“We are very cool band,” said Hero Complex bassist Shimpei to a post-Red Hot Chilli Peppers crowd.  I suspect he had spotted the large number of overseas Fujirockers in the audience and decided to up the band’s chances of success by appealing to people in endearingly nervous English.  Not that the band needed to sell themselves anymore than they already had been for the last twenty minutes.  As soon as Hero Complex started playing they were already miles ahead of the previous day’s bands in terms of energy, skill and sheer entertainment.

Purveyors of 3-minute punk ditties, Hero Complex leapt about the stage with infectious energy ramping ever upwards through the set. The songs were standard punk but with enough variation and energy to keep things fresh by playing at a frenetic pace and showing off great harmonies and song progression.  It was a welcome relief to have a band thoroughly grab your full attention, and the crowd they pulled in from outside attested to their potential to draw a bigger one should we perhaps see them against next year.