Fujirockers: The official Fuji Rock Festival blog

The last act on the last night at the festival at the main stage, The Music had some serious pressure on them to put on a good show. This is after all a rock festival, so what better way to finish it off than with a heavy rock band. Listening to their bass and guitar interplay and seeing vocalist Robert Harvey’s singing style, I was at times reminded of pioneering bands also from the UK like Led Zepplin.  In between songs he repeatedly emphasized his appreciation of the Japanese fans, saying how much he loved them all. Japan, if not Fuji Rock, was in fact one of the places responsible for the band’s success and they have had a steady fan base here, ever since playing at the Red Marquee even before the release of their first album in 2002. It is amazing to think that this festival could help bring so much success to a young band who started playing while they were in high school in 1999.

To show that appreciation in a little more physical way, towards the end of the set Robert asked the reluctant security staff if he could go down with the audience. Although they didn’t allow him to surf the crowd he was permitted to thrash around a bit with the hoards of people packed in at the front of the stage. Thanks to the excellent giant video screens, even those of us standing way back on the hill were able to see his rock star dance moves. They finished the show with an epic tune from their first album which they said they remembered the crowd back in 2002 loving. What an end to the glorious Fuji Rock festival.

Photo 佐俣美幸. More images here.

And that is just what every-dancing-body did. The small city-sized CG screen filling the void behind the Bros playing Green Stage, in my estimation stole the stage from the Brothers themselves. Granted, their songs are great, but their show was not much more than merely pressing play. Every now and then to bridge the gaps between songs, instead of mixing cleverly, they would twist a few chaos knobs, or turn up the pitch, musically making it “Chemically” great, as the songs are super tight and heavy on the bass, but as a LIVE show, mediocre.

The visuals and interactivity on the other hand was stupendous! And I like to think the Bros have a hand in that creative side of their gigs, for some redemption. It began with a cylindrical waterfall equalizer of lights hanging from the scaffold directly above the Bros, reacting with the bass hits. Then, the 6-story light silhouettes of people start dancing, a horse made of geometric shapes gallops and whinnies in time with the song, scary clown close-ups fade in and out, plenty neon, lasers, I think you get the (BIG) picture.

My favorite was the green and yellow bouncing balls on all three CG screens (the big one and two smaller to either side of the stage, as one linked, making sure all 20,000 people in the audience, back to the pine tree line could see). Simultaneously huge green and yellow balloons miraculously appeared to be bopped by pumping fists, and as some inevitably pop, so do the video balls, exloding in paint splats of color. Then that damn scary clown again!

As for track choice, they played a few favorites like “Hey Girl, Hey Boy,” and a remix of “Brothers Gonna Work It Out,” as well as tracks off their 2007 album We Are The Night, and “Swoon” off their latest album Further. The crowd loved it, but also seemed a bit exhausted, not blamed on the Bros whatsoever, but rather on the weather. A solid play of hits, and one of the biggest acts in electronic music history brings the tracks that brought them that fame in epic fashion.

Photo by 前田博史. More photo reports here

Anyone hoping to get a non biased review of what the Mogwai show was like had better just stop reading here. I am quite confident that I am one of the biggest Mogwai fans on the face of the earth, and even though I don’t love everything they have recorded, every time I see them live I am completely overcome with awe. The last time I saw them play at Fuji was headlining at the White stage several years ago and I was a little disappointed that they had been promoted to the Green stage, thinking that the scale of the space and the size of the audience would take something away from their immaculate live performance style. However, the organizers could not have picked a getter time or place to unleash the beauty that is Mogwai upon the Fuji Rockers. There was just a soft mist of rain falling from the sky and the sun was starting to set so there was a hazy twilight adding to the already sublime green mountains which surround the Green stage. I love instrumental music so much and I cannot explain how happy it makes me that an instrumental rock band can make it on to the main stage of a massive festival like this. As far as I can see, they were the only instrumental rock band on the main stage this year and I sincerely hope that it taught all the younger members of the audience that instruments alone can convey as much emotion and power, if not more than music with vocals. Continue Reading…

Yellow Magic Orchestra took to the Green Stage late on Sunday evening. It was a large generous crowd, spilling out as far as the Heineken beer tent on either side of the amphitheater. Known as innovators, this Japanese ensemble is known for innovating electronic music, and later, collaborating with many well known pop musicians. The band proved itself masterful with electronic compositions that were tasteful and rocking, appealing to those sitting in the upper reaches of the Green Stage such as the Priority Tent (families with childern) as well as eager fans lining the front of the stage.

