The 5.6.7.8's are a Japanese rock band from

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

with a retro-inspired sound that draws heavily from the 1960s garage rock scene. They first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n tour. They became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia.

Members

The 5.6.7.8's formed when Sachiko and Yoshiko "Ronnie" Fujiyama, two sisters from Tokyo who both shared a passion for rock and roll, founded the band in 1986 with two other members. Originally, the line-up consisted of Yoshiko on

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, Rico on second guitar, Yoshie on

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and Sachiko on

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

. After several line-up changes (including the

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

Yoshiko "Yama" Yamaguchi, who was the bassist featured in the ''Kill Bill'' movie), the band eventually became a trio after Rico's and Yoshie's departures. Yoshiko and Sachiko are still the main components in the band, and now Akiko Omo has rejoined the band as the bass guitarist (She originally joined the 5.6.7.8's in the early 1990s). Even though the group mostly sing their songs in Japanese, they do many covers of American rock and roll records from the 1950s to the 1980s. However, their official website and most of their fansites and fanclubs are in Japanese, as they have their biggest following in their home country. Yoshiko, who plays a Teisco guitar and sports a "Teenage Queen Delinquent" tattoo on her upper right arm, was initially the lead vocalist, but as the band performed more rock and roll songs originally performed by female groups, every member had equal parts in vocals and many songs are performed singing simultaneously.

The 5.6.7.8's in the West

The 5.6.7.8's became known in the West after their appearance in '' Kill Bill: Volume 1'', in which they performed "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield", " I'm Blue" (a cover of The Ikettes' song) and " Woo Hoo" in a Tokyo club, "The House Of Blue Leaves". On the Special Bonus Features of the ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' DVD, one of the specials featured a live performance which shows the 5.6.7.8's singing "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield" and "I'm Blue" during filming of the movie. The 5.6.7.8's song "The Barracuda" is featured in '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' soundtrack. According to ''Kill Bill'' director

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

, he discovered the music of the 5.6.7.8's after hearing it in an urban clothing store in Tokyo, hours before going to the airport. Tarantino asked if he could purchase the CD from the store, as he had no time to go to a music shop. When the shop assistant on duty refused, the manager was called. When Tarantino offered the manager double the retail price of the CD, he acquired it. They also became renowned for the use of their cover of The Rock-A-Teens song, "Woo Hoo", in advertisements for Carling lager and Vonage

VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as IP telephony, is a set of technologies used primarily for voice communication sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. VoIP enables voice calls to be transmitted as ...

service in the mid-2000s. The song reached No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart in 2004. The follow-up song was "I'm Blue"; it peaked at No. 71 on the same chart two months later. The 5.6.7.8's have also toured many countries including China, Australia, the United States, and their native Japan. In 2019 had an important participation in Rock al Parque in Colombia, as this was the 25th edition of the iconic festival.

Style and influences

The 5.6.7.8's music draws from multiple genres of American music, including

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, surf,

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and

psychobilly Psychobilly (or punkabilly) is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It has been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional country rock, countrified rock ...

. According to Yoshiko "Ronnie" Fujiyama, the band wanted to "deconstruct rock 'n' roll into punk music by using distortion and noise and screaming." The band's influences include

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

and

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

. The 5.6.7.8's sound has been classified as

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

, rock and roll, garage punk, punk rock, rockabilly, roots rock, surf punk and surf rock.

Discography

; Albums * ''Golden Hits of the 5.6.7.8's'' (Tokyo Stiff, 1988) (Hana, 2003) * '' The 5.6.7.8's'' (Timebomb, 1994) * '' Teenage Mojo Workout'' (Timebomb, 2002) * ''Tanukigoten'' (Timebomb, 2014) ;EPs * ''Mondo Girls A-Go-Go'' (1989) * ''I Was a Teenage Cave Woman !!!'' (Tokyo Karate, 1991) * '' Bomb the Twist'' ( Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1996) * '' Pin Heel Stomp'' (Timebomb, 1998) * ''Pretty Little Lily Can Dance No More'' 7" inch/CD EP (Deckrec, 2002) ;Singles * "Ah-So"/"She Was A Mau-Mau" (Giant Claw, 1992) * "I Need A Man"/"Long Tall Sally" (Planet Pimp, 1993) * "I Walk Like Jane Mansfield"/"Cat Fight Run" (

Estrus The estrous cycle (, originally ) is a set of recurring physiological changes induced by reproductive hormones in females of mammalian subclass Theria. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous phas ...

