Listen closely to the void, and you’ll hear some folks complaining that Fuji Rock Festival 2018 doesn’t have enough “rock.” This claim mostly stems from the headliners, two of the three being hip-hop acts, but it does trickle down further with high placement for Skrillex, Years & Years and more performers you wouldn’t instantly associate with rockin’ out. But as is often the case when people complain about the lack of something, they just aren’t looking deep enough. Take Suchmos, whose early afternoon show on the Green Stage featured plenty of guitar heroics, dramatic poses and nods to music history. Here’s the rock you asked for!

Suchmos occupy a weird place in the Japanese rock pyramid — they are extremely popular, capable of making a theme song for a TV station’s World Cup coverage, but also earnest in a way few similar Japanese bands even try, which results in a lot of mockery (see: aforementioned soccer anthem being played during the half of a game during the recent gathering in Russia, and Japanese netizens tearing it apart). They leaned into that during their Green Stage set — lead vocalist Yonce came out wearing a button-up shirt featuring a painting of Mt. Fuji at Fuji Rock, for goodness sakes. And don’t even get me started on his choice not to wear shoes or socks.

But that heart-on-sleeve charm — even when taken to places that were a little rough (attempts at reggae) — won over a large chunk of the crowd. It helped that they bookended it with moments of rockstar hubris, such as an extended guitar solo on “Wiper” that saw their main player eventually place his instrument on the ground and go at it. Or the more high-energy “Volt-Age,” where they just plowed into it and injected as much energy into the number as possible. Suchmos know how to get a crowd involved, and their slowly unfolding jammers connected.

Peppered throughout were nods to rock history, moments that felt like concessions to Fuji Rock’s history. Yonce broke out the hook to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” while they covered “Come Together” and (kinda awkwardly) Bob Marley’s “Stand Up, Get Up,” complete with fists in the air. They could stick out a bit awkwardly in the greater picture, but they also connected with the punters not familiar with the group. And this is a rock festival after all — why not give the people just what they want?