Fans of Glastonbury who missed out on seeing headliners the Foo Fighters perform following lead singer Dave Grohl’s leg break at a show in Sweden last month may have a reprieve. If they are prepared to make their way to Japan and all the way in to the mountains of Naeba.Based on the UK’s most famous musical gathering, Fuji Rock Festival is its crisp, clean little brother, begun in 1997 and permanently based as a ski resort in Japan’s cooler interior.It’s been ten years since the Foos last headlined Fuji, an event they’ve had a long association with. The band performed at the very first festival when it was actually located right under Mt Fuji, and returned again in 2000. Their fourth appearance at this years 2015 edition will close the opening Friday night’s set on the main Green Stage.Lining up with them the same day will be other rock stalwarts including Motorhead, One OK Rock and Ash. Crowds are expected to fill the second stage, known as the White Stage, for Brighton, England act Royal Blood, who after forming only two years ago found their debut self-titled album hit the UK no.1 spot last summer. They will be preceded by another UK act, drum and bass band Rudimental.With over 200 bands set to perform this year, to an expected attendance of around 100,000 over three days, the focus this year is very un-Glastonbury – no controversial Kanye West or other big name non-rock acts. The focus is very much on mainstream rock throughout. Familiar faces include all three headliners in fact. On Saturday Muse return five years after last dazzling the audience with their pyrotechnic-laden theatrics, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds close the festival out on Sunday, just three years since last topping the bill.There are plenty of other standouts on the big stages though. American electronica act Owl City will play a Friday afternoon set, leading female jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara will do the same on Saturday, and Sunday will see a hotly-anticipated appearance by local singer-songwriter Ringo Sheena.Fuji Rock though, has always been about the experience, rather than the shows, and the joy of the gathering is wandering amongst the forest and across rivers, stumbling into shows mid-set by acts less familiar. The Field of Heaven and Gypsy Avalon stages are all about experimentation, mixing acts like Sweden’s Räfven, “the country’s wildest act,” with Kyoto-based acoustic instrumental band Drakskip.With the summer in Tokyo building up to its humid and hottest by the end of the month, Fuji Rock remains not just a summer event not to be missed, but a true summer getaway to escape from city stress, into the cooler climes of mountains with an added soundtrack.For this year’s full line-up, click here.
↧