Back in December, Punktastic caught SONIC BOOM SIX live at the Old Blue Last in London. It was hot, the floor was bouncing, and [rather suspect] pieces of the ceiling managed to plummet into nasty-tasting pints. It’s scenes like this, or the thousands more generated by eight years of gigging, that encroach upon the consciousness with every spin of ‘Rude Awakening’, a career spanning collection of songs that we’re assured is not a mediocre best-of.
Essentially, ‘Rude Awakening’ plays like a live album, only crystal clear in its audio, and lacking the cheers and jeers of a crowd, not to mention the trademark berating of Barney Boom by Laila K. In one respect Sonic Boom Six will have you believe this record represents their favourite tracks to play live. But there’s another objective here: this release marks a closing of a chapter for the Manchester music-blender. Having departed last year, this acts as a hat-tilt to former guitarist/vocalist Ben Childs, whilst proving to be a welcome to newcomer Jimmy T. Boom (James Routh real-name hounds). It’s not coincidence that the final track here (a typically Boom-ified cover of Puretone’s ‘Addicted To Bass’) is the first to be recorded since the personnel change.
Away from conspiracy theories and other blog-bothering content, ‘Rude Awakening’ has all the bangers. From the early days of ‘Blood For Oil’, to last year’s ‘Concrete…’, via ‘Piggy In The Middle’ and ‘September To May’. All those songs you like hearing live, they’re here. Well, nearly. Obviously the die-hards (and that’s who this record is principally aimed at) are going to find songs that ‘should’ have been included. And then there’s the songs that ‘really shouldn’t have been’ included. All standard compilation arguments set to light up the messageboard.
On top of this, there’re a few chef specials thrown in for good measure. To go with the aforementioned ‘Addicted to Bass’, B-side Chumbawamba cover ‘Marching Round in Circles’ is neatly tucked in alongside ‘An Ode to D.I.Y. Promoters’ from Punktastic’s own ‘Un-Scene 4’. Add to all this a couple of videos (2008’s ‘Sound of a Revolution’ and recent PT exclusive ‘The Road to Hell…’) and you’re talking veritable treasure trove.
But how does it all pan-out? Firstly, the big hurdle getting a compilation to sound organic (in the right order, basically) is tackled better than expected. The album as a whole flows well, and even though tracks from he same album are mercenarily separated, it still flows nicely. Like we said earlier, it flows like a live set.
The second obstacle is song selection. There’s no point banging on about this for ages, but in some ways the album tracks SB6 produces tend to be the real gems. Take the recent tour: ‘Shareena’ was dusted off and brightly sparkled. ‘Until the Sunlight Comes’ may be the band’s best offering. Both are omitted here. But that’s the point. These are the BIG tracks the band is known for. These are the songs that get the pit moving, the shoes skanking and the kids bouncing. That’s the purpose here!
Essentially, in terms of listeners, ‘Rude Awakening’ works on two levels. Firstly, it’s a glorious slab of fan-indulgence. Secondly, for the uninitiated (like those picked up on last month’s Euro tour, or next year’s King Blues jaunt) it’s the perfect starting point. Rousing stuff, but we’d expect nothing less.
ALEX HAMBLETON