Sweet People.

Tomorrow is the last date of the Boom or Bust tour, the last show with Ben C on guitar and vocals and, chances are, the last time any of you buggers are ever going to get to hear the first tune off our first demo played live. Newcastle O2 Academy is the venue and we’ve got a stellar Boom or Bust line-up. As well as the awesomeness of SB6 and the Skints we’ve added an extra two bands to make it a night to remember.

First up are THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE an awesome new band featuring Current and Ex members of Quatermain, Leatherface, Loudmouth and The Hot Quiche Conspiracy playing Punk Rock with horns! Check them out HERE.

Second up we’ve got the big surprise of the evening, Rebel Alliance enforcers RANDOM HAND are heading over to join us on our final night of the tour as very special Boom or Bust guests. If you’ve never heard Random Hand’s metallic ska-core fury before (in which case where have you been?!) you can check it out HERE.

Doors are at seven. Don’t be late!!!

Yay

Barney x

p.s. Here’s a picture of Laila with the dude from Franz Ferdinand. Cheers to Joe Feeley.

Ding ding ding!

Well ladies and gentleman, it’s getting towards that time. There is only tonight in Peterborough, tomorrow in Sheffield and finally Saturday in Newcastle left of Ben’s tenure with this band. That’s right, the final night of Ben C on guitar and vocals within in the band they call the Boom is this Sunday evening in Newcastle. So let us savour the flavour over these three final gigs and hopefully Newcastle will turn out to be the send off he deserves. There are still tickets on the door at all the shows so please come down and show your faces! Cake, gifts and gratuities will be gratefully accepted over in Newcastle. Salut!



Once the inevitable hangovers and headaches have dispersed, there is still the business of getting on with being the Boom. To that end, Dr Rock has prescribed a full European tour in support of the Levellers in November with Mr Matt Reynolds taking over on guitar duties. A baptism of fire! All the dates are up on our MySpace HERE and you can go and check out the Levellers over at their site HERE.

Meanwhile, back on the internet we’ve picked up the following notables. Over at the TAKE THE RED PILL webzine there is a cool feature and review of the Birmingham gig along with some awesome musings about the punk and ska thing and Rebel Alliance. Check it out HERE.

Last Saturday’s acoustic set (supporting Franz Ferdinand no less!) at Clint Boon’s ‘Mrs Boon’s Tea Party’ has been recorded for posterity at TINCAN.tv with a write up and video of ‘Rasputin’. Check it out HERE.

Also on Tincan is an interview with Neil the Madfish; a probing cross-examination that includes his controversial thoughts on the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre and the details of Neil’s three favourite country walks. Sit back with a bowl of ice-cream and enjoy it HERE. Mmmm, some ‘me’ time.

Well, well, well, that’s that. See you in Newcastle if not before! ;)

Barney x

Ps. Cheers to John from Resurrect Studios for the photo.

Hi-De-Hi

It’s that time again! Manchester’s Club Academy will have its dance-floor filled with sweaty bodies and merriment will be unconfined. Opening the show will be local legends-in-the-making the John Player Specials and our incomparable touring buddies the Skints will be main support. Doors are at 7:30pm and tickets are available on the door so come on down.

To make things extra-special, the show is being filmed for a ‘Boom or Bust Live in Manchester’ DVD so if you want to be part of Boom-history wear something outlandish and wave at the camera. It’s going to be one to remember.

If that weren’t enough, we’re all going to be down for an aftershow party tonight at the Pop, Bubble, Rock night at the Pheonix. As well as the most danceable mix of all the best Punk Pop and Indie you've come to love, upstairs will be the Brutal DJs playing a mix of hardcore and metal and we may even brave the booth in the main room to spin a bit of ska and punk and whatever else. There’s also £2 cocktails and tons of cheap drink deals. All that for £4 (inc both clubnights and a silly amount of lollipops) tonight 9:30pm -2:30am. Though you’ll be getting there a bit later cos you’ll be watching us won’t you eh? The Facebook group and details is HERE.



So, with the rest of the Boom or Bust tour looming ahead of us this week, the end is in sight. After Manchester tonight it’s off to TJs in Newport on Thursday, over to Club Revolution in Peterborough Friday, Sheffield O2 Academy on Saturday and finally it’s Newcastle O2 Academy 2 on Sunday. The Newcastle gig is going to be Ben’s final gig with the Boom so it’s gonna be emotional. Be there!

If proof be need be of our magnitude and brilliance, you can read a review or our London show on Punktastic HERE and a potted history and commentary of SB6 on the NME Notes From the Underground blog HERE. Please leave some comments on there and spread the love!

Ciao for now

Barney x x x

Now then!

