The 5.6.7.8's are a Japanesegarage rock trio from Tokyo. The 5.6.7.8's first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australian tour. They first officially became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia. The group made a brief appearance in the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill BillVolume 1, where they were shown playing barefoot in an izakaya. In 2012, they appeared at the "Girls Got Rhythm" fest in St. Paul, MN alongside artists such as Ronnie Spector, The Muffs, Nikki Corvette and L'Assassins.
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 and guitar, Rico on second guitar, Yoshie on bass guitar and Sachiko on drums. After several line-up changes, 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. 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 became known in the West after their appearance in Kill Bill Vol. 1, in which they performed "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield", "I'm Blue" 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 soundtrack. According to Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino, 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 VonageVoIP service in 2004. 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.
