THE 5.6.7.8’S + THE VOO-DOOMS – THE ROPETACKLE ARTS CENTRE, SHOREHAM-BY-SEA 25.10.24
Down and dirty rock ’n’ roll with a big dollop of Surf guitar was on the menu at The Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham this October evening, and who better to serve it up than the legendary 5.6.7.8’s from Japan. The ‘Surf’ wasn’t exactly ‘Up’ in Shoreham tonight (and my Bermuda shorts were well and truly in storage), but we were all more than ready to witness this legendary band in action.
The band (hailing from Tokyo), were originally formed by two sisters, Sachiko and Yoshiko Fujiyama in 1986 and were born out of their passion for Rock n’ Roll, Surf music and good old fashioned Punk Rock (In fact, I could quite imagine them sharing the same stage as The Cramps back in the day). They are well known worldwide, thanks mainly to their inclusion and appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s classic ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ movie in 2003. Their biggest fanbase is in Japan though, which is where Tarantino famously first discovered the 5.6.7.8’s by hearing their tunes being played in a Tokyo clothing store. He managed to buy the CD from the store’s manager and the rest is indeed history. Everyone knows their cover of the ‘Woo-Hoo’ song that was featured in the ‘Kill Bill’ movie, and it is another earworm that is hard to shift once heard on the radio. In fact, the band are no strangers to having their songs featured in the movies, as they also had a song included on the ‘Fast & The Furious : Tokyo Drift’ soundtrack.
The 5.6.7.8’s mostly sing their songs in their own native language and perform American Rock n’ Roll songs spanning from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. They have made quite the name for themselves over the years which has garnered them a large cult following. They have released numerous albums and are also very prolific in releasing singles, which is surely the original preferred format to release short, sharp energetic songs by. They have also toured all over the world, including the USA, Australia, China and the UK of course. Yoshiko ‘Ronnie’ Fujiyama said she wanted to “deconstruct Rock n’ Roll into Punk music by using distortion, screaming and noise” and to me, that sounds like a marriage made in surf heaven.
The 5.6.7.8’s line-up tonight consisted of Yoshiko Fujiyama (Vocals / Guitar), Sachiko Fujiyama (Drums) and Akiko Omo (Bass Guitar).
It was approaching 9pm and the room was almost full to capacity. Sachiko adjusted her drum kit and hit her gong with conviction, as the rest of the band joined her onstage. The 5678’s looked resplendent in their yellow and black outfits, as they plugged in their guitars and started the night as they meant to go on. The first song to start off the proceedings was the classic and catchy ‘Barracuda’, which was originally recorded by Alvin Cash & The Crawlers. This got things off to a flying start and it was soon apparent that this band were very tight and were in total respect of the true craft of Rock ‘n’ Roll. ‘I’m Blue’ was up next, and Yoshiko (vocals and guitar) introduced it as a soulful number. She certainly knew how to throw all of the ‘Rock Shapes’ as she guitar solo-ed with gusto. Her sister Sachiko, was also showing us that she knew her chops on the drums too, whilst sporting some excellent 1950’s sunglasses in the process. Yoshiko ‘Ronnie’ Fujiyama seemed pleased with the audience’s reaction so far and thanked us by saying ‘Arigato’.
What better way to carry on, than to play the ‘Batman Theme’ with added guitar distortion. At this point, the band were getting well and truly warmed up, launching into a couple of unknown numbers (to me, anyway) of which one was a Ska sounding tune (I must warn you, that there were a couple of ‘Unknown’ songs in the set, as their setlist was written in Japanese. Please refer to the photo of the setlist in question further below, so maybe you can fill in the blanks. Godzilla suddenly got a mention from the stage, and that can mean only one thing. The 5678’s were about to play one of their fan favourites, ‘Mothra’, but not before we were asked to summon the beast by shouting ‘MOTHRA!!!’ in unison. This song was played perfectly and was leading us nicely into another sing along opportunity. The song in question was ‘Bird In The Jungle’ in which we were all asked to make loud bird noises as an intro, as well as during the song, which was a lot of fun!. This song activated many beaming grins throughout the venue too.
Sachiko informed us from behind her drum stool, that the next song was a Trashmen cover (‘Bird Dance Beat’) from the same single as the previous song. She told us how they recorded it in the very same studio as The Trashmen and that they were honoured to have that band’s Tony Andreason, guesting with them on guitar for the recording. Shortly afterwards the crowd were treated to another 5678’s foot stomping classic in the form of ‘I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield’ which was also featured on the previously mentioned Tarantino film. This song went down a storm with the crowd and Yoshiko played her guitar with attitude. As if that wasn’t enough to wet our palette, the band launched into their classic rendition of the ‘Woo-Hoo’ song which of course got the audience singing out loud to a tune that they know won’t leave their subconscious any time soon. I was surprised at how short this song in fact actually is, but that is what makes the best pop songs, right?
The band were swiftly approaching the end of their set this evening, but not before Yoshiko flicked on her distortion pedal and performed the classic instrumental that is ‘Telstar’. Akiko was totally on the money with her bass playing, on a song that has a guitar hook that is so catchy the audience can’t help singing along to it.
