Karl Hyde, perhaps more familiar to readers as half of Underworld (who were last at Fuji Rock in ’08), brought his solo act to the second slot on the Green Stage. Consisting of 2 keyboards, Karl (on guitar and vocals), bass and his daughter as a backup singer, it was a relatively uncrowded stage. Solemn piano began the set, whisking over an electronic background. Karl’s earthy English voice calmly pronounces each word and phrase with measured emotion. The music is almost ambient at times with the bass enthusiastically rumbling away.

Some people would call Karl Hyde the definition of “daddy rock”. Full of complex emotions and memories, half regret and half refusal to deny wrong, vivid imagery and a iron-cast British accent to boot, it may not be to everybody’s tastes but you may find that changing as your age grows in digits. His set included not only his new solo material but also material from Underworld, the first being his third song of the night. The song’s bright line of melody piercing through the keyboards’ careful atmospheric meditation, with the bass rhythm flowing through the keyboards’ melody.

Next was a half-dream lullaby, soothed by ringing guitar and bass. The guitar melody fired and fell like a shooting star, joint female and male chorus leading the song ever so slowly from the high of the middle to the depths of the ending. Blunt sounding keyboard laid down the foundation of the next song’s sorrowful recollection and invitation to memory. Karl calmly sighs “This is the end of the world” as the song dies away.

It’s the saddest songs that see the the best reaction from the audience. A swirling, slowly arcing echo of guitar is carefully punctuated with slabs of harmony by harmony, ending in haunting serenity that left the audience silent The clouds turned orange with the sunset, matching the sense of ending and longing.

‘Between the Stars’ saw his voice start to rise, between mountain shaking bass and orderly piano. His gestures became extravagant to match, accentuating the lyric’s emotions. The music shifts to almost dance mixed with rock, losing some of its measuredness in exchange for open emotion. Last is an alternatively ominous and happy but altogether surrealist romp and ends with a heartfelt expression of love to the audience. And the audience replied in kind. Hopefully it won’t be another 5 years they’ll have to wait until Karl visits Fuji Rock again.