Fuji Rock Festival '05

Despite the rain it was an excellent three days. The highlights for me were:

Friday July 29th

The Kaiser Chiefs were superb in the Red Marquee and were the first band to get me dancing and jumping!

Followed later on by probably the best performance of the weekend - with Chris Martin running around the Green Stage like some mad genius - Coldplay gave a truly great show to a huge crowd.



The Coldplay crowd (looking a little sad)


Saturday July 30th

Dachambo in the mud filled Field of Heaven were a great way to forget about the pouring rain and kick off another day.

Maximo Park have some great songs but were on a little early in the day to get everyone going.

Beck gave a quirky and enjoyable performance with some playing of random pieces of glassware thrown in for good measure.

The Bravery ponced around on stage and sounded/looked pretty good but didn't quite cut it.

Fat Boy Slim closed another good day but for some reason thought that people could hear him shouting through a megaphone over the huge speakers at the Green Stage - no chance!


Sunday July 31st

The Futureheads did a great set and practiced a little Japanese to get the crowd singing along with the excellent cover of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love". I met two of the band in the queue for some food after the show and very nice chaps they were too.

I had forgotten how good some of The Coral's songs were and they played to a packed Red Marquee.

Towards the end of a long three days New Order were doing their miserable old men routine but some great old songs and a verse sung in Japanese added to the performance.



Me showing my usual enthusiasm for dance music - possibly inspired by the amusingly named DJ Peanut Butter Wolf in the Red Marquee.


All in all a great festival, the setting was beautiful, the weather didn't detract too much and the music was absolutely brilliant. Fuji Rocked.

PS. I went to SummerSonic in Osaka aswell but I'm afraid it didn't quite match up. Some great bands, the best of which in my opinion were Kasabian, The Subways, The Departure, The Arcade Fire and Interpol.