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.
The Devil Made Me Do It
Sonic Boom Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another blank memory
Only evidence is empty cash
machine and sore head
To tell me what might have been
Wake up alone but not in my bed
Another strange house
Another stranger in town
Has gotta come down
Maybe once and for all
Nobody here whos gonna be the one to stop this fall
Dont have to get high
The devil made me do it
To have a good time
The devil made me do it
Give me an alibi
The devil made me do it
I turn around hes on my shoulder asking me
How high do you wanna go?
It had me coming up but now I'm only feeling low
How high do you wanna go?
The devil made me do it, the devil made me do it
I know what goes up must come down
Another weekend
Another "what could have been?"
Its only a laugh have one more half
Another new friend
Another random settee
Fuck it Im on one while your at it you can sell us three
Dont have to get high
The devil made me do it
To have a good time
The devil made me do it
Give me an alibi
The devil made me do it
I turn around hes on my shoulder asking me
How high do you wanna go?
It had me coming up but now I'm only feeling low
How high do you wanna go?
The devil made me do it, the devil made me do it
I know what goes up must come down
And now its gone
Your only gonna want more
Nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marajuana, ecstacy or alchohol
Nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marajuana, ecstacy or alchohol
Nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marajuana, ecstacy or alchohol
Nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marajuana, ecstacy or alchohol
Nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marajuana, ecstacy or alchohol
Hes asking me
How high do you wanna go?
It had me coming up but now I'm only feeling low
How high do you wanna go?
The devil made me do it, the devil made me do it
I know what goes up must come down
Those things I saw I wanted more
I know what goes up must come down
Those things I saw I wanted more
I know what goes up must come down
The song "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Sonic Boom Six speaks about the consequences of indulging in drugs and alcohol. The singer wakes up with a blank memory after a weekend, only to realize that they have spent their cash and have a sore head. They have been to multiple houses with strangers, and everyone is on a high, indulging in various substances. The devil, in this context, is the temptation to keep indulging in drugs and alcohol, which may provide a momentary high but have detrimental long-term effects. The singer acknowledges that what goes up must come down, and they need to break free from the addiction.
The chorus of the song underscores the devil's role in the indulgence, with the lines "The devil made me do it/ To have a good time/ Give me an alibi." The devil, in this case, becomes an excuse for the singer's behavior, who willingly indulges in drugs and alcohol but shifts the blame to the devil. However, as the singer realizes that they are only feeling low, they cannot deny responsibility for their actions.
The song also lists various substances like nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy or alcohol, highlighting how they often lead to addiction and the sense of being high becomes elusive over time.
Line by Line Meaning
Another weekend
The cycle of weekends continues
Another blank memory
Memory loss is starting to become the norm
Only evidence is empty cash machine and sore head
The only evidence of the weekend is the empty bank account and physical pain
To tell me what might have been
The physical pain is the only clue to what happened the night before
Wake up alone but not in my bed
Waking up alone in a strange bed has become common
Another strange house
Another night spent in an unfamiliar house
Another stranger in town
Another stranger added to the list
Whos realising that what goes up
Realizing that things can't stay good forever
Has gotta come down
Things are crashing downwards
Maybe once and for all
Hoping this will finally be the last time
Nobody here whos gonna be the one to stop this fall
There's no one to stop the downward spiral
Dont have to get high
There's no need to use drugs to have a good time
The devil made me do it
Feeling powerless and blaming the devil for one's actions
To have a good time
Drugs aren't necessary for a good time, but sometimes they feel like they are
Give me an alibi
Looking for an excuse or someone to blame
I turn around hes on my shoulder asking me
Feeling like the devil is always there, tempting and asking how far to go
How high do you wanna go?
The devil's question is how far one is willing to let things escalate
It had me coming up but now I'm only feeling low
Drugs may have provided a temporary high, but now the crash is hitting hard
Another weekend
The cycle continues
Another "what could have been?"
Wondering what could have been the morning after
Its only a laugh have one more half
Rationalizing and continuing to drink despite consequences
Another new friend
Meeting new people but not remembering them the next day
Another random settee
Crashing on a random couch instead of one's own bed
Fuck it Im on one while your at it you can sell us three
Using drugs and not being able to stop, even if it means buying more for others
And now its gone
The high is over
Your only gonna want more
The cycle repeats and the craving for more begins
Nicotine, ketamine, amphetamine, marajuana, ecstacy or alchohol
Listing off the various substances being used
Hes asking me
The devil is still there, asking how high to go
Those things I saw I wanted more
Thinking about the temporary highs and wanting more
I know what goes up must come down
Understanding that the temporary high won't last forever and there will be a crash
Those things I saw I wanted more
The desire for more highs continues
I know what goes up must come down
Awareness of the consequences of using drugs and the inevitable crash that follows
Contributed by Ellie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
raindropsonroses6
such a good song. wish it was in better quality :'(
INeed333Quid
Love this
millerhxc
i wish i could find a live vid...
Ryan Alexander Davies
you are only gonna want more