The Beat + Sonic Boom Six @ Academy 2, Birmingham – 28th March 2009
Walking into the gig tonight I can’t help but think the place looks a bit empty. The masses of people I’d expected for a legendary band just weren’t here. Although saying that, the people who were seemed to be excited and happy to be there. The main audience appears to be quite mature, no emo’s! The atmosphere is relaxed and placid. There is a distinct difference between the two sets of fans though! Eventually the DJ turns off the music and Sonic Boom Six bounce appear on stage. Sonic Boom Six appear to be a young energetic band with a lead female singer, Laila K, and two male singers too. Laila K is a very attractive girl with pink hair and the shortest shorts ever seen, but boy can she pull it off!
As they come on stage there is a lack of people around the stage which is a shame but the band still start their set happy and excited. Being a ska band they try their hardest to get the audience entertained and by the 4th song their hard work is starting to pay off. The room has become a lot more crowded and people are dancing. At the start of each song Laila tells the crowd to go crazy and by the end of their set people actually are! As the set progresses she tries hard to make it feel intimate and close. Finally they come to their final song, which is their best known song ‘Bigger Than Punk Rock’ and the audience are entertained by this song and they receive a good reception as they leave the stage. Listening to the audience’s comments once they have left the stage it seems most people were surprised and impressed with the band and there’s no doubt after this gig they have gained some extra fans.
Setlist:
Sound of a revolution
Apathy begins at home
Meanwhile back in the real world
Tell me something that I don’t know
Sid the strangler
Play on
Northern Skies
For 12 weeks
Ya Basta
Through the eyes of a child
Piggy in the middle
Bigger than punk rock.
Next up the audience were expecting The Beat, but instead Ranking Roger, the lead singer appears onstage and introduces his son who then proceeds to play a set of rapping which the audience had mixed feelings about. Throughout this set the crowd remains static and a bit bored, many people just chatting amongst themselves. Halfway through the set the younger brother is introduced on stage and he performs a song with his brother Leon, but he seems a lot less confident about being on stage and his body seems tense and nervous. Eventually he announces his last song which the audience seem grateful at.
Now it doesn’t seem long until The Beat come on stage, and the anticipation is growing, the atmosphere is buzzing and everyone seems excited that they will shortly be seeing a legendary band. The music goes quiet and as they appear onstage there is an uproar of cheering and screaming by the ladies. The crowd moves immediately closer to the stage and the room becomes very packed. As soon as the first song kicks in, Rankin, Full Stop, the crowd begin dancing and getting into the mood. By the second song a few hardcore fans are skanking at the front with other fans dancing around them. Looking at the band, they look comfortable together and work well together, even if the bassist is in a long overcoat thus he must be boiling! The set progresses quickly and the atmosphere remains upbeat. Rankin’s voice remains clear and the same as it always has done which pleases the audience. The saxophone player is also amazing and is quite memorising when he does his solos. A good fact for the fans to know is that the keyboard player actually co-wrote ‘Come on Eileen’. But all too soon though they are on their last song ‘Save It For Later’ which they finish on a good note and leave the stage. Although people are expecting an encore the lights come on and it appears its the end of the set. People leave happy that they have seen a legendary band play a brilliant set.
Speaking to the manager afterwards I was informed that a lot of people were turned away at the door after a bad decision to downgrade the gig to Academy 2. He then informed me that if you were turned away at the door and you do still want to see them then don’t worry, just email them at their website with your name and they will let you know when they are having their next gig, which I am informed will be soon! I would also like to mention that the two men on the merch stand, Adam and Ian were brilliant and friendly so if you see them on their next tour be sure to chat to them.
Setlist:
Rankin, Full stop
Bigshot
Two swords
Drowning (which they rarely play live)
Rock the casbah
How do you do (which was a new experimental version)
Rough rider
Tears of a clam
Hands off, she’s mine
Muscle Ska
Too nice to talk to
Whine and Grind
Stand down Margaret
Mirror in the Bathroom (which they turn into a random jam)
Jackpot
Save it for later
Review – Shaz R
Photos – Christine Tellier