, 1993) * "Edi Is A Sweet Candy"/"Teenage Head"/"Scream" ( Rockville, 1993) * "The Spell Stroll"/"Roadrunner" (Weed, 1995) * "Bomb The Twist"/"It's Rainy" ( Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996) * "Continental Hop"/"Jump Jack, Jump" ( Time Bomb, 1997) * "The Barraacyda"/"Tallahassee Lassie" (Time Bomb, 1997) * "Silly Willy"/"Mr. Lee" (Dionysus, 1998) * "Come See Me"/"Mashed Potato"/"Gerupin Rock" (Thunderbaby, 1994) * " I'm Blue"/"(I'm Sorry Mamma) I'm A Wild One" (Sweet Nothings, 2002) * "Rock And Roll Santa"/"Harlem Shuffle" ( Norton, 2003 * "Woo Hoo"/"Guitar Date" (Sweet Nothings, 2004) * Split 7" single with The Church Keys - "19th Nervous Breakdown" (Norton, 2004) * Sho-Jo-Ji (The Hungry Racoon)"/"Charuema Sobaya (The Soba Song)" ( Third Man, 2011) * Great Balls Of Fire"/"Hanky Panky" (Third Man, 2011) * "Mothra" b/w "Dream Boy" (Time Bomb, 2014) * "I Walk Like Jane Mansfield"/"Battle Without Honor Or Humanity (Kill Bill Theme)" (Time Bomb, 2017) * "The Barracuda"/"Movin'" (Time Bomb, 2017) * ''Steel Rats (Vinyl Special Edition)'' Split 7" single with Arkadiusz Reikowski - "The Hoovering" (Tate Multimedia, 2018) * "Woo-Hoo"/"Dream Boy" (Time Bomb, 2018) * Split 7"single with Bloodshot Bill - "My Little Muck Muck" (Time Bomb, 2019) * "Nutrocker"/"Chopped Onion Boogie" (The 5, 6, 7, 8's; 2019) * "My Little Muck Muck" (Pig Baby) ;Live * ''Live at Third Man Records'' ( Third Man, 2011) ;Compilations * '' The 5.6.7.8's Can't Help It!'' ( Au Go Go, Rockville, 1991) * '' Bomb The Rocks: Early Days Singles 1989-1996'' (Timebomb, 2003) * ''Best Hits of the 5.6.7.8's'' (Timebomb, 2019) ;Videos * ''Squid Heaven Complete Edition Video 6'' VHS (Ika-Ten, 1989) - "Motor Cycle Go-G0-Go" * ''Where The Action Is!: Soft, Hell!'' VHS (Jungle Life/LAFF International/Soft, Hell!, 1996) - "Three Cool Cats" * ''The Wild Weekend Video'' VHS/PAL (Exotic Entertainment, 1998) * ''Bottle Up & Go!: Soft, Hell! Video Compilation #2'' VHS (Jungle Life/LLAFF International/Soft, Hell!, 1998) - "Bomb The Twist" * ''Kill Bill Volume 1'' (Blu-ray) (Miramax/Roadshow Entertainment, 2003) - "I Walk Like Jane Mansfield", "I'm Blue" Both played live as a special feature * ''Soft, Hell! Video Compilation Special Edition'' Ltd. 2XVHS (Soft, Hell!) - "Three Cool Cats", "Bomb The Twist" * ''Live At The Garage Rockin' Craze'' split DVD=V with Saturns, The Rizlaz (Radio Underground, 2005) * ''Once Upon A Time 1992-2008'' DVD (Time Bomb, 2013)

References

External links

Official website

Nippop Profile The 5.6.7.8's

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:5678s, The Japanese garage rock groups Japanese musical trios Japanese punk rock groups Japanese rockabilly music groups Japanese surf rock music groups Musical groups established in 1986 1986 establishments in Japan Musical groups from Tokyo Third Man Records artists Japanese garage punk groups Norton Records artists Sympathy for the Record Industry artists Au Go Go Records artists All-female punk bands Japanese all-female bands