My first thought when The Voo-Dooms took to the stage was that they looked familiar, and not only because bassist Bruce Band also plays in The Masonics, who supported the 5.6.7.8’s on their last UK tour (reviewed here). It turns out the Voo-Dooms are a kind of garage supergroup who also feature guitarist/vocalist Mick Cocksedge (The Untamed), drummer Mark Braby (Subway Sect) and guitarist Dan Whaley (The Diaboliks), so anyone with an interest in alternative music is sure to have stumbled upon them before in some guise or other. If not, then you’re in for a real treat because The Voo-Dooms peddle a nice line in primitive caveman thrash and an array of tuneful songs soon set the speakers a-smokin’. The tracks debuted from their latest EP (Doom With A Voo) evidence a bright future while the addition of some theremin adds a spooky touch (and just in time for Halloween). A solid set that abates the 5.6.7.8’s anticipation somewhat (no mean feat).
I guess that Japanese band 5.6.7.8’s were “crossover” before the term was coined. Tonight there is beatniks, old school rockers, straights, psychobillies and even a smattering of metalheads in attendance and it’s the unifying power of music that finds them all rubbing shoulders with nary a cross word spoken. It makes a 5.6.7.8’s show a celebration more than mere gig and a tension crackles the air as we await the band’s appearance. When they arrive in colour coded outfits they look like the very epitome of cool and when they launch in ‘Barracuda’, well, things go off the Richter Scale. It’s the cue for all present to go a little nuts as couples spontaneously burst into dance and plastic pint pots are held aloft in affirmation and salutation.
As their name alludes, the 5.6.7.8’s have a deep well of musical history to draw upon and tonight is a feast for the ears that serves up an abject lesson in rock n’ roll with covers of ‘Beat Girl’ and ‘Woo-Hoo’ each raising the temperature a few degrees. Yet, it is an overlooked part of the band’s oeuvre but they also write solid original tunes and ‘Dance In The Avenue A’ doesn’t seem out of place amongst a set jam packed with rock n’ roll classics. The three-point vocals are also something of a secret weapon and are put to good use on ‘I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield’ and ‘Jane In The Jungle’. But it’s also a feast for the eyes and rarely have I seen three musicians command such undivided attention from the crowd, with bassist Akkio Omo seemingly made of elastic and shimmering like a heatwave whilst drummer Sachiko Fujii keeps impeccable time in a tight-but-loose style that makes the songs seem deceptively simple and when guitarist and vocalist Yoshiko “Ronnie” Fujiyama donned shades for a cover of The Tornadoes’ ‘Telstar’, well, my heart melted. Another cover in the shape of ‘Batman Theme’ hurtles us towards the set’s conclusion before the band return for some well-earned encores, including an explosive ‘Bomb The Twist’ which ensures that no one leaves disappointed.
