1. The Cure

I’ve been a fan of The Cure for 26 years since coming across them on “Beavis and Butthead” one night, and this was the first time I’ve seen them live. I was having a bit of an emotional moment during their first few songs of the set, but settled down and sang along for the vast majority. I’m still intrigued to know exactly why that bass was so high in the mix, but I can forgive some idiosyncrasies.

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2. Janelle Monáe

A wonderfully slick and well-executed set from this protege of His Great Purpleness Prince and a Queen in her own right. The highlight of my Friday.

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3. King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard

Bonkers. I spent much of the set squealing with delight. Loved it.

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4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Full disclosure: I picked covering this band based on their name and the mention of “prog”. I really had no idea what I was walking into and I’m so glad I got to come in without expectations in order to be wowed and converted. Lovely stuff.

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5. Fujirockers

Fujirockers are a bloody-minded lot. Unbowed by rain, mud, wet shoes, wet everything, I was really impressed by the crowds who turned up to see bands in spite of the inclement weather and who soldiered through the weekend. Let’s see if next year’s August slot brings any changes to the weather and the potential for trench foot.

Oreskaband is now in it’s 15th year and are known for being the very best all-female ska-rock band in Japan. Led by iCas on vocals and guitar and a host of other friends from Osaka, the band formed primarily as friends in junior high school. Their musical competence has earned them invites from Summer Sonic as well as international events including South By Southwest.

If anything, the band are as close to TV friendly as I have ever seen, with a special look and style well suited for overlit TV studios and enthusiastic announcers. The striking good looks of each band member also leads some to believe the band may be an “idol” group, with less emphasis on style rather than substance.

But if you watch for a few minutes, it is obvious that this band is more than in love with their looks and really want to rock out. The band name, Oreskaband,” literally means “we’re a ska band.” And that’s all they really aspire to when you see them bopping and dancing on stage. Lead singer and guitarist, ices anchors the whole show standing center stage and leading many of the band arrangements.

Like other ska bands, the group appeared in two-tone costumes, although they were primarily dress whites with just a hint of black striping. With a compilation, “Best (2003-2013),” already under their fashionable string belts, the band had a lot of material to call upon. Of course, their long term commitment to music has dispelled the preconception that the band may be a one-hit wonder or an idol group as they have definitely grown musically and showmanship.

Furthermore, with years of stage appearances the band has become more vocal in political and social issues. While there was little time to delve into this during their Gypsy Avalon performance, the band mostly stuck to script and breezed through a terrific set. The band will continue entertaining audiences and touring, with one of the upcoming stops being the Taiwan Ska Festival at the end of August. Such international appearances show that this band has no intention of slowing down at all.

Keropons is made up of two women dressed in oversized day-glo pantaloons singing catchy songs while furiously gesturing. Watching them perform reminded me of watching the Teletubbies on a Saturday morning as a university student recovering from the night before and staring in mute incomprehension and complete fascination at the TV.

Waving their elbows and flashing their armpits, the show kicked off with a song about touching body parts – heads, fingers, and hips. Drawing out suggestion from the kids in the crowd, this escalated to touching cheeks of both varieties, because this is what happens when you allow children to make artistic decisions for you.

A slightly dubious moment involved the arrival of Mr. Piri Piri, the Keropons’ friend from Africa (actually Pon “in disguise”) who is distinguished by tribal clothes, an odd voice and a penchant for spicy food. What followed was a zany funk tune topped by a choreographed lesson in Swahili.

At the point where they started singing about yaki soba and fried chicken, I was starting to get flashbacks (and I had another band to get to) so I left Gypsy Avalon to a field of people shouting about whether or not they want juice or beer all while learning little dance routines with their kids.

There are worse ways to spend the morning!