, you've got to know,
Shareena, you have to comprehend
Don't be blaming yourself no more.
Stop blaming yourself
Don't you know that your heart is pure?
Your heart is pure, don't you realize?
And you know he's worth fighting for.
He's someone worth fighting for to you.
That you can't replay this act
You can't do this all over again
Once it has faded to black.
When it's over it's over
Time up! Act now,
Now is the time to act
You have to somehow stand up,
You need to find a way to rise up
Shout loud because family should be proud
Speak up boldly because your family should be proud of you
Of you whatever you choose or lose your love forever.
They should be proud regardless of what you choose, otherwise you will lose love forever
Shareena you are who you are.
Shareena, you are yourself
Wage the war that went before the last two years,
Fight the same battles that began two years ago
Can't just keep on smiling through the dried-up tears,
Can't continue to hide behind a fake smile after so many heartaches
Face the only part of you that you can't pierce,
Confront the one part of yourself that's hard to deal with
Caught between your culture and a life that's here.
You're in a conflict between holding onto your roots and adapting to this new lifestyle
Looking like you've found a place where you belong,
Seems like you discovered a place where you fit in
Always with apologies upon your tongue.
Apologies are always at the tip of your tongue.
If he makes you happy how can it be wrong?
If he brings you joy, how could it be not right?
He's waited this long.
He's patient and has been waiting
Everything you can be,
Everything you're capable of being
A star in front of me,
To me, you're a shining star
That's all they need to see.
That's all they have to see to understand your worth
Keep your head together through the stormy weather.
Stay composed during tough times
The sun will come through.
Things will get better and brighter
Finally, it's time for you to make that choice,
It's time for you to make your decision
Hearing the sincerity that's in my voice
Hear the genuine and honest tone in my voice
Telling you to do whatever you decide,
Advising you to follow your own choice
Girl you are so beautiful, I'm by your side.
You're gorgeous, and I'm here to support you
This was always more than just a lost romance,
This wasn't simply another failed romance
Don't forget that this could be your final chance.
Remember that this could be your last opportunity.
Contributed by Molly L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.