Principal members of the group include Haruomi Hosono on bass and keyboards, Yukihiro Takahashi on drums and lead vocals, Ryuichi Sakamoto, keyboards and vocals. The stage arrangement on this particular evening indicated that it was drummer Yukihiro Takahashi was leading the band, as his drum kit was positioned centrally on stage, a rare occurrence even for jazz ensembles.

Formed in 1977, the band have quite a history and continue to deliver their brand of synthpop and ambient music. Straddling the space somewhere between jazz fusion and contemporary pop, YMO kept a steady beat that floated nicely through the night sky.

Yellow Magic Orchestra has been an on again and off again project for more than 30 years. Big festivals or important events such as the recent “Big in Japan” event in Los Angeles bring the group back together. Its good that YMO are still active as Ryuichi Sakamoto is given an opportunity to showcase his talent as well as represent many of the wonderful causes he holds dear to his heart such as environmentalism.

Tonight, there was little talking, just soothing, rocking music for a hillside of devoted fans. Its hard to believe that anyone could object to this music, and if they knew the history behind this group, including the group’s 4th member, Hideki Matsutake who programmed much of the hardware and software to make this early electronic music possible, even more people would be appreciative.

It was a spectacular night amidst a heavens still shrouded by clouds but without rain. Given the popularity of electronic music know, a testament being Chemical Brothers headlining slot, its only fitting that YMO was given proper credit this evening.

I’m beginning to suspect it’s the fault of all the British bands that there’s been so much rain and grey skies at Fuji Rock.Maybe we should just ban them all next year. Then again, I suppose the wet and dreary makes them feel at home.

Glasgow band Glasvegas took to the Green Stage around 12.30 in the midst of a particularly heavy downpour, but looked quite comfortable as they walked towards their respective positions, all dressed from head to toe in black barring vocalist James Allan, who strutted on stage in a white cut-off t-shirt and ripped faded jeans. Perhaps he didn’t get the memo. New drummer Jonna Löfgren seemed genuinely happy to be where she was, and impressed by drumming standing up; a feat attempted by few of her ilk.

During the set James took the time to thank the audience for the gifts the band had received, or that’s what I assume, since he prefaced it with “I don’t think you’ll be able to understand a fucking word I say, but thank you for the letters and stuff.”

The rain may have dampened spirits, although there were some cheerful shouts and yells as the first song started, “The World is Yours”, taken from the band’s new album Euphoric Heartbreak. A slow, melodic rock song that set the tone for the rest of the set. Slow and heavy, with scattered showers forecasted for the remaining 40 minutes. 40, because they finished early and surprisingly didn’t come back for an encore, choosing to finish with “Daddy’s Gone”, a crowd favorite. And as they left, the sun peaked from behind the clouds, lifting spirits even further.

Photo by: 前田博史

For more Glasvegas goodness, click here.

The Kills are probably destined forever to be the band that wasn’t as good as the White Stripes, and that was the band that showed up today at the Green Stage. But! When I saw Tokyo-based music writer Rob Schwarz after the show, he was ecstatic, saying it was the best rock ‘n roll show he’s seen in years. All that raw, grinding power. But I should also mention that as a festival blogger, deferring to others’ opinions is a good way to stay politic and polite, or as we are now calling it rock-and-rollickly correct. Fellow Fujirocker Shawn was more of my opinion: he thought they were on too big a stage. And they ended 5 minutes early. As for me, I thought it was a set with no air in the sails by a band that took rock a little too seriously. Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince wore all black clothes, played all black guitars, and they did it against a plain black backdrop. Even their hair was black. The guitar riffs are powerful, but they are not instant anthems (like the White Stripes), and that’s what you need to play a stadium or festival main stage when all you’ve got is two people, one guitar, one bass and a drum machine. Their songs are good – they played a good mix of the back catalogue and new material, including “Satellite” from the new album Blood Pressure – but they are seldom White Stripes great or even Black Keys good. And like I said, they ended 5 minutes early. And then their Fuji Rock was over.

