MONOEYES delivered acutely polished emo-infused rock to an adoring crowd of approximately two thousand that gathered in front of Fuji Rock’s White Stage, after Saturday’s rain. Fists in the air and bending forward with each beat (more than head banging) there was ample proof that this band is well-loved. From song to song, the masses never tired of punching the air with their fists. An astonishing factor in their fans’ deep devotion is that MONOEYES seem to sing all in English.

In the Japanese market, English-language foreign records currently only account for about 10% of the domestic sales. However, the rapt crowd seemed to love them regardless of what language in which they sang. Another rarity in their makeup- their manager told me as I watched the show – is that their bassist and co-vocalist hails from Chicago.

Twelve minutes into their stage time, MONOEYES delivered a spirited number called “Morning Glory,” akin to Further Seems Forever, against a quickly changing video presentation on the screen behind them. And, their throngs of fans alternated between responding with head jerks, clapping over their heads to the downbeat, and gesticulating in the air with their hands. Thirty-three minutes into the band’s set, the audience continued to punctuate the lyrics with their fingers in the air , and waved their hands from side to side.

At this point, the band took a short break to thank their fans for coming out. The lead singer/guitarist also told them that music is the only true life for him, so he wanted to really thank the crowd for coming to their show. He then said that the next song would be sung by their bass player, Scott. As white stars danced around the black sky on the screen behind the band, Scott delivered a mid-tempo indie rock track which could hold its own with poppier tracks by Death Cab for Cutie. Scott’s delivery also bore something of a resemblance to that of DCFC’s Ben Gibbard, who played this stage in 2019.

For the next song, blue and red stage lights illuminated the band from above, then shifted to pink; giving the track an air of intensity. As the number ended, the guitarist/vocalist at center stage thanked the crowd for coming again, said he knew Scott for a whole twenty years, and was grateful that they could share Fuji Rock. He also said that he found it peculiar that there were no foreign acts in attendance this year (due to the pandemic) and that he would appreciate a few more foreigners; to which the audience laughed. He concluded by saying, “Well, we’ll do our best”. As they did, in a rollicking indie rock number that rang of positivity, the audience pelted the air with their fists at the end of every beat in the choruses.

As they dove into their last song – another emo-ish indie rock track, but this one possessing a d-beat from punk rock – the crowd lost their minds and cheered for them as if they were the best band in the entire world; jumping up and down, swaying from side to side, and bobbing up and down here and there. Then, the chorus shifted into a ferocious hardcore beat, and hundreds of fists rose into the air in a deeply loving tribute. The stage lighting then burned a bright yellow like sun rays, before dying down, as the song broke down to a single-coil picking and palm muting that then led back to more d-beat rocking. As a final punctuation mark for their festival set, MONOEYES drove into a thunderous stadium-rock ending, and garnered applause from the audience who clapped above their heads in an ethereal glow.