It’s the London leg of the Boom or Bust tour tonight! The tour has been going swimmingly and the Skints have been kicking out the jams every single night and helping us out during our set. It’s been the best SB6 headline tour to date so it would be great to see you guys out at the daddy of them all, at the London Relentless Garage. Ska-core demons THE APOSTATES will be supporting along with the The Skints so it’s gonna be a good’un. There are still tickets on the door so don’t worry if you haven’t pre-bought, come down and join the fun!

Back on the start of the tour, we visited Demon FM in Leicester and recorded some acoustic songs and were interviewed and involved in various shenanigans with Kyle Brand and Iain Buckland. The whole thing has been conveniently edited into two half hour mp3 podcast downloads for you to enjoy. First half HERE, second half HERE.



Elsewhere on the grunternad, our friends at ROCK SOUND magazine, have uploaded two videos taken from our European tour. We’ve got acoustic renditions of ‘Floating Away’ HERE and a Bonus Boom Blog of ‘Through the Eyes of a Child’ up HERE so please head over and take a look. And please don’t forget to comment! It really is a help to us if you comment and let the people know you’re into the vids.

On Saturday 17th October, not only are we playing in Liverpool O2 Academy, but we’re also going to be visiting Clint Boon’s wonderfully quaint Mrs Boons Cakes & Tea Party at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester and busting out a few acoustic tunes. There is even a ‘cake decorating workshop’ for the littl’uns and ‘Storytime With Mrs Boon’. That’s this Saturday 17th October from 2pm-5pm! And if that’s not amazing enough, there is free tea and cake £2 a slice! Details of the show are HERE and a Facebook page is HERE.

Phew, busy busy busy, it’s the best way to be...

Barney x

p.s On the Manchester date of the Boom or Bust tour on Weds 21st October, we’re going to be filming the show for posterity on a DVD. So that’s another reason to come down and show your faces (quite literally). The Manc dates are always a laugh at the best of times, so this one should definitely be one to remember.

Ahoy shipmates

There is a time in every band's life when they need to accept the inevitability of progress. And that means accepting that, even though we'd like it if everyone liked to listen to slabs of wax and shiny CDs, some people like to get involved in this downloading lark. And I don't mean robbing the files of some blog in Khatmandu. I mean legally downloading the record, in a fashion that will help your friendly neighbourhood Boomsters to continue to ply their trade. We've dotted the I's and crossed the T's of a digital arrangement which means all your favourite download providers will be offering 'City of Thieves' and all susequent Rebel Alliance Recordings releases. Hurrah!



Click HERE for iTunes
Click HERE for amazon.co.uk
Click HERE for the Rebel Alliance Recordings store.

Okey dokey, the gigs this week on the Boom and Bust tour have been the best run of headline shows to date. Thanks to everyone that has turned up and danced! Tonight it's one of my favourite venues on earth at THE WEDGEWOOD ROOMS PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday brings us over to O2 ACADEMY 2 OXFORD, then to THE WATERFRONT NORWICH. Then on Thursday 15th October it's biggy at the RELENTLESS GARAGE LONDON. As well as the Skints, all venues have awesome local supports provided. See you there!



OK. Finally, as a few of you guys got in touch to say that you didn't get paid till today (I'm looking at you John in Warwick!), we've extended the last order on the Ruff Guide CD & T-Shirt bundle to midnight tonight. This really truly is the last chance to get the lovely new digipacked edition of our debut album 'The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism' along with a unique t-shirt design for the price of £15. You can check out the details of the CD and T-Shirt bundle HERE.

Awesome.

Live long and prosper.

Barney x

Bangaranga.

First and foremost, thanks to everyone that has been to the first few shows of the Boom and Bust tour. Every gig has been awesome and nice and healthily full of peeps ready for some gig mayhem, it's been wicked to be part of it. We've had good feedback about the couple of surprises in the set so we can't wait for the next gig to come around. Which would be tonight! Yep. The rest of the week see's us kicking off tonight at THE DUCHESS in YORK, then the brand-new O2 ACADEMY 2 in BIRMINGHAM on Friday. Saturday sees us visiting THE QUEEN’S HALL NARBERTH and Sunday we'll be back in Yorkshire at THE COCKPIT in LEEDS. All the shows ticket info can be garnered HERE.



The 'Back 2 Skool' single has been going down rather well! We've picked up plays on XFM, Total Rock radio, Kerrang! Radio as well as the Punk Show on Radio 1 and Bruce Dickinson's Rock Show on Radio 6. You can still buy the 'Back 2 Skool' single - brand-new B-Sides and all - from iTunes HERE, Rebel Alliance HERE, Amazon HERE and all good mp3 retailers.

And finally, as Sir Trev was so keen on saying, the last chance to get your RUFF GUIDE TO GENRE-TERRORISM DELUXE edition CD & T-Shirt bundle is midnight this Sunday 11th October. This will be the only chance to get the souped-up re-release of 'Ruff Guide' bundled with a totally unique t-shirt design made especially for this offer for the bargain price of £15. You can check out the details of the CD and T-Shirt bundle HERE.

