Hard to believe but these spikey punk-metallers have been cranking up the amps since 2002, fusing trad metal, ska and punk-pop across a trio of albums and a good many more EPs and singles. Sounds like time for a career-resume? You betcha - Sonic Boom Six's whole catalogue has been giving a good old sifting through by label Rebel Alliance, resulting in a soon-to-be-released compilation due out on 25th October.

"Rude Awakening" is 17 songs plucked from their back-catalogue including "Piggy in the Middle" , "Back 2 Skool" and "Sound of a Revolution". If you order it through their website (www.sonicboomsix.co.uk) prior to release, you can pick up a free goodie-bag as well.

For their upcoming tour, which begins in December, you'll need to stay right here and click our links - the first date is Bristol on the 4th and continues to Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle and Birmingham although many more are bound to be announced in the coming weeks. The tickets cost around £7 plus fees - expect lots of classics from their previous albums and one or two cheeky new ones.