Fujirockers: The official fansite of the Fuji Rock Festival

JAMIE XX LIVE AT FRF '11

It’s been two weeks since the last Fuji Rock announcement … which means it’s now time for a bunch of more performers to be added to this summer’s lineup! Smash revealed a dozen more acts a few minutes ago including Jamie XX, Namba69 (which features Hi-Standard bassist Akihiro Namba), and the increasingly buzzzzzzzed about post-rock band Savages.

There’s been 104 acts announced for this year’s fest so far, which means that there are still around 100 more bands to be added! Expect more names to come out in around two weeks time. And in the meantime, check out the full list of new additions along with the day they’ll be playing on after the jump! Continue Reading…

Studio Coast, Feb. 2013

People who are genuinely cool don’t care about “headliners,” but even those of us who are ice cold can’t help but be impressed by the caliber of the front-loaded acts at this year’s Fuji. All the second-tier artists could easily be pushed to the top of the list without anyone feeling ripped off, and now it turns out My Bloody Valentine, who headlined two years ago, has agreed to play this summer. Where the hell are they going to be slotted? Kevin Shields and Co. are scheduled for Friday, when Nine Inch Nails and Skrillex are also on the roster. Wagers are welcome.

MBV was originally going to play the Tokyo Rocks festival, which was supposed to take place this month but was cancelled due to music business hubris. Blur was also scheduled to perform and instead is cooling their heels in Hong Kong working on a new album. The second silver lining of the cancellation is that MBV apparently was really looking forward to playing Japan again after their very successful tour last February and so jumped at the chance to play Fuji. Sure, we’ll take ‘em.

And in case you’re still interested, seven more acts have been added, including Garth Hudson, The Band’s superhuman multi-instrumentalist secret weapon and statistically the greatest rock organist in the universe. He’ll be joined by his wife, the vocalist Sister Maud Hudson (how she can be both his wife and his sister we don’t want to know). The irreplaceable and ubiquitous club jazz ensemble Soil and “Pimp” Sessions will be ripping up the stage on Friday, as well, and singer-songwriter Kenta Maeno will be joined by his group the Soaplanders, which includes former Sonic Youth member Jim O’Rourke. The hot and somewhat misnomered math rock bank Lite will appear on Sunday, along with singer-songwriter Tavito Nanao; the punctuationally challenged Pacific Northwest hard rock outfit Portugal. The Man; and house DJ-musician Sugiurumn. OK, you now have permission to go tell your friends.

photo courtesy Smashing Mag and Julen Esteban-Pretel

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Fifteen artists were just added to the roster, including Vampire Weekend, who will be shilling their new album as one of the sub-headliners on Sunday night. I saw them in February at the Hostess Weekender in Tokyo and they were very hot. In fact, it was probably the best show I’ve seen in a few years…outside of Fuji Rock, of course.

Also added is Local Natives, one of the best indie bands to come out of Southern California in some time. I think they played Fuji two years ago, and I missed them then but saw them do a club showcase and it was pretty exciting. They’ll be playing Friday. And then there’s the “Harlem Shake” master himself, Baauer, who is also slated for Sunday. It might be weird actually seeing that song played someplace other than on YouTube, but I’m sure there will be plenty of inventive dancing both on stage and off, since that’s what it’s all about, right?

Rounding out the list is veteran folksinger Morio Agata, guitar god Char with a special “jam night,” the Korean house duo Peppertones, the Salvadoran dub trio BaianaSystem, the English folk quintet Skinny Lister, Rookie a Go-Go graduates Steruss, indie pop star Shugo Tokumaru, the club music orchestra A Hundred Birds featuring Ten & Gebo, the inimitable Tokiko Kato backed by the equally inimitable Theatre Brook, Mitsukaze & Green Massive, Sotaisei Riron, and the always entertaining Sheena & the Rokkets.

