Sonic Boom Podcast

This episode, Chris sits down with Ben Mark Smith, the force behind the D.H. Lawrence Music Festival in Eastwood, Broxtowe. What started small has grown into one of Broxtowe's most anticipated annual events, bringing together well over a hundred independent artists across more than a dozen venues, free of charge. It's a free-entry, town-wide model that runs on the same conviction as Sonic Boom:...

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Main Stage Sonic Boom Podcast Burton is on the radar. Dan and Chris break down the Sonic Boom Festival main stage lineup launch, the SPARK artist development programme - including a Bearded Theory Busk Stop takeover - and what it felt like at The Great Escape. They dig into why the music industry is starting to pay attention to this town, the real business case for a permanent grassroots venue,...

Young Old Bloke From pulling pints at eighteen to five Glastonburys, the London Palladium and The One Show, Tom Bright's path into music was anything but conventional. In this episode, Chris sits down with the indie folk singer-songwriter. Tom talks about picking up a guitar at twenty-three, selling his pub, moving to Sydney, and building a life as a self-employed touring troubadour from the gr...

Episode 4: Never Too Old Carl North has taken the long road to finding his sound. From starting out on bass in a punk band to immersing himself in Motown grooves and the raw storytelling of the blues, his journey has gradually led him toward a rich, characterful Americana style that feels earned rather than adopted. In this episode, Carl reflects on that evolution — the twists in taste, the cha...

Episode 3: Diva-lution Some artists find their sound. Leah Wilcox is building hers from the ground up. Purposefully, patiently, and entirely on her own terms. Carving out a lane she's calling country-gaze pop, Leah weaves dreamy, atmospheric textures with a melodic strength that echoes the greats. Think Fleetwood Mac, but filtered through something fresh and entirely her own. And the world is s...

Episode 2: Let's Keep It Manageable Every music career starts somewhere. For Matt Kel, it started in front of the TV, watching electronic artists light up Top of the Pops and feeling something click. That spark of curiosity grew into a self-taught passion for DJing and production, and eventually into Abstrakt, an EP that captured an artist finding his voice through exploration, persistence, and...

Episode 1: A Hobby That Got Out Of Hand Some people have hobbies. John Connearn had guitars scattered around the house growing up in the Midlands, and what started as casual experimentation refused to stay small. Today, under the name Digital John, he's built a self-made creative life that spans original compositions, genre-blending releases, global collaborations, and a thriving digital identi...

Sonic Boom Podcast Host: Chris Launching: Early 2026 Sonic Boom is your backstage pass to the realities of making music today. Join Chris as he hosts honest conversations with artists, producers, creators, and cultural workers, exploring real journeys, breakthroughs, setbacks, and reinvention. Discover how musicians build their careers from the ground up in the UK, Midlands, and beyond. Each ep...