Photo: 前田博史
More photos: http://fujirockexpress.net/11/5184.html

Feeder have been playing with a string of drummers-for-hire since founding drummer Jon Lee tragically took his own life in early 2002. They’ve certainly got a good one right now; Dmon Wilson is about the closest I’ve seen to Dave Grohl since Dave Grohl himself. Sandwiched between floor toms with hair flailing wildly, I reckon he gets at least 40% of the credit for all the raised fists and banging heads Feeder inspired right from the start.

But band themselves, singer/guitarist Grant Nicholas and bassist Taka Hirose are no slouches either. Sure Nicholas is a fine singer and songwriter, but that doesn’t necessarily buy you a good live show. Late 90’s grunge inflected British rock is a tough sell for me these days. I spent a decade where grungey rock was about all I listened to, and I’ve been moving on of late. I was pleasantly surprised by the tunefulness of Feeder’s records when I gave a listen earlier this week, expecting another group of slouches, but on tape I reckon they never surpassed the song “High” off their first record, as good a use of the four grunge chords as ever there has been. But live, they are a whole nuther band, one of the best of the genre I’ve heard. The sound pressure down front at the Green Stage was intense (perfect mix), and Feeder were tight, feeding the crowd with a confident generosity.

Nicholas exudes the attitude of a man who appreciates Continue Reading…

For my money, Faces were an almost ideal act to headline the Green stage: a band I was eager to see, and a big heap of nobody waiting to see them. Seriously, I’ve rarely seen the Green Stage that empty at 3:30pm on Friday afternoon, let alone for Saturday night’s headliner. I arrived late, and went straight for the pole position in front of the sound booth. Not like Oasis in ‘09, where my late arrival required me to shove in front of hundreds of very grumpy people who had been waiting hours in the rain, and where my fresh-from-indoors enthusiasm got me on the shit list of dozens of people I will never meet again.

I do say “almost” though, because in that ideal world the crowd would have filled in around me as the show progressed, and we would have ended in the usual huge Green Stage Saturday night love orgy. But that resolutely did not happen. I put the attendance at about 1/3 of the average Green Stage headliner, 1/5 of what the Chili Peppers pulled in a few years back. There were wide open spaces in front of the sound booth the entire show, and you could have had a nice game of footie in the mud next to it. Only advantage: it was easy to keep slipping out for more beers. This is blooze rock after all. (This would prove detrimental to the rest of my evening though.)

Not that any of the Faces or their recent additions noticed. Mick Hucknall, in place of Rod Stewart, greeted the crowd with “L’layalilrah’rol’eh?!!!”, which is how they said “Let’s play a little rock and roll, eh?” in the 1970s. I came into this with a very open mind, hoping that Hucknall would tear it up, and in truth the man did a stand-up job. But as soon as he opened up to sing the first song, “Miss Judy”, the feeling was unmistakable: “dang, I miss Rod”. You can imagine how bad that makes a man feel, to realize he is missing Rod Stewart. But the guy is one of the best-selling artists of all time for a reason: Continue Reading…

With Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra graduating to a headlining slot, some veteran Fujirockers might have missed their spirited show as a day-opener, but actually there were two ska groups doing the job at this festival: Mom Dad God on Friday (whose leader is a SkaPara alumnus) and Your Song Is Good on Sunday.  A younger but by no means unseasoned collective, YSIG is a bit looser. Fifteen years after they originally formed (under a different name), they still dress and look like college students, and when they took the stage promptly at 11 they warmed up with a blues-soul vamp that already had them sweating by the time they launched into their opening number. Continue Reading…

I was just finishing my green curry and tofu pita when I heard the trombone squeeze and saxophone, my cue to hustle over the bridge to the Green Stage. Only 15 minutes before, walking through the sparsely populated Green Stage lawn, I wondered what kind of crowd the Tokyo Ska outfit would draw.  I got my answer as I showed up on the lawn with capacity other ska stompers keeping time.

All clad in matching suits, a gangster-esque menagerie of accessories, like bowlers, shades, braids, open top buttons, etc. these guys looked the professional part (though professional what, just by looking, may be hard to tell…assassin perhaps?) Anyway, it did not take long to learn that the only thing these guys are killing is the airwaves all the way back to the tree line and beyond. They had the priority area patrons up out of their seats stomping!

Showcasing the talent of this tenured act, around since 1988, every one of the members gets a shot in the spotlight. At one point the front man in the Blu-Ray shades is scatting oogy-boogies versus the trombone player squeaking out replies. There was even a surprise rendition of Tequila, performed flawlessly on harmonium, with a large portion of the crowd happily filling in the vocal portions.

A special track was performed as inspiration post-earthquake, the baritone saxophone man puts down his brass and belts the hook full of celebratory confidence, “We can do it!” The crowd smiling and singing along in solidarity.

I have a new favorite genre ska, and the president-elect of that new favorite genre is, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.

Photo courtesy 熊沢泉. More photo reviews here

Early afternoon at the Green stage, the perfect time for a bit of groovy and slightly hippie flavored tunes from the multi talented G. Love. It is always great to see someone who can move back and forth between instruments like he can, playing his 6 string as well as he can play his harmonica. While it is all very well and good to hear messages of peace and love, it is also refreshing to get a bit silly and listen to lyrics about the beauty of the simple things in life. Well G. Love started off his set with a song about the joys of drinking coffee in the morning and how much he likes his with milk and sugar. His bluesy, folk infused grooves make an interesting canvas for him to lay his occasional raps on to. His is definitely feel good music and although the crowd were a little bit lethargic, there were still quite a few people who couldn’t help but start dancing when he played that harmonica of his so sweetly.

Photo by 写真：熊沢泉 (Supported by Nikon). More photos here.

From what I’ve heard, Tyondai Braxton, the founder and main idea man of the super-math rock group Battles, left the band last year because he no longer could stand the tour grind. It seemed the end of the band, but the three remaining members, drummer John Stanier, keyboardist Ian Williams, and guitarist David Konopka, said they would, er, battle on. They went into the studio almost immediately and made Gloss Drop, a Braxton-less Battles album, and in a way it’s a big improvement. Braxton’s self-conscious iconoclasm, it turns out, was behind the rigid lockstep changes and the bizarre aural touches. Without them, the three members demonstrate a facility for art rock with the emphasis on rock. Continue Reading…

The late afternoon slot anywhere is the kiss of death. Everybody’s a little sleepy or punchy or conserving their energy for the night. Still, it seems more and more people who attend concerts bring chairs and nod off whenever they please, so maybe it isn’t as big a problem as in the past. Hanaregumi, the solo project of former Super Butter Dog vocalist Takashi Nagazumi, plays soft rock and soul influenced by American artists of the 70s, in particular those from Los Angeles, and while he can play loud and tough, for the most part his vocal style is patterned on smooth and subtle. Don’t get me wrong, the guy’s a better singer than 99 percent of the young men who claim such an occupation in Japan. But his peculiar strengths are with quiet songs that show off his detailed phrasing. He’s obviously listened to a lot of Paul Simon.

Dressed as if for a beach resort, Nagazumi was as nonchalant in his presentation style as he was intense in his singing, which is mostly in the higher registers. The music was comfort food, gospelly and uplifting in its attitude. So despite the siesta time slot, people poured down from the upper reaches of the Green Stage amphitheater to get close and personal with Nagazumi, which was only proper. Everything about the guy’s music is close and personal. He didn’t necessarily belong there, but the people who knew his music also knew what to do to appreciate it.

photo: Izumi Kumazawa

Fountains of Wayne took the Green Stage at 12:30 to the strains of Percy Faith’s iconic MOR 1960s lounge instrumental, “A Summer Place,” and it suddenly occurred to me the point of it. The opening song on the group’s latest album (as yet only released in Japan) is called “The Summer Place,” a somewhat unexceptional title but one that takes on even more meaning when contrasted with the Faith classic. It’s about a vacation home that has apparently remained in the family so that the people who used to spend their childhood summers there are now spending their adult summers in the same house, with all its memories, both good and bad. Certainly some of those memories involved listening to “A Summer Place” on the radio (or, even worse, their parents’ stereo). Continue Reading…

