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 Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
Sonic Boom Six Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
changes are taking place
so don't sink without a trace.
Welcome to Hyperspace!
The mother of all the inventions,
piston and chassis and engine
fly us to other dimensions.
Beep beep, beep beep yeah!
8 out of 10 agree
that this technology
should be made compulsory.
One for you one for me!
Vehicles of blue and magenta
empty from bumper to fender
roll off the line to the vendor.
Future it sure looks bright!
This road, unfolds, grasp the wheel together,
pedal to the metal, it's a green light!
I took a drive today I guess I should have known better,
the radio reported 40 min or more delays.
They say traffic stopped upon the road to the future- hey
Beep beep, beep beep yeah!
Traitors they roam the land,
stubborn they walk and stand
the lords of all they command.
This wasn't in the plans.
Carriages roll into stations,
drop humans off in locations
miles from our civilization.
Others they pedal by, powered by food supplies and water.
And though we try no one knows the answer why.
Making their foolish decisions by prehistoric traditions,
travelling without emissions, cycling through the night.
This road, unfolds, grasp the wheel together,
pedal to the metal, it's a green light!
I took a drive today I guess I should have known better,
the radio reported 40 min or more delays.
They say traffic stopped upon the road to the future-
hey. Beep Beep! Yeah!
OK, it's just a bit of bad weather.
If we can lock our doors and sound our horns then here we'll stay.
They say traffic stopped upon the road to the future.
The lyrics of Sonic Boom Six’s “The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions” express the idea that even the best intentions can lead to unintended consequences. The song is a juxtaposition of the promise of technological advancements and the reality of traffic and environmental issues. The opening lines (“Speed up, come join the race, changes are taking place so don't sink without a trace. Welcome to Hyperspace!”) portray a world in which technology reigns and is moving at a breakneck pace. The first verse describes this technology as the “mother of all the inventions, piston and chassis and engine, fly us to other dimensions.” The second verse contrasts this idealized world with the current reality of traffic jams and pollution caused by human reliance on cars. The lyrics suggest that society is divided between those who embrace progress and those who cling to outdated traditions.
The chorus (“This road, unfolds, grasp the wheel together, pedal to the metal, it's a green light! I took a drive today I guess I should have known better, the radio reported 40 min or more delays. They say traffic stopped upon the road to the future- hey Beep beep, beep beep yeah!”) reinforces the idea that society is at a crossroads when it comes to the use of technology. The chorus also highlights the frustration people feel when faced with traffic delays or other issues related to their use of cars. The final verse (“Carriages roll into stations, drop humans off in locations, miles from our civilization. Others they pedal by, powered by food supplies and water. And though we try no one knows the answer why. Making their foolish decisions by prehistoric traditions, travelling without emissions, cycling through the night”) emphasizes that while some people have embraced alternative forms of transportation such as bicycles or public transportation, many others are resistant to change.
Line by Line Meaning
Speed up, come join the race, changes are taking place so don't sink without a trace. Welcome to Hyperspace!
The world is changing fast, so keep up or get left behind. We're now racing towards the future with new technology and ideas. Don't be left behind or you'll be forgotten. Welcome to the new world of possibilities!
The mother of all the inventions, piston and chassis and engine fly us to other dimensions. Beep beep, beep beep yeah!
Cars are the greatest invention of all time, with engines and chassis that allow us to travel farther and faster than we ever thought possible. We're now exploring new dimensions, ready to go places we've never been before. Beep beep!
8 out of 10 agree that this technology should be made compulsory. One for you one for me! Vehicles of blue and magenta empty from bumper to fender roll off the line to the vendor. Future it sure looks bright!
Most people agree that the technology we're creating should be mandatory to own or use. We're seeing more and more cars being produced in all sorts of colors and styles. The future looks promising with all these advancements.
This road, unfolds, grasp the wheel together, pedal to the metal, it's a green light!
The path we're on towards the future is taking shape before our very eyes. Let's work together and take charge of our progress, full speed ahead, with no stops in sight!
I took a drive today I guess I should have known better, the radio reported 40 min or more delays. They say traffic stopped upon the road to the future- hey. Beep beep, beep beep yeah!
I went for a drive today and realized the roads aren't perfect yet. Traffic is still holding us back from achieving our future goals. Beep beep!
Traitors they roam the land, stubborn they walk and stand the lords of all they command. This wasn't in the plans.
There are still some people who resist new technologies and ways of thinking, and they're holding us back from reaching our full potential. This wasn't how we planned it, but we'll have to find a way to work around them.
Carriages roll into stations, drop humans off in locations miles from our civilization. Others they pedal by, powered by food supplies and water. And though we try no one knows the answer why. Making their foolish decisions by prehistoric traditions, travelling without emissions, cycling through the night.
There are still some people who use outdated forms of transportation, like horse-drawn carriages, and they're not helping us progress towards a cleaner future. Meanwhile, others rely on bicycles and find ways to sustain themselves during their travels. No one knows why some people refuse to conform to new ways of thinking or try to reduce their carbon footprint. These people are clinging to old ways of life, foolishly ignoring the benefits of advancements in technology.
OK, it's just a bit of bad weather. If we can lock our doors and sound our horns then here we'll stay. They say traffic stopped upon the road to the future.
Sometimes there are setbacks or difficulties on the road to progress, and we just have to hunker down and wait out the bad times. We'll continue to sound our horns and lock our doors until we can get back on track towards the future. Traffic jams and other obstacles don't keep us from achieving our goals.
Contributed by Hannah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alex White
love the fact that this is about the 8th song ive checked out and its the 8th different sounding song. definitely keeping an eye and ear out for this band
A lomas
always brings a smile to my face, legend guys you rock!
ihearttheweakerthans
Hey there, your performance at Melkweg (Amsterdam) earlier this week kicked ass! Keep the good music coming :). Nice video, by the way. Kind regards from the Netherlands.
Gazmus
Sick song, utterly brilliant band that is well worth seeing live, ive seen about 7 times and they really never disappoint. I love them and they deserve a million times more recognition than they have....infinitely better than anything thats going to get into the charts. also...<3 Laila K in HD as well :D
Themaver123
Can't wait to get tickets for these guys in Newcastle it's gonna be immense!!!
gorgerak
love this song!!!
TwiiSteDBeAsT
You guys are amazing.
Mike Roberts
Great stuff- looking forward to seeing you all at Bristol in February.
dylanjam
this is awesome. SB6 Rocks!1!!!!!!
sazberry
I wish the bassist was mine. ;D <3 SB6 are one of the best bands around! Gonna see them live one day me hopes. <333