Very Be Careful Live At Orange Court in 2008

Another 15 acts were just added to the lineup for Fuji Rock ‘13!  Here are the new additions:

Karl Hyde

Asai Kenichi & Bad Teacher Kill Club

Boys Noize

Darkstar

David Murray Big Band featuring Macy Gray

Doberman

Dohatsuten

The Gaslamp Killer

Haim

Fusanosuke Kondoh & The 1968 Band

Mannish Boys

The Sea and Cake

Takkyu Ishino

Turtle Island

Very Be Careful

Lots of good stuff in there! Personally, I’m most excited about seeing Turtle Island perform. I’ve been hearing lots of good things about their live show for a while now, and the concert clips in this music video may it look like we’re going to be in for a lot of fun when they take to the stage at FRF in July.

*Very Be Careful photo by Koichi ”hanasan” Hanafusa and used with the permission of Fuji Rock Express ‘08.

Robert Smith of The Cure at FRF '07

Fuji Rock just announced a half dozen more artists for this summer’s fest, including Sunday night’s Green Stage headliner – The Cure.  The Cure were last with us at FRF ’07 when they headlined that same stage on the fest’s opening night.  Check out a review of that performance here.

Other big names draws in this announcement include Skillrex and the recently reformed Jurassic 5.  Brinsley Forde, Gentlemans Pistols, and Mulatu Astatke have also been added to the lineup.  The total number of artists revealed so far is 53, meaning that about a quarter of the FRF ’13 acts have been announced so far.  Expect more names to come out in about two weeks time!

*The Cure photo by Terumi and used with the permission of Fuji Rock Express ‘07.

SMASH MUST'VE PULLED A FEW STRINGS TO GET PUNK OUTFIT YELLOWCARD ON THE BILL

Smash has just revealed another 19 acts that will be playing at this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival.

Fresh from taking home the best album award at this year’s Grammys, English folk rock outfit Mumford & Sons will be joining the lineup alongside a pioneering female folk artist from days gone by in the form of Suzanne Vega. Sure we all know “Luka” (a hidden karaoke gem, if you ever come across it), but the eclectic singer/songwriter is far from a one-hit wonder – as FRF ‘13 is sure to confirm. As far as other highlights are concerned, Kendrick Lamar has been compared to older hip-hop statesmen such as Tupac, Eminem, Nas and Jay-Z, and is sure to add a large dollop of dope to the festival that was perhaps absent last year, while quirky ’70s New Wave pop pioneers Sparks look set to confuse at least a dozen drunk music fans with manic offerings such as this. Meanwhile, the Canadians appear to have finally decided that it’s time to get in on the act and have sent singer/songwriters Ron Sexsmith and Daniel Lanois across the Pacific to represent the homeland. If nothing else, one gets the feeling that FRF audiences could possible be a little more well-mannered this year. Japanese music fans will be pleased to hear that ’50s rock-influenced The Bawdies, ska outfit Kemuri and singer/songwriter Tamio Okuda have also been added to the lineup, while American pop punk outfit Yellowcard brings a little edge – and a violin – to the new proceedings. Continue Reading…

Björk @ Nippon Budokan in '08

A few minutes ago, Smash revealed the first batch of bands that will be playing  at this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival.  The promoter revealed that Nine Inch Nails will be headlining the fest on Friday, July 26 and Bjork will do the same thing on Saturday, July 27.  And there are a whole lot of other cool acts already on board to perform too including Flying Lotus, Death Grips, and Rocket From the Crypt.

Check out the full list of acts after the jump.  And stay tuned for lots of more announcements about FRF ’13 performers over the coming months.  Thirty groups down … only another 170+ to go!

Continue Reading…

Although the dates for Fuji Rock ‘12 were announced earlier than usual, fest organizer Smash has gone back to its usual tradition of announcing on January 1 when the next edition of FRF will take place.  FRF ‘13 will happen from July 26 – 28.  Mark those dates on your calendar now so that you can join us in Naeba this summer.  It’s probably best to tack on the 25th as well so that you’ll be around for the always awesome Thursday night pre-fest party.

