HOLYCHILD

Warming Up to Holychild

The unafraid duo Holychild (consisting of Liz Nistico and Louie Diller) had a bit of a challenge ahead of them here at Fuji Rock. Their smart, sassy and sarcastic brat pop, with intelligent lyrics talking about objectification and the power and pain that comes with it was at risk of getting lost in translation.

And in a way, it was.

Sarcasm notoriously doesn’t work well in Japan, and this was an occasion I suspected it wouldn’t. I thought I was proved right as the crowd grew, but didn’t see so responsive as Holychild dove into “Diamonds on the Rebound” with all they had. Thankfully, I was much mistaken.

Though it took a little while for the crowd to warm up, Liz Nistico’s dancing acrobatics, charm (she tried to speak Japanese as much as possible between the numbers) and most importantly her on point vocals won them over by their second song, “Playboy Girl”. Apart from the 3 people lying down fast asleep behind me (rough night?) everyone started joining in dancing and jumping along as “Running Behind” was in full swing.

Liz strutted from the stage (dressed immaculately in a shimmering silver bikini-style top, zigzag striped bellbottoms, and some seriously chunky platforms, to a platform closer to the crowd, where she mesmerized us with her voice and her snaky smooth swaying and dancing during “Tell Me How It Is”. Other Holychild staples including the bittersweet “Regret You”, “Nasty Girls” (featuring some excellent drumming), “Plastered Smile” and “U Make Me Sick” were also on the menu.The biggest crowd pleasers though? “Money All Around”and their final song, “Happy With Me”.

By the time it was over, it was like parting with a dear friend. The crowd cheered and clapped wildly, thanking the duo for their performance—giving them a much warmer, well-deserved send off than the initial welcome they received.