Ska punk act take on The Borderline.
What exactly are Sonic Boom Six anyway? Are they a ska act? A punk band? A hip-hop outfit? Who knows and, when they pull off a performance like tonight’s, who really cares?
Over the years Sonic Boom Six have gained themselves a decent following of fans from all three of the genres they bridge and it shows tonight, as the venue is full of people of varied ages and backgrounds. Tonight's the first night of the band's 'Too Orangey for Crows' tour, and they definitely kick it off in style. The band explode onto the stage and open up with a couple of crowd-pleasers before taking the opportunity to thank us all for coming, and generally be a little bit self-deprecating.
The band continue to give a lively, energetic performance throughout the evening, smiling and acting like they actually get along with one another (which, let's face it, is a rarity for a lot of bands). Most enthusiastic of all is front-woman Laila Khan, who is more than a vocalist; she's a fantastic performer too. She pouts, strikes poses, plays with the other band members and engages the audience at every possible opportunity, generally making it obvious she's having a great time. Her attitude is infectious; everyone else in the room seems to be having just as good a time, and audience participation is the theme of the night; Sonic Boom Six's songs lend themselves to it nicely. I'm not just talking audience participation of the “I say Sonic, you say Boom” variety, either.
After complaints that there wasn't enough brass on their last tour, the band have reintroduced a saxophone and trombone this time around. This adds an interesting dimension to their live performance and generally makes the whole experience seem a little bit more fun – after all, the trombone isn't exactly a solemn instrument – and it's nice to see the band actively listening to their fans in a bid to improve their performance.
The set consists mainly of songs from the middle of Sonic Boom Six's career, mostly fan-favourites such as 'Northern Skies' and 'Piggy in the Middle' – all catchy melodies, ska bass-lines and interesting lyrics. A few of their earlier hip hop numbers and a couple of songs from their more recent albums are thrown into the mix too, as well as covers of 'Witness (1 Hope)' and 'Addicted to Bass', both of which really get the crowd going.
Overall, Sonic Boom Six delivered a spot-on performance tonight, they don't take themselves too seriously, and have a great time on stage. If the band continue with the same level of energy and enthusiasm throughout the rest of the tour, I'm sure every show will be just as good as this one.
Sonic Boom Six are currently playing venues throughout the country.
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