Happy New Year!

PROTECT THE DANCE CULTURE!

Petitioning against the preposterously irrelevant prostitution law passed back in 1948 outlawing late-night clubs and other questionable activity that has recently resurfaced in order for the powers that be to crack down on all-night dance clubs.

There are the usual conservative arguments against a late-night dance (rave?) culture. For example, kids doing drugs or committing acts of violence. Although, if you have been to these clubs, you would realize first-hand that 1) because this is Japan, a country notorious for very strict narcotics legislation, there really is not any drug use to speak of and 2) dancers take their angst out on the dance floor! Let’s DANCE members pledge against these divisive and dangerous acts nonetheless.

In Osaka, and the entire Kansai region actually, cops have been enforcing the curfew and killing the party scene and music clubs as early as midnight. Businesses losing money, countless talented DJs out of work, young people with nowhere to let loose, and now rumors that the same conservative notion is headed for Tokyo has turned up this heated debate to the breaking point; party people are really worried and thus spurred into action.

Changing these outdated laws will require strength in numbers. Apparently 100,000 signatures is the threshold that Let’s DANCE is seeking. If two-thirds of the attendees here at FRF this weekend alone signed the petition they would succeed in reaching that goal. To protect the dance culture, head over to the FujiRockers tent in the Shokudo and sign up. Do it for the children.

FLYER

Tohoku Livehouse Daisakusen has a table in the FujiRockers tent by the Shokudo. They are raising awareness and funds towards their project to build music venues along the devastated Tohoku-Sanriku coastal area.

By consciously building venues as part of the grand revival schematics, Miyako, Ofunato and Ishinomaki will become creative hubs, enticing musicians from around Japan and the world to visit the area and perform. Dual-purpose in this pursuit is of course the positive energy brought with performances, but also a reciprocal inspiration exchange, affecting the artist’s themselves with that spirit of human revival and perseverance.

Coming to FRF every year never ceases to fill me with great memories and lots of new ideas for the future. If you are listening to solar powered DJ booths on the Avalon lawn, eating curry cooked with bio-fuel, or buying hand-crafted hemp shirts direct from the artist, the community vibe and sustainable appeal is ever-present, and it renews my faith in the kindness of strangers and the resilience of humanity.

The Livehouse initiative can be found online here. Get connected, and if you have the time and energy, join in some way, any way, and help out the collective. Keep jamming amidst the rubble.

Mountain couture

Yesterday, after I interviewed The Very Best, the record company rep introduced the group to a young man from MTV Japan. After the usual greetings, Esau, the singer, asked him why he was wearing tights. The young man was sporting a look that was widespread throughout the festival this year for both men and women. They would wear shorts, but underneath it tights. Actually, I wondered the same thing but since I’m something of a fashion ignoramus I thought it would expose me as such if I asked, so I was glad Esau did. However, the answer didn’t real satisfy me. Continue Reading…

Light me up

The food court filled up pretty fast for the prefest party, and if this crowd is any indication of what’s in store this weekend, the place is going to be seriously packed. One drink stand told me they’ve already gone through two kegs in less than 90 minutes. Granted, the beer wasn’t Heineken, but that’s still pretty impressive. And once the bon odori finished, the fireworks signaled the start of the festival proper, and for the first time in four years the exhibition wasn’t obscured by a cover of misty rain. Let it begin…

Now that's what we're talkin' about

It’s been like 3 years since the pre-fest party was blessed with such gorgeous weather–and such a kickass sunset. T-shirt weather with only a hint of humidity, enough to bring the bullfrogs out, but so far the mosquitos seem to be cooperating. People are starting to arrive and the bon odor has begun. Tomorrow it’s fair again, or it’s supposed to be. Now for beer.

