Gig Review: Sonic Boom Six @ Audio, Brighton

This was my first gig of the year and I couldn’t have wished for a better night. It was a small venue with a great atmosphere and great music. All the right ingredients for a fantastic night.

First two bands on were Collisions and Under the Influence. They got the night off to a good start, both with decent sets. I had never heard of either of them before, but they both did a good job of getting the crowd in the right mood for what was to come.

The third band on were Scottish outfit The LaFontaines, and they really lit the place the place up. They came onstage to a humorous speech by Peter Dickson (voice over guy on X-Factor), which was original and helped warm the crowd to them. It certainly made me smile, so even before they had played a song they had already made an impression. Once they got going, their fusion of Hip Hop, Pop and Rock impressed even further.

 The mixture of rap, strong guitar and big sing along choruses really got the crowd going. Interaction with the crowd helped keep the tempo up.  Even though they were a support act, their set was very strong, and as a live act they were brilliant. The strong Scottish accent helped, really helped make their sound stand out. Certainly one of the best support acts I’ve seen in a long time. The stand out track for me was ‘Superstar’, mainly because it was the only one I could remember the title of, but also because it was my favourite of their set. You'll want to check out their song 'Shark in the Water' below, as they’re a name to remember.

                           

Headline act Sonic Boom Six were on next, and they immediately burst into ‘Kids of the Multiculture’.  If you don’t know Sonic Boom Six, they are a real mixture of genres and sounds. Now I must confess I am only really familiar with their more recent stuff. This benefited me as they played quite a bit off their latest album. New single ‘Keep on Believing’ and the fantastic ‘Virus’ were two of my personal favourites of the night.  They did mix it up though with older crowd pleasers such as ‘Piggy in the Middle’ really getting the crowd going.  It was evident that the band were enjoying themselves. They even managed to fit a touch of reggae and showed their versatility with the noticeably gentler ‘Gary Got a Gun’.  Apart from that, I have never seen a band play with so much energy. They played at full pace the whole time.  Vocalists Laila Khan and Barny Boom certainly knew how to work the crowd with plenty of interaction. They even managed to fit in a melodica solo. Add to that the sizeable mosh pit and it was clear that the crowd were having a good time too.

 

They are described by Kerrang as "taking ska, pop, grime, dubstep, punk and metal apart, then rebuilding them as a hyperactive hybrid" is just about spot on. Behind the good time sound though, their lyrics have heavy punk influences, and are delivered with such meaning that you can’t help but get drawn in. If you’re reading this thinking “how can that possibly work?” give them a listen and you’ll soon find out. Certainly one of the most entertaining and best value for money bands I have seen. It was a great way to start off my list of gigs this year. Definitely a band that I recommend you see live.

Check out the singles 'Virus' and 'Keep On Believing' below: