Yet another gig ticket bought on the strength of the promo poster as opposed to me having heard any of their musical output.  And as with previous inclinations this instinct has served me well as it was one hell of a gig.  So I had to dig a little deeper and check them out prior to the gig – not that easy as there really isn’t that much available, but here goes.

They are a garage rock band from Tokyo and Fussa.  Started by siblings Nao (vocals, guitar) and Miku (keyboards, theremin) and Saori (drums) in 2006, later joined by Rie (bass). Their name came from the American title of a French new wave movie ‘The Riff Raff Girls’. They first started appearing at local shows in Tokyo, in particular the Back From The Grave garage rock events, and soon started playing all over Japan. Their first official album ‘Horror Show’ was released in 2011, followed by a bunch of single releases on various labels prior to signing to LA’s Wild Records in 2014 and releasing ‘A Man and Three Chicks’ a year later. Not sure what they did in the intervening period prior to their next release ‘Burning in 2021’.  So not a prolific output as such. Japan has always been great at copying the best from the west but the Riff Raffs have adapted the music and made it their own style.

The Stompin’ Riff Raffs mix it up with 1950s style rock ‘n’ roll/Rockabilly with 1960s garage punk in an high energy Ramones type assault on the audience.  There is no chatting between songs, just one psychobilly riff after another in their 34 song repertoire. The songs are all pretty short, sub 2 or 3 mins, they make Ramones songs feel like Yes epics 😊.   The song titles (ghost train, burning, surfing, witches, vampires, screaming, horror show, phantom, heavy sick) suggest they have been inspired by watching way too many B-movies.

Style wise all the girls are wearing fishnets, 30’s style flapper dresses and masquerade style eye masks, whilst Nao is tuxedo-clad white shirt with a bolo tie. Basically they look just like they do on their LP covers and promo material.  It’s a late start 10:30 and approx. a 75 min set that’s fast, frenetic, wild and totally bonkers. The girls go through the entire set smiling with infectious enthusiasm as if their lives depended on it – they were clearly having a bloody good time.  The beat is roughly the same throughout and a sold out 100 club audience – many dressed in 50s psychobilly gear and tattoos loved it.  Keyboardist Miku often used her feet, arms and hands to play the keyboard and the Theremin (that’s now the third band I know that use one after John Otway and The Tiger Lillies) creating ufo style ‘outer-space sounds’. I think I just witnessed magic happening. Saori grinning ear to ear beats the crap out of the drums and bassist Rie (looking well cool) is solid on bass and harmonies. They are not the best musicians in the world but that misses the point – together they make a glorious sound and look ace!  Nao is a decent enough front man, got the looks and the moves and plays some slick licks and solos on the guitar.

Set list (click on links to view YouTube videos)

1. WILD
2. She Bites – (Burning, 2021)
3. Rock and Roll Guitar – (Horror Show, 2011)
4. Girl Can’t Dance – (Burning, 2021)
5. Phantom Rock – (Burning, 2021)
6. Parabellum – (Horror Show, 2011)
7. Linda – (Horror Show, 2011)
8. You Shake Me – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
9. 99 Chicks – (Horror Show, 2011)
10. I Hate
11. Surf Side Date – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
12. Cosmic Wave – (Burning, 2021)
13. Scream – (Burning, 2021)
14. What A Shame – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
15. Tizzy Tizzy
16. The Vampire – (Burning, 2021)
17. Whatever – (Burning, 2021)
18. Heavy Sick – (Burning, 2021)
19. Village of Love
20. Buxotic – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
21. Casbah
22. Dance Flanny Dance – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
23. Stupidity
24. Slay So Hard
25. Screamin’ On Wheels – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)
26. The Witch – (Burning, 2021)
27. Burning – (Burning, 2021)
28. Horror Show – (Horror Show, 2011)
29. Ghost Train – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)

Encore

• Justine
• Heavy Sick Boogie Version – (B’side of She Bites 7” Single, 2025)
• I Wanna Be Your Dog
• Motor Cycle
• Bizarre – (A Man And Three Chicks, 2015)

The Riff Raffs certainly have the RnR dial locked on 11, playing their own compositions and classic covers enthused with punk energy and attitude. It’s a might fine thing to behold and so much fun.

It’s a high-voltage, explosive live show combing retro and future sounds in quick-fire succession with no pauses – a truly energetic performance. Top show, top band, top night out! Go see them if you can.

An absolute steal for £24, don’t know how they make a profit.. 

Marko [4 March 2026]