I can hear music

Sunday: FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL!!



We only got to go on the final day of this three-day music extravaganza as we a) werent organised enough to get 3-day tickets, b) had no accomodation / sleeping arrangements lined up and c) werent sure if we'd actually like it. Apparently it poured down on Friday and Saturday nights, so probably best we werent in a tent.

Anyway, we caught the bullet train to the festival, then spent close on two hours waiting arpound for the shuttle bus to take us from the station to the festival site. This meant we missed Juliette and the Licks, but I'm sure they were good.

*ahem*

Last train to Trancent...er...Fuji

Heres what we saw / heard:

The Go! Team: They were really, really good. Really. I'd heard a few crummy reports of them after their Australian shows, and heard some less-than-promising live tracks from last year, so I was a little apprehensive about it. But they ruled. Probably the pick of the day.
The Magic Numbers: A bit boring. So I got a chicken pita sandwich instead. That was nice.
Ego Wrappin': Imagine the demon spawn of The Cat Empire and Bjork. Then double the evil. That would be Ego Wrappin'.
Aqualung: Just keep walking. Don't make eye contact.
Athlete: Surprisingly good. They seemed genuinely happy to be there, and it showed in the set. They stopped a song mid-intro and dedicated it to a girl they met at a meet-and-greet session. Not many people turned up though.
Doves: Great, but maybe a little loud. A few technical issues - foldback not loud enough, then a guitar wouldnt work, then a tambourine broke...Still, a great set (despite no Catch the Sun). They are coming back for a proper tour in October.
Beach Boys: Only heard a few songs, as we were trying to negotiate the mud pit that was the path between stages. Finished with "Fun Fun Fun", and sounded alright. As soon as they finished, the DJ played a ripoff of "Kokomo" called "Camel Toe" by The Bob and Tom Band. Possibly the worst timing ever.
Royksopp: Really good. Couldnt see them due to the smoke machines and lights, but they sounded great.
After that, Moby was due to come on and it started raining really, really hard. So we left. Stupid Moby. And we had to catch our bullet train back home.
Of course, having to leave so early meant I had to miss Sigur Ros, Primal Scream and New Order. Doh.

Rockin' out, Fuji-style

Many visitors to Sovereign Hill like to try panning for gold

The "hippy area". Note the man in the red g-string.

Highlight of festival: Go! Team
Lowlight of festival: Knowing the John Butler Trio was there
Fashion accessory of the festival: GUMBOOTS! They're back in fashion, you know.

Monday: Kaiser Chiefs, The Bravery, The Black Velvets

Shibuya AX is a great venue to see bands. Standng room downstairs, and seating up in the balcony. I had a great view wherever I stood in the venue (but that could be due to me being tall rather than venue design).

Anyway...

The Black Velvets: Do NOT see this band. The singer was a cross between Def Leppard's Joe Elliot, and Kula Shaker's Crispian Mills. The bassist looked like Chris Farley. The guitarist would intermittently play using his teeth. The drummer seemed reasonably competent. They sounded like any pub rock band in Warrnambool.
Kaiser Chiefs: Not bad. Very Blur-sounding, and they have tons of energy. they got the best crowd reaction of the night. Seemed a bit lost though, after the singer ran backstage after disappearing into the crowd - they had to have a quick band meeting to figure out what they were going to play next.
The Bravery: Total let-down. Shouldnt have been the headliners, as no one got very excited for anything that wasnt "An Honest Mistake". Wouldnt pay money to see them again. Stupid Bravery.

Still havent decided whether to go to Summer Sonic or not. Theres some good stuff on (The Tears) but some godawful stuff as well (erm, Nine Inch Nails).