Moroha was one of the most gripping and real performances at Fuji Rock this year. Slated to play the Naeba Shokudo stage late in the evening when the Green Stage crowds were spilling out, this two-person group benefited from quite a large crowd.

Like other acts who played on this stage this year, Moroha made good use of an improved sound system and lighting which bathed the area in a warm glow. The absence of any rain whatsoever also made the stage more crowd friendly. With the proper setting in place, this two-piece act who perform poetry-hip-hop-rap over a plaintiff acoustic guitar accompaniment held easy sway over the audience.

For those who aren’t familiar with Moroha’s music, it comes across as a stream of consciousness rap which swings from being contemplative to full on tempest. While the lyrics hit hard, the guitar is the offset, anchoring the song with beautiful fills while the lyrics are mostly rage. A knock on the artist is that there is little range in this musical arrangement but this didn’t seem to be a concern for the crowd assembled this evening who mostly stayed through the entire set.

If anything, Moroha brings honesty and connection to an event that works desperately hard to achieve this, such is the nature of major festivals these days who are more interested in locking down big headliners who can play for 40,000 people. On an evening with music of every conceivable variety and style available, perhaps the biggest complement I could pay this band is their uniqueness.