Sonic Boom Six

Formed in Manchester around April 2002 after the breakup of Grimace, Sonic Boom Six fused dub, hip-hop, and the raw ethos of 1977 punk. The lineup featured Laila Khan on vocals and melodica, Dave "Hellfire" Kelly on guitars, Paul "Barney Boom" Barnes on bass, Neil McMinn on drums, and Ben Childs on saxes. That autumn the group self-released a demo recording and built experience through tours with King Prawn and The Toasters. A contract with Moon Ska followed, yielding the Turbo EP at the end of 2003. Further touring and a BBC Radio One appearance preceded the 2004 release of Sounds to Consume, a compilation of extended-play material. In 2005 the band parted ways with guitarist Kelly, after which saxophonist Ben Childs shifted to guitar; sax parts thereafter came from guest musicians, other ensembles, or samples. The group maintained momentum with a slot at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival. The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism, their first album of original songs, appeared in 2006 on Deck Cheese Records, coinciding with headline performances at that summer’s Reading and Leeds festivals. Arcade Perfect, the follow-up full-length, arrived in 2007 on the band’s own Rebel Alliance Records after additional road dates and radio sessions. Outside the main project, Laila, Ben, and Barney joined the dub-punk collective Suicide Bid, while the full ensemble presented acoustic reggae sets—chiefly at fundraisers, workshops, and occasional house parties—under the name Babyboom. In 2008 Sonic Boom Six appeared on the Rude Awakening tour.