Remember, any musing, shenanigans and adventures we've been popping in our Blog HERE so have a look why don'tcha? Go on, it's got hard-line opinions on British junk food. Mmmmm.

Barney x

Zap!

Hey guys... As some of you may have heard from subterranean tweets, Facebook-entries and whispers over the last few months, Ben C is indeed going to be hanging up his touring cape after the forthcoming October Boom or Bust tour. He is going to be marrying his girlfriend Christie in the US in November and feels it's time for him to be home more than our schedule can allow. He’s taken the noble move of taking a step back from being a full time to a part time Boomer. There's no big bust-up or anything remotely of that nature... we've all been friends far too long and been together through far too much for there to be any animosity about the decision. Ben is still going to be involved in all things SB6 and Rebel Alliance and hopes to do all sorts of things like set up a studio and work more in a producer capacity, both for recordings bands and dance music. It's very much 'for the best' and we wish him all the luck in the world with all his endeavours and, as I say, he’s still a Boomer and his song writing, production and his fledgling video-making career will still be part of your life. Because we’re all in this for life!



So, this October tour is the last chance to catch the classic three-way Boom vocalist line-up! If you haven’t already got a ticket, act now. The event page on Facebook is HERE and has every link nice and obvious for you to go and order that last minute ticket! As a special treat on the Boom or Bust tour, we're going to be playing the very last song we wrote with Ben in the Boom, as well as the VERY FIRST! Looks like we're going to need that warm-up gig!



In terms of the future, our bezzie mate Matt Reynolds (ex-Howards Alias/current-Drawings) will be taking over Ben’s axe-duties for our newly-confirmed November European tour in support of the Levellers and on our US dates in December.

OK, tomorrow morning we've got a free Rebel Alliance download sampler dropping at 11am. As well as the glory of a BRAND NEW track from the new Skints album, the beauty of Ben C's Random Hand 'Anger Management' remix, and shit-kicking tracks from Mouthwash and the Babylon Whackers we're going to be providing you lucky people with a free SB6 track. The track in question is our 30-second opus 'An Ode To D.I.Y Promoters' taken from the Punktastic Recordings release Unscene 4: 30 seconds to Impact. The compilation of 30-second songs from UK punk bands is a real banger and you can check it out HERE. Thanks to Paul and all at Punktastic for being so cool about letting us use the track for this download! So, at 11AM tomorrow, just head over to HERE.

Speaking of tomorrow, in the afternoon we will be live on air from the Leicester based radio station Demon FM, where we will be co-presenting the drive time show between 4pm and 7pm. Click HERE to find out how to listen to the show. After that, we will be heading to The Shed in Leicester where we will be playing a special all ages warm up show. Doors will be at 7pm, (not 8pm as previously stated!) tickets are £6 advance and for ticket and full information click HERE.

On Tuseday 6th October, there will be further radio shenanigans, with us joining the crew at The Hell-drive with Alli-Cat & Animal Andy on Total Rock radio! We'll be on the show between 3 and half past 3 in the afternoon so be sure to tune in, details are HERE.

Busy, busy, busy!

See you on the Boom or Bust tour!

Barney x x x

Good morning!

Our new single 'Back 2 Skool' is out today! You can download the single at all major download retailers and iTunes as well as directly from us from our digital store at Rebel Alliance Recordings. The £1.99 bundle single comes complete with 2 B-sides; brand new track 'The Dangers of Rock n Roll' and a much-requested acoustic rendition of 'Floating Away'.

Click HERE for the Digital Store at Rebel Alliance Recordings.
Click HERE for iTunes.
Click HERE for Amazon.co.uk Digital Store.

There's a cool little video of the highlights of the Reading/Leeds warm-up gig in Poole HERE so check it out.

Embrace the future. Download our single. It is a good, good thing to do and the B-Sides will enrich your precious time.

Barney x

Oi oi

To celebrate the start of our forthcoming Boom or Bust tour we're going to be having a little promo push on Monday the 5th of October. We'll be offering an exclusive free download at 11am. All you have to do is log on to www.rebelalliancerecordings.com to get yours. Remember though, 11am sharp on Monday 5th October!

In the afternoon we will be live on air from the Leicester based radio station Demon FM, where we will be co-presenting the drive time show between 4pm and 7pm. Click HERE on the day of the show to listen to the show live via iTunes or click the 'listen to' link at www.demonfm.co.uk.

After the show we will  be heading to The Shed in Leicester where we will be playing a special all ages warm up show. Doors will be at 8pm, tickets are £6 advance and for ticket and full information click HERE.

 

The next day sees the start of "The Boom or Bust Tour - October 2009" with THE SKINTS.

