The 5.6.7.8's

One of Japan's leading exponents of '60s-style garage rock, the 5.6.7.8's are an all-female combo who revel in the energy and primitivism of vintage rock & roll and the joys of pop culture. Active since the mid-'80s, the group puts a raw spin on sounds of the past, though their energy and enthusiasm leave no doubt of their sincere love of garage and surf tropes. 1995's The 5.6.7.8's was a lively mix of covers and idiosyncratic originals (including "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield," which they performed in the movie Kill Bill: Vol. 1); the 1996 EP Bomb the Twist included their cover of the Rock-A-Teens' "Woo Hoo," which became a surprise hit; 2013's Third Man Live: 10/22/2010 captured them during an American tour; and 2026's Run Run Run found them celebrating their 40th anniversary in style. The 5.6.7.8's were part of the explosion of Japanese garage-rock bands that emerged in the 1980s, and were formed in Tokyo in 1986 by singer Yoshiko "Ronnie" Fujiyama and her sister Fujii Sachiko, who played drums and sang back-up. The initial lineup also included guitarist Rico and bassist Yoshie, though Mikako would replace Yoshie on bass by the time they cut their debut album, 1988's lo-fi Golden Hits of the 5.6.7.8's. The following year, they delivered an EP, Mondo Girls A-Go-Go, though Rico and Mikako would soon drop out of the band to found their own project, the Sleaze Sisters. Bassist Akiko Omo and guitarist Eddie Legend came on board to replace them, with Legend having the distinction of being the only man to be a member of the 5.6.7.8's, though he sometimes wore a wig for their live shows. Legend parted ways with the group after a year to form MAD3, and Fujiyama, who had taken up guitar, decided the 5.6.7.8's would continue on as a trio. By this time, the group had issued a handful of singles for several small labels in Japan, Australia, and the United States, and 1991's Can't Help It! was an LP that collected their seven-inches in one handy package; initially issued in Australia, it was later issued in America by Rockville Records in 1992. In 1995, they released The 5.6.7.8's, their second proper album, and that same year, they issued an EP, Bomb the Twist. The EP helped the band win exposure in North America when their version of the Rock-A-Teens' almost-instrumental hit "Woo Hoo" was used in a pair of television commercials in the 2000s, while it was released as a single in the U.K. and peaked at number 24 on the sales charts. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino also helped raise the group's profile when he cast them in his 2003 film Kill Bill: Vol. 1 as a band playing a Tokyo nightclub, where they performed "Woo Hoo" and "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield" from the second LP. Meanwhile, bassist Akiko Omo left the lineup, and Yamaguchi Yoshiko took her place, while Fujiyama put the band on hold for a while, releasing a solo single in 1997. By 2002, the 5.6.7.8's were back in action with a third LP, Teenage Mojo Workout, and they toured extensively as they became unexpected stars; 2004 saw Omo return as their bassist. While they stayed busy with international touring, the trio took a break from recording, and their next LP would be a live set, 2013's Third Man Live: 10/22/2010, which was recorded live to two-track when they played Jack White's Nashville record shop. Issued in late 2014, Tanukigoten was recorded in London, England, in glorious monophonic sound at an all-analog recording studio. After another long layoff from recording, the 5.6.7.8's celebrated 40 years as a band with the album Run Run Run, a rollicking and purposefully primitive album produced by Mick Collins of the Gories and the Dirtbombs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi