Despite the fact that KOTORI has been performing together since 2015, they finally broke big after their 2019 Rookie a Go-Go performance, and dropping their well received second full length REVIVAL the same year. Their newest release from this May, We Are The Future, sees them continue to grow artistically, and their performance at Fuji saw them continue to rock.

Kicking off the Red Marquee stage with the title track from their new album, you could feel an instant sense of release from a crowd starved for live music for far too long. The song built and swelled into a rallying cry for an optimistic future, and hopefully set the tone for the festival’s three days generally.

The set itself showed the young band coming into its own, confidently blending pop-sensible melodies with a cathartically hard edge, supplied in no small part by drummer Chihiro Hosokawa’s pounding percussion. The jangling yet lyrical guitars and frequent breaks bring to mind some of the better 90’s alt rock bands (Filter and early My Bloody Valentine come to mind), with lots of judiciously employed droning distortion and thumping bass filling things out. All together it made for a sound and a set both sweet and heavy, a tough combination to pull off.

Here’s hoping KOTORI is the future, and more young bands follow their lead into our new tomorrow.