DATES and INFO

06-Oct The Forum Tunbridge Wells
http://...com/sb6tunbridgewells
08712 777 101
http://www.twforum.co.uk

07-Oct The Cooler Bristol
http://...com/sb6bristol
0870 44 44 400
http://www.clubcooler.com

08-Oct The Duchess York
http://...com/sb6york
08700 600 100
http://www.theduchessyork.co.uk

09-Oct O2 Academy 2 Birmingham
http://...com/sb6birmingham
08444 772 000
http://www.o2academybirmingham.co.uk

10-Oct The Queens Hall Narberth
http://...com/sb6narbeth
01834 861 212
http://www.thequeenshall.org.uk

11-Oct The Cockpit Leeds
http://...com/sb6leeds
08712 200 260
http://www.thecockpit.co.uk

12-Oct The Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
http://...com/sb6portsmouth
023 9286 3911
http://www.wedgewood-rooms.co.uk

13-Oct O2 Academy Oxford
http://...com/sb6oxford
08444 772 000
http://www.o2academyoxford.co.uk

14-Oct The Waterfront Norwich
http://...com/sb6norwich
01603 508 050
http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk

15-Oct Relentless Garage London
http://...com/sb6london
08700 600 100
http://www.thegarage.co.uk

17-Oct O2 Academy 2 Liverpool
http://...com/sb6liverpool
08444 772 000
http://www.o2academyliverpool.co.uk

18-Oct Stereo Glasgow
http://...com/sb6glasgow2
0141 204 5151
http://www.stereocafebar.com

19-Oct The Tunnels Aberdeen
http://...com/sb6aberdeen
01224 619 930
http://www.thetunnels.co.uk

21-Oct Club Academy Manchester
http://...com/sb6manchester
08444 772 000
http://www.manchesteracademy.net

22-Oct TJs Newport
http://...com/sb6newport
01633 216 688
http://www.tjsnewport.com

23-Oct Club Revolution Peterborough
http://...com/sb6peterborough
01733 310 383
http://www.thepark4music.com

24-Oct O2 Academy 2 Sheffield
http://...com/sb6sheffield
08444 772 000
http://www.o2academysheffield.co.uk

25-Oct O2 Academy 2 Newcastle
http://...com/sb6newcastle
08444 772 000
http://www.o2academynewcastle.co.uk

Speaking of the Boom and Bust tour, there is a competition over at Gigjunkie.net to win tickets to all of the shows. If you're feeling lucky, head over HERE and follow the instructions there.

Don't forget that this Monday, 28th September, our new single 'Back 2 Skool' is released. The single will be availlable at all major download retailers and iTunes as well as directly from us from our DIGITAL STORE at Rebel Alliance Recordings. The £1.99 bundle single comes complete with 2 B-sides; brand new track 'The Dangers of Rock n Roll' and a much-requested acoustic rendition of 'Floating Away'. There's a review of the single over at AllGigs.co.uk so check that out HERE. Remember kids, it's 'Back 2 Skool' this Monday!

Barney x

Guten Tag!

We're here in Vienna at the Arena, one of the most mintola venues on God's green earth and it's all good. We've got Random Hand here with us which is a whole lot of fun. Speaking of Random Hand, their new single 'Anger Management' is available today so go and check out the Rebel Alliance Recordings site HERE. While we're on the subject of Rebel Alliance, it's well worth joining the mailing list and Myspace there. All the going's on are too much to mention in every Boom mailout so if you want to keep up-to-date with everything happening with the independent label of the week (not my words Lynn! The words of BBC RADIO 1's INTRODUCING's Huw Stephens) then that's the best way to go about it.

And while we're on the subject of singles, we're going to be releasing 'Back 2 Skool' on download format on the 28th September... that's next Monday. The single will be availlable at all major download retailers and iTunes as well as directly from us from our DIGITAL STORE at Rebel Alliance Recordings. The £1.99 bundle single comes complete with 2 B-sides; brand new track 'The Dangers of Rock n Roll' and a much-requested acoustic rendition of 'Floating Away'. All the relevant links will be live on Monday 28th and I'll drop everyone another mail then to remind you!



Ben continues to extend his resume in the world of Viral Video production with his new opus to accompany Back 2 Skool. Drawing creative influence from the classic film genre of 'School Conflict Saga' he's outdone his previous output by a considerable degree and is currently warding off offers of scholarships from such prestigious academi as the New York Film Institute and the Saratoga Conservatoire of Modern Moving Arts. Barry Norman himself wouldn't be able to find the words to describe the magnitude of what you lucky readers are about to feast your beadies on HERE.

Right then, I'll remind you next week to squander £1.99 of your hard-earneds on our new single. Someone on our forum (which you can come and get involved with HERE) said the new B-Side was one of his favourite Boom songs and even asked if we were going to play it live so it's got to be worth £1.99 to find out if he's telling the truth or not really hasn't it?

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Barney x