The J-pop trio Clammbon seemed an odd choice to open the second day festivities. The group’s willfully quirky song structures and melodic non sequiturs, combined with keyboardist Ikuko Harada’s adult-child vocals, would have made more sense at Gypsy Avalon, or maybe Orange Court in the late afternoon. There are a lot of new people who show up on Saturday morning, fresh from their working weeks, and they probably want to jump right in. As a trio, Clammbon is better suited to taking you by the hand and wading in. Continue Reading…

After an appropriately dramatic opening of grand cinematic scale accompanied by lasers, fireworks and an opening track worthy of an epic movie soundtrack, Coldplay kicked off the night with “Hurts Like Heaven”.

Chris Martin shouted out “Is anybody out there? Did we make it to Fuji Rock?”, and judging by the deafening reply in return, I’d say he had.

Coldplay pulled out all the stops – the stage lighting was dazzling, there was confetti, balloons and more fireworks. Definitely a band worthy of the Green Stage, if only because they made it worthy of them.

The bells and whistles notwithstanding, the boys put on an immaculate show with favourites like “The Scientist” and “Viva La Vida” as well as a completely new track, called ” Against the World”. These guys know what they’re doing and they know their audience well. As such, their show went from strength to strength – there was only one minor fault.

Chris’s talks between songs were again, practically perfection. He asked how the audience was doing, saying he could see them, which is what everyone wants to hear. He also said “We’ve been sending love and respect to you. What you’ve been through is incredibly terrible. But we’re not afraid of any f–ing nuclear  stuff!”

But it was in his opening greeting there was a slight error:

“Konnichiwa. Ogen….youska. Ogennkyo…* It means, ‘How are you doing?’ My Japanese is so f–ing terrible. Even though it’s written on my hand.”

And with that absolutely charming, genuine (if slightly failed) attempt at saying something in Japanese, he created the perfect performance.

*Should be “Ogenki desu ka”.

Photos: 古川喜隆

Find more pics from the show here.

One of the privileges of working as a writer for the Fuji Rock team was arriving on Thursday afternoon and getting a chance to walk around Naeba before any of the crowds arrived. It was such an amazing sight to see the green stage actually green. There was lush, long green grass looking extremely healthy after this warm and wet summer. Just over 24 hours have past since this photo was taken yet now I think there isn’t much of that majestic grass left.

Are they pop punk or nu-metal? If you find yourself asking this question, the answer probably doesn’t even matter, because you’re already thinking that this is just music for dumb guys in high school to lift weights to. Or fix muscle cars. Or get trapped into an unwanted pregnancies with girls named Marylou. Continue Reading…

If you’ve never seen Manu Chao live, the thing to realize is that while you will get the same songs with some of the sweetest, golden-hearted melodies in global pop, songs that you’ve heard even if you’ve never procured any of his music because they infected the entire world around a decade ago with the album Próxima Estación: Esperanza (2001), but when he’s live Chao knows there’s an audience in front of him and, more than that, that every live show should be a party. Continue Reading…

Traffic jams from Green Stage after a big show (Manu Chao, here the guilty party) always afford you with an excellent chance to meet some fellow rockers, up close and often awkwardly personal. Today my walking cohort is a wiry, wobbly (whiskey?) fashion design student from Osaka. He admits to being a Fuji Rock virgin, and thus the apparent lack of proper “gear.”

Sporting a red and white striped T, red shorts and boots to match, he is 2/3 of the way there, but he says, “Look at everyone…they know camping style fashions. Me, me, I didn’t know. Next year, I know. I bring fashions.” This remark is directed towards the matching rainsuit/boot/leg warmer colorful combos with foldy chairs conveniently in bags, waterproof iphone and camera cases (none of that grungy hippy ziplock crap), battery-powered pocket blow dryers, etc.  Every now and then you get a stark contrast running through the woods in the form of a foreigner (typically a “whitey,” term used here endearingly, trust me, I am one) who would rather take off everything but their boxer shorts and a smile, slowly growing mud-caked webbed feet as a result of their one-with-the-nature-dude fashion decision (mishap).

