Foals impressed me so much that I went home and started listening to their album

Foals impressed me so much that I went home and started listening to their album right away!

Yesterday I picked up a six-pack and went and debriefed a friend about Fuji Rock. He wanted to go  this year, but work and family obligations kept him away. He’s the type of bloke that gets NME shipped to his house and sees a ton of shows such as Atari Teenage Riot, Pet Shop Boys, and Ian Brown, all of whom  played recently in Taipei.   I told him that one of my surprises at the fest was  Foals and he  went over to his computer and started playing their music. We agreed that this awesome festival stuff  frenetic, upbeat tempos that really get a stage pumping.  I caught only a few songs but  should’ve known better due to an excellent preview right here.

As for the rest of the fest, I visited all of the stages and picked out a performer who fit its surroundings and entertained the audience.

Best Green Stage Performer: John Fogerty (pure unfettered joy)

Best White Stage Performer: Foals

Best Red Marquee Performance: Air (great light show and ambiance going on here. And its sort of funny  but I heard Thom Yorke calling for a little more ambiance while playing on the nearby Green Stage)

Best Orange Court Performance: Dirty Projectors (uplifting choruses during a steady rain and being far away from everything)

Best Field of Heaven Performance: Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders (Dave Grohl sat in and did a session, hells yeah, drum summit! )

Best Naeba Shokudo Performance: Rory Mcleod (he opened the festival 11 years ago, and definitely embodies the spirit of Fuji Rock).

Best Dj: Rusko (Not many turned out but I have the sneaking suspicion that we will be hearing more of him in the future)