I once read an interview with Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain in Rolling Stone where he explained his first Shonen Knife gig: “When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert.” I’m worried that the 5.6.7.8’s might have the same effect on me. But before I can find out it’s time for The Masonics. They should be second on the bill but several members of the Black Mekon have been struck down with the COVID bug so unfortunately, they won’t be appearing tonight but on the plus side that means The Masonics will be playing an extended set.
Live Report: 5.6.7.8’s + The Masonics
The Night Owl, Birmingham, 20.04.2022
Hailing from Rochester, Kent, The Masonics peddle a nice line in high-octane rhythm and blues, and they immediately win the crowd over with the fuzzed-up I’ve Only Got Myself To Blame. Their songs are short, sharp shocks and, trimmed of any excess fat, get straight to the point. They certainly put the “power” into “power trio” and with bassist Bruce Brand and drummer John Gibbs supplementing Mick Hampshire’s vocals, the three-point harmonies are sublime and are put to good use on Tell That To A Hungry Man. Born from the fertile Medway music scene The Masonics are a likeable bunch and the title track from their 2006 EP, When You Cry At Night, makes for a fitting closer.
While we all wait for Tokyo’s 5.6.7.8’s, the excitement of the audience seems barely containable as we look around at a capacity crowd inside Birmingham’s Night Owl. An air of tension hangs heavy, and it’s made tangible as the band appears and plays an impossibly long intro which ramps things up to an almost unbearable level. However, by the time the band reach the second song, Road Runner, the venue is a sea of smiles and although the crowd are packed in tightly people still find room to dance and hold their pint glasses aloft in salute. Two tracks from their 2002 album, Teenage Mojo Workout follow in the shape of (I’m Sorry Mama) I’m A Wild One, alongside an explosive version of The Ikettes’ I’m Blue. Tonight’s set is a real crowd pleaser and incorporates all points from their 35-year career from early cuts such as I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield (and, of course, the track which brought them global recognition via the movie Kill Bill Vol 1, Woo Hoo) to latter-day classics like Hey! Mashed Potato, Hey!.
On stage the band cut an unflappable persona, and, in fact, they are so cool it looks like they’ve just stepped onto the stage from inside a refrigerator. However, their energetic stage show soon sets temperatures rising thanks in no small part to drummer Sachiko Fujii who hits the skins particularly hard, especially during Mothra after which the band lay down their instruments and then performs a cute little dance whilst holding maracas. It’s back to the rock action with Hanky Panky (originally by Tommy James and the Shondells) which guitarist Yoshiko “Ronnie” Fujiyama introduces by teasing the crowd with a few bars from T-Rex’s 20th Century Boy and some fine backing vocals from bassist Akiko Omo makes this version of Hanky Panky the most definitive. The Barracuda, from the Pin Heel Stomp EP, sounds like The Cramps fused with the B52’s (in the best possible way, of course) and sets things up nicely for the final song Bomb The Twist. Taking us back to the band’s genesis Bomb The Twist is a rumbustious number that finds the band departing in a barrage of power chords and leaves the audience basking in a warm afterglow.