Anyway, this fashion designer-in-the-making, whose name I regrettably did not catch, says his favorite phrase is, “Fashion is free.” He goes to explain, “Everyone Japanese knows, no, no, loves fashion. And you know why?” I shrug. “Fashion is free, FREE.” Then he shamelessly self-promotes and says to look for him on page one of this big fashion magazine next month, “Hontouni!” (Really!)

I probably won’t, but it was nice meeting you Mr. Fashion-is-Free. Live from the Friday afternoon commute at the muddy muddy FOOJ!

It was just what the doctor ordered, a bold youthful start to the Green Stage, pushing aside a bleary morning of rain and drizzle.

Formed little over a year ago, this London act,  The Vaccines, certainly delivered on their very first performance in Japan. They wasted little time getting started, ripping immediately into well known show starter “Blow it Up”, and then zipping into “Post Break Up Sex.” But things really got rolling when the band stomped through “Wetsuit” with many of the fans in the audience swaying and stomping along.

The crowd was thick with fans, and the gated front area was full well before the show started, with close quarters adding to the excitement. Despite their youth and inexperience, the band easily moved through their set-list, sometimes too easily as “Tuck and Roll” came off a little noisily, though they were able to bring it back with a huddle in front of the kick drum before the band when it o “Family Friend.”

Towards the end of the set, frontman Justin Young introduced all the musicians and pronounced the show as being “very fun” for the band. Later, they launched into the closer “Norgaard” which enthused the audience and left them wanting more.  The Vaccines will no doubt be back again, for dare we say another booster?

Kaiser Chiefs get a lot of praise for a number of things. They also get a flack. Some of its deserved, some not.

After a long hiatus they’ve recently gotten back on track with a new album – one where fans can pick 12 songs out of a choice of 20  to make their own “best mix”. Some of that cash has even gone to charity. They released their own version of “the ultimate Kaiser mix”, adding an extra track and received acclaim form critics as well. KC have also started their own label to promote and give new bands a chance to hit the big time.

So they’re doing something right.

Actually, they’re doing a lot of things right.

Continue Reading…

What with their near-headliner status this year, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra has pretty much taken up the mantle of most representative Fuji artist left behind by the late Kiyoshiro Imawano. It doesn’t seem Fuji without SkaPara. And with the title comes the corollaries, one of whom is Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta, a former member of the orchestra who formed his own band a few years back with the somewhat intimidating name of Dad Mom God. Obviously, you don’t dance at your own peril. Continue Reading…

One item missing from my list of things to look forward to: Kenney Jones’ drum solo in the Faces’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” (from 2:30). Note for note it sounds pretty easy to play, but the ridonkulous sloppy energy and impeccable appropriateness to the song make it one of the greatest rock rawk drum solos ever put on record. It’s a genre that was never in need of any drum solos at all, but here the whole song seems to exist just to introduce it. When I started playing drums at 15, my old man (also a drummer) played this record for me. As good a case as any for the Faces still being the Faces even without their bassist/guy who sang lead sometimes (Ronnie Lane, R.I.P.) or their lead singer (Rod Stewart, D.I.P.)

Stages the size of Green are not kind to any kind of subtlety in drumming. Thank God Kenney Jones was never subtle.

-Kern

In that crowded mini-universe of boy-girl duos who play proto-blues as art rock, The Kills have always been more earnest than inspired, but in the past couple of years, as both Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince have jettisoned their noms de rock (VV and Hotel, respectively), they’ve earned more press as solo agents. Mosshart found common musical cause with the king of boy-girl proto-blues duos, Jack White, several years ago and they went on to form The Dead Weather for two fierce albums and world tours in the space of a single year; while Hince romanced the super model’s super model Kate Moss and eventually wed her at the beginning of this month (Mosshart was the best man–talk about earnest). Continue Reading…