The 5.6.7.8's are a Japanese garage/surf rock band from Tokyo, Japan. They first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australian tour. They became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia.
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 (including the bassist 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.
Links to Peel[]
Peel first discovered the band in 1992 when he played their single, 'Ah-So' on his radio programme. Another track, 'Edie Is A Sweet Candy', was also played on his shows including on the Peel Out In The States (Program 05) programme, which was part of the Peel Out In The States radio series presented by himself, aimed at the American radio college market in 1993. After Peel's death, it was later found out that he had a copy of the band's compilation album, 'Bomb The Rocks' in his Record Collection: 1-9, but it seems that he never played any tracks from it on his shows when the album was released in 2004.
Shows Played[]
- 08 May 1992: Ah-So (7") Giant Claw
- 17 May 1992 (BFBS): She Was A Mau-Mau (7" - Ah-So) (Giant Claw Records)
- 23 May 1992: Ah-So (7") Giant Claw
- 30 May 1992: Motor Cycle Go-Go-Go! (EP - Mondo Girls A-Go-Go) Tokyo Stiff
- 07 June 1992 (BFBS): Motorcycle Go-Go-Go! (7" - Mondo Girls A-Go-Go) (Tokyo Stiff)
- 20 June 1992: Pinball Party (2x7", EP - I Was A Teenage Cave Woman!!!) Tokyo Karate
- 28 June 1992 (BFBS): Pinball Party (EP - I Was A Teenage Cavewoman) Tokyo Karate
- 1993
- 26 February 1993: 'Edie Is A Sweet Candy' (single) Rockville
- 13 March 1993: Edie Is A Sweet Candy (7") Rockville
- 14 March 1993 (BFBS): Edie Is A Sweet Candy (7") Rockville