Khamai Leon (pronounced “chameleon” in Japanese) is a Tokyo-based band that formed in April 2019. The young members have been juggling attending school while experimenting with music together.

The lead singer/rapper/poet/flute player, yutaozaki told the audience that this is their first time performing at a festival, and how it’s an honor to have it be Fuji Rock.

The set began with the captivating sounds of yutaozaki’s flute, which is classically trained. As the drums (Suga Akase) and bass (Ryo Yonemitsu) join, yutaozaki switched to rapping lyrics as beja on keyboard joined the rest in their song titled “the ray of youth”.

The band prides themselves in each member having a unique and original sound, and what brings them all together is the flute at front and center. For their second song, “ubiquitous”, more jazz influences are heard even among the rapping by yutaozaki.

As the stage lights turned red, so did the music with darker and heavier tones to match the mood. The second half of the set included various musical monologues by yutaozaki singing, rapping, and talking about the struggles of the pandemic and the beauty to play in front of an audience. Peaceful bells created a sense of pause over the second half before he dove back into an poetic monologue about life. This, titled “Do you head the hymn?” concluded the newcomer band’s set.

All in all, the band brought a new breath of “poetic justice” to the stage and the festival, as they experimented with various genres from jazz to rock to rap to classical.