Words to live by

We’re not going to go out on a limb and predict clear skies this weekend, but so far the forecast for northern Japan from July 26 onward is for fair weather. The mountains, of course, adhere to their own climate prerogatives, which can be fickle, but if the prognosis for the nearby flatlands is sunny then it’s a safer bet there won’t be any downpours at Naeba.

We can handle rain in the daytime, or, at least, overcast skies. When it’s cloudless over Fuji in the daytime it can get punishingly hot, which means one’s stamina is severely sapped by the middle of the afternoon. The time you want clear skies is in the evening and at night. There’s nothing like grooving to a late afternoon set at the Field of Heaven or Orange Court as the sun sets slowly in the west; or dancing under the stars and that huge mountain with ten thousand other people in front of the Green Stage. But if the weather at night is clear there’s another attraction that’s quite satisfying: the movies. Continue Reading…

LIFE IN A GLASSHOUSE WITH THOM YORKE AND CO.

Thinking of coming to Fuji Rock on Sunday to see Radiohead close the 2012 edition of the festival on a high note? Well, the bad news is that you won’t be able to drive there by car without a ticket: the one-day parking tickets for Sunday have sold out.

The good news is that one-day tickets for Sunday and three-day tickets for the entire festival are still available but we’ve been told that they’re close to selling out. Our advice: Get in quick to avoid disappointment.

The Fuji Rock homepage has also updated its information regarding the last-day availability of tickets at various outlets around the country (Lawson, Pia, e-Plus, Gan-Ban, HMV, Tsutaya etc).

See here for all the gory details.

In other news, the schedule for the free shuttle bus to/from JR Echigo-yuzawa Station has been released. Free shuttle buses will be available to and from JR Echigo-yuzawa Station for all ticket holders from noon on Thursday through noon on Monday.

The shuttle buses depart Echigo-yuzawa Station from noon until midnight on Thursday, and from 06:00 until midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The shuttle buses depart Naeba Bus Terminal outside the entrance to the festival from 13:00 until 01:00 on Thursday, from 07:00 until 02:00 on Friday, from 05:00 until 02:00 on Saturday and Sunday, and from 05:00 until noon on Monday.

See here for the full shuttle bus schedule.

See here for more information about getting to/from the festival.

Katteni Shiyagare Literally Jumping For Joy @ FRF '06

A whole whack of artists were just added to the lineup for FRF ‘12. Notable names include fantastic Canadian rock duo Japandroids, former Public Image Ltd (PiL) members Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, DJ Krush, Katteni Shiyagare, DJ Scratchy, Kensington Hillbillys, and fest-favourites Big Willie’s Burlesque, who will be presenting something called “The New Recessionaires.”

The full stage lineups for All Night Fuji, Gypsy Avalon, the Crystal Palace Tent and Palace Arena, Naeba Shokudo, Mokudo Tei, and Café de Paris were revealed too. Check out all of the latest additions and where they’ll be performing here.

There’s been 195 acts announced for FRF ‘12 so far.  Expect the final performers (including all the bands on the Rookie A G0-Go Stage) to be announced in about two weeks time.  The full timetable will likely come out then too.

Check out Jamie’s interview with DJ Scratchy here:
Check out a live report of Big Willie’s Burlesque from FRF ‘11 here.
Check out a live reports of the Kensington Hillbillys from FRF ‘11 here and here.
Check out live photos of Katteni Shiyagare from FRF ‘06 here.

*Photo of Katteni Shiyagare by Koichi Hanafusa and used with the permission of Fuji Rock Express ‘06.

THE CANADIAN DUO ARE MAKING THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE AT FUJI ROCK

If the announcement last week that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will fill the vacant headline spot on Saturday ultimately proved to be one of Fuji Rock’s worst-kept secrets, electro-pop fans were salivating at news that Canada’s up-and-coming Purity Ring has also been added to the lineup.

