MONO NO AWARE (selected by ROOKIE A GO-GO)
The 2016 Rookie winners return!
Every year the winner of the previous year’s Rookie a Go Go stage gets a slot on one of the larger stages. It’s a great initiative that has helped propelled numerous bands careers forward. Last year’s winners were Mono no Aware and they took over opening duties on the Red Marquee for the last day of Fuji Rock. The 4 piece have a loyal following with many having made the trip up the mountain to Naeba just to see them, judging by the response of the front third of the crowd as the band comes on stage.
The set starts with a long wordless cry with all members facing other way as they build through swathes of post rock guitar landscapes. One by one, the members turn to sing, a chorus gradually building with lingering melody and soundscapes filling the space between the singers. The second song is more straightforward pop with hints of psych, which turns out to be the standard for the rest of the set. There’s catchy guitar hooks and strutting bass lines a plenty, with the drums content to remain uncomplicated to provide space.
The band combines genres, with one song being a moshing rock breakdown and others starting with Lite-esque guitar noodling before transitioning to leisurely-layered choruses. However, compared to some of the other young indie pop bands here the inclusion of these different concepts and instrumental themes doesn’t quite click into a perfect coherent whole. Give them another year and I’m sure they will fully nail the full potential they hinted at this year.