The 5678’s briefly left the stage to big applause from their gathered fans, before returning to the stage and informing us that they love fish and chips. Akiko (bass) raised her pint glass and shouted “Kanpai!” (“Cheers” to me and you) before playing a three song encore including ‘Bomb The Twist’. The band were on form tonight and I am glad I’ve got to see them at last (some excellent sounds emanated from those amps along with some refreshingly unpredictable chord changes). Before we could say ‘Hey Daddio!’, the band were saying “See you later alligator” and vacating the stage, leaving half of Shoreham to cry into their brothel creepers.
The 5.6.7.8’s:
Yoshiko “Ronnie” Fujiyama – vocals, guitar
Sachiko Fujii – drums
Akiko Omo – bass
The 5.6.7.8’s setlist:
‘Barracuda’ (Alvin Cash & The Crawlers cover)
‘I’m Blue’ (The Ikettes cover)
‘Batman Theme’ OR ‘Road Runner’ (The Wailers cover)
‘Avenue A’ ?
‘Dream Boy’ ?
‘Mothra’
‘Bird Dance Beat’ (The Trashmen cover)
‘I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield’
‘Daddy Goes Out Jail’
‘Teacher’ ?
‘Woo-Hoo’ (The Rock-A-Teens cover)
‘You May Dream’
‘Beat’ ?
‘Telstar’ (The Tornados cover)
(encore)
‘Bomb The Twist’
‘Hanky Panky’ (The Raindrops cover)
“Unknown”
The Voo-Dooms were the openers for tonight’s proceedings and have been accompanying The 5678’s for the whole of their UK tour. The band line up tonight consists of Dave Prince (Voodoo Rhythms and screams), Bruce Brand (Haunting Bass Guitar), Kevin Smith (Devilish Lead Guitar), Mick Cocksedge (Vocals and Zombie Rhythm Guitar) and Jo-Jo Go-Go (Theremin and Tambourine).
And as if you couldn’t guess by their own descriptions, they derive from the ‘Horror’ side of Rock n’ Roll. After a bit of digging (ahem…) I managed to ascertain that the band played their debut at the Lewes Con Club in 2018, and their first album ‘Destination Doomsville’ came out on Trash Wax Records in the same year. The band consists of ex-members of such bands as Thee Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats, The Baron Four, The Sundowners, The Cordwood Draggers and a whole lot more. You could say that they are no strangers to playing on a stage.
Three quarters of the band were clad in ‘go faster stripes’ as they took to the stage and plunged headfirst into their ‘Saucermen’ intro followed by their set opener, ‘Stop Haunting Me’. This song had a ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ feel, but it was also a song that I feel Mods would probably enjoy too. The band seemed very proficient at their craft and the drummer was really going for it by song end. ‘Hangman’s Stomp’ was up next, and we were informed that this will be included on their new single which will be appropriately released on Halloween.
The Voo-Dooms seemed to have plenty of mates in the audience tonight, and there was lots of onstage patter going on throughout (between the crowd and bandmates). This gave the gig a good and relaxed atmosphere and by song three the band had even sold out of T-shirts. ‘Don’t Drag Me Down’ was introduced by singer Mick, as a punky number. He said “Everyone needs a bit of Punk Rock in their lives” and I wasn’t about to disagree. ‘Teenage Ghoul’ sounds exactly how you would imagine it would sound. In fact, It’s a song so ghoulishly rock’n’roll’ that it could blow the dirt off a coffin lid. It also features a guitar solo (courtesy of Kevin Smith) that has some whammy bar action (not the retro sweet from the 1980’s).
Mick Cocksedge (vocals and guitar) said they have a recurring grave digging theme that runs throughout their set, and he wasn’t wrong. ‘Diggin’ My Own Grave’ was next on the agenda, which got some good “whoops” from the audience. Shortly afterwards, ‘Gravedigger’s Night Shift Blues’ reared its re-animated zombie head for our enjoyment. The end was nigh (for the Voo-Dooms set anyway), but ‘Attack Of The Saucermen’ was next, with the added appearance of ‘Jo-Jo Go-Go’ on the theremin. Jo-Jo sported a classic beehive haircut whilst activating the theremin machine to great 50’s B-Movie Sci-Fi effect. The last song was ‘Who Do You Love’ which also involved the theremin and much singing along from the audience. A good start to the night and a band to watch out for in a graveyard near you!
The Voo-Dooms:
Dave Prince – Voodoo Rhythms and screams
Bruce Brand – Haunting Bass Guitar
Kevin Smith – Devilish Lead Guitar
Mick Cocksedge – Vocals and Zombie Rhythm Guitar
Jo-Jo Go-Go – Theremin and Tambourine
The Voo-Dooms setlist:
‘Saucermen’ (intro)
‘Stop Haunting Me’
‘Hangman Stomp’
‘Don’t Drag Me Down’
‘Teenage Ghoul’
‘Push Me Away’
‘She’s Gonna Cry Tonight’
‘Diggin’ My Own Grave’
‘(I Wanna Be Your) Caveman’
‘Why?’
‘Gravediggers Night Shift Blues’
‘Attack Of The Saucermen’
‘Are You Loving Me More’
‘Who Do You Love?’