Indeed, it’s hard to believe a duo with the sum total of four singles to date could have attracted so much attention online over the past 18 months. Much of that buzz comes from glowing reviews posted on music websites such as Pitchfork, which incidentally listed Purity Ring’s debut single, “Ungirthed,” at No. 38 on the best 100 singles of 2011, just behind Jamie xx’s “Far Nearer” and Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky’s “Peso.” It’s illustrious company to be included in for sure, and we all remember Jamie xx’s performance at the Red Marquee last year, don’t we?

Like a mosquito circling at shoulder height in summer, the buzz surrounding Purity Ring is a buzz that refuses to go away. Storied independent label 4AD has since added to the hype, signing the duo in April and announcing a release date for their debut full-length album, “Shrines” – July 24, just five days before their inaugural Fuji Rock performance. This in of itself is sure to inspire a show I’m sure the pair will want fans in Japan to remember.

Like so many young artists these days, it’s hard to pin a tag on the duo that really sticks. In earlier interviews, they seemed to be trying to stake a claim on a genre they called “future pop.” However, this label fails to account for the unearthly atmospherics that typically pervade their recordings. So what exactly can we expect? Continue Reading…

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Live in Osaka on May 26

Ever since the early announcements that The Stone Roses and Radiohead would be headlining this summer’s Fuji Rock, people have been wondering who the third headliner for the weekend would be.  Seconds ago, Smash just revealed that it will be Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

Considering that Noel Gallagher made references during his Japanese gigs last week that he’d be back for Fuji Rock, hearing today that he’s been slotted to close out the Green Stage on Saturday night isn’t that surprising.  And now folks who’ve been fretting over Saturday’s headliner can finally relax and instead spend their time speculating about who will be included added in the coming weeks to fill out the rest of the fest’s bill! Continue Reading…

POWER TO THE PEOPLE: TOKIKO KATO ENERGIZES THE CROWD AT GYPSY AVALON IN 2011

The Atomic Cafe, a movement established to oppose nuclear weapons and power through music, returned to Fuji Rock in 2011 after being put out to pasture for a few years and benefited from increased public concerns about atomic energy following the catastrophic chain of events surrounding the meltdown in Fukushima.

Despite the persistent rain, sizeable crowds huddled in groups around the Gypsy Avalon stage as guest speakers such as nuclear expert Hideyuki Ban and film director Hitomi Kamanaka dished out a few home truths about hot spots, radiation testing and decontamination efforts in the prefecture. The sombre mood of the discussions on stage was punctuated by no-nonsense performances by local agitators such as folk singer Tokiko Kato and Soul Flower Union. (It’s actually worth noting that Tokiko Kato is also on the bill on Sunday at this year’s festival. Check her out if you can.)

With Tokyo Electric Power Co. now claiming to have brought the Fukushima power plant under some semblance of control, it will be interesting to see what angle The Atomic Cafe intends to focus on this year. Nuclear reactors across the nation are currently idle, but lawmakers with ties to influential power companies are stepping up efforts to get them back online. And Japan appears resigned to let them do it. After all, who wants to walk up a dozen steps in summer when you can simply stand on an escalator? (*shuffles feet*)

So what anti-nuke message can we expect to come out of Fuji Rock in 2012? Here’s where you can help… Continue Reading…

Mono on the White Stage at FRF '08

Six more bands names were just added to the lineup for FRF’ 12.  Electric Guest, Hey-Smith, and Third Coast Kings will all play on July 27.  Asparagus and Mono will play on July 28.  And Yosui Inoue will play on the final day of the fest.

One of post-rock’s elite, Tokyo’s Mono are currently working on their sixth full-length album.  Hopefully we’ll get a sneak peek of some of the band’s new tracks at FRF.

Check out live photos from Mono’s White Stage performance in 2008 here.

Asparagus also played on the White Stage in ‘08.  Check out live photos from their set here and a live report here.

Our good friends at Smashing Mag have some great photos of Hey-Smith from the band’s April 20 concert at Akasaka Blitz here.

*Mono photo by Izumi Kumazawa and used with the permission of Fuji Rock Express’ 08.

