Most festival goers were ready for a palate cleanser Sunday morning, something to mark the change from rain to sun. At the Red Marquee, Skirt was ready to deliver it with their sweet, sincere brand of pop-rock. Perfect for a sunny morning.

Skirt is, of course, a band. And quite a good one at that! However, vocalist and guitarist Wataru Sawabe is undeniably the star of the show. His performance style has a kind of earnesty and authenticity that can’t be faked. It also helps that his songs are extremely catchy.

The band started their set by rollicking from one uptempo conga drum fueled banger to the next, fast and guitar-driven but not hard. By the time he got to their popular track Seven Star the tempo was breakneck, like the band was racing against itself. Woke up the crowd like a shot of espresso.

After this, Watanabe switched to an acoustic guitar and the tempo relaxed a bit, but kept the crowd tapping their toes and bobbing their heads.

After a few heartfelt little emotional jams back on the electric guitar, it was time once again to get people moving. The pop went down, and the funk went up with Watanabe showing his range as a songwriter and musician on his song Kaisou

When Skirt exited the stage they left behind them a lingering sense of both nostalgia and emotional optimism, perhaps the best blend of emotions to carry into a Fuji Rock Sunday.