Hailing from New Delhi, India, Bloodywood makes their debut in Japan at none other than the Fuji Rock Green Stage. This stop is part of their 10-country tour around the world which recently began.

This politically-charged band made waves at this year’s festival (for those who understood English) with their advocacy for following one’s dreams and against sexual assault, just to name a few.

Bloodywood’s set began with explosive drums and lyrics in both English and Hindi. While flailing their hair and classic metal manner and wearing traditional Indian-wear (for some members), the band members interacted with the crowd throughout the set in inspiring fashion.

While chanting and hip thrusting, the band sent out a message first, on journalistic freedom and freedom of speech. They then went on to send out a message: “…Lifetime of trying is a better feeling then a lifetime of what ifs….set out on the impossible dream [like we have] and follow the dreams of your own…because you’re not meant for tomorrow; you’re meant for today.” While accompanying the tunes with a flute, traditional drums, as well as guitar and drums.

Lead singer and founder, Karan Katiyar encouraged the crowd to join in on their message by singing along in a melody of “oooh”’s as the band went on to talk about “predators” meaning sexual predators that we must combat. “They hide between us and prey on the weak…have the difficult conversations with friends and family and [gain visibility] in the public [about the issue].” They even quoted Martin Luther King Jr. encouraging riots — in the sense that society must make big statements to overcome issues — together and as individuals.

More on Bloodywood:
An Indian metal band formed in 2016, Bloodywood began as a parody band for pop-songs-turned-metal that gained traction on YouTube. Once they started writing their own music, there are still remnants of their old tunes that match the energy of their influences such as Linking Park, Raise Against the Machine, System of the Down, and Limp Bizkit as they combine traditional Bollywood sounds with screamo and rap.