Toots

A new set of artists has just been announced for the festival, but the elephant remains nervously in the middle of the room. Who will fill the all-important Saturday night headlining slot? Ticket-wise, Saturday is the most important day, since it often determines how many people actually decide to make a weekend out of the festival, rather than just a one-day affair. It’s no secret that the organizers have always tried to book a huge star for Saturday night, and we’ve heard in the past of efforts to get some people who don’t normally make it to Japan that often. Usually these efforts are unsuccessful because, well, these stars have reasons not to come all the way to Japan at the height of the festival season, most of them logistical. Reasons for the slot remaining empty this late are numerous but the obvious ones are: holding out for a big star who has made positive noises but has yet to commit; commitment from a star who may not have as much drawing power as the organizers would like; failure to secure someone major after months of negotiation. Continue Reading…

Another 16 acts were just added to this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival. Included amongst the new names are Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, who electrified audiences at FRF ‘09 (photos here and live review here) and last fall’s Asagiri Jam, the always amazing DJ Kentaro, The Birthday, and former Kemuri frontman Fumio Ito.

Information about what day each band will play on has also been announced.  Check it out here.

Check out the full list of new FRF ‘12 performers after the break. Continue Reading…

Shibusashirazu Orchestra Live at FRF '09

Smash just announced another 25 acts for this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival.  FRF faves Shibusashirazu Orchestra, Ray Davies (the former frontman for legendary rock band The Kinks), The D.O.T. (a new project from Mike Skinner of The Streets and Rob Harvey of The Music), M. Ward, Tha Blue Herb, Mop of Head (who played at the FRF ‘11 Thursday night pre-fest bash), and Django Django are just a few of the new performers confirmed.  News surfaced a few weeks back about Django Django’s appearance, but now they are officially on board.

Check out the full list after the break.

Continue Reading…

DENKI GROOVE BRINGING FUJI-SAN TO THE GREEN STAGE @ FRF '06

The fine folks at Smash just announced more performers for this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival.

Another 14 bands were added.  Included amongst the international standouts on the list are Gossip, Fucked Up, and Spiritualized.  Denki Groove, Chatmonchy, and Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro are some of the talented local acts that have been confirmed to join us in Naeba from July 27 – 29.

Gossip were fantastic when they played the Red Marquee at FRF ‘08 and Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro were pretty stellar at Field of Heaven at FRF ‘10.   I’m definitely looking forward to catching both again.

Here’s the full list of new performers that have been added to the  FRF ‘12 lineup:

Agoria
Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band
The Back Horn
Chatmonchy
Denki Groove
Fucked Up
Gossip
Moritz Von Oswald Trio
Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro
New Cool Collective
OL Killer
Tokiko Kato
Special Others
Spiritualized

Check out photos (here) and a live review (here) of Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro at FRF ‘10.
Check out photos (here) and a live review (here) of Gossip at FRF ‘08.
Check out photos (here) and a live review (here) of Special Others at FRF ‘08.
Check out photos (here and here) of Denki Groove at FRF ‘08
Check out photos (here) a live review (here) of Denki Groove at FRF ‘06.

A commenter named Frankie shared a link in the comments section of our post about the previous FRF’ 12 artist announcement saying that Django Django were going to be appearing at the fest.  The band’s name was not added today, but maybe we’ll see them when the next batch of acts are revealed in around two weeks time.

*Photo by Ryota and used with the permission of Fuji Rock Express ‘06.

OWL CITY IS ONE OF THE 14 NEW FRF ' 12 ACTS

When this year’s Coachella lineup was announced, many a music fan was going bananas over the news that the fest would feature reunion sets from seminal underground bands At the Drive In and Refused.  Well guess what!  We’ll get to see both of them in Naeba in late July too.  At the Drive In were announced two weeks ago, and Refused were one of the 14 new Fuji Rock acts that were just released minutes ago.

Also in the latest lineup additions are Owl City, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and The Trojans.  Check out the full list after the break. Continue Reading…