So this is the first night of Fuji Rock 2026- the sun is dipping along with the temperatures, the sensible day drinking paces are slowly raising up to serious night drinking tempos. What you need is a guide, a trip sitter of sorts. And there are no more capable hands for you to be in than those of your dear friends Ogre You Asshole.

The Field of Heaven Stage was the perfect setting for their set filled with droning ostinatos. Sometimes you want music that moves fast, sometimes you want you music to take its time. Ogre You Asshole usually falls into the latter camp and rewards flashes of the former.

But don’t think the set was all gurus and shamans, the band has an infectiously funky side. Takashi Shimizu’s bass was mostly responsible for this. His steady yet groovy hand along with Takashi Katsura’s clean motorik beat ensured the whole set was body moving. Their rhythmic consistency made every little fluctuation in instrumentation stand out, just like any band known for their extended hypnotic jams should.

Kei Mabuchi’s guitar primarily provided the texture, mostly swirls of echo and reverb with the occasional shock of a cutting riff. The whole thing was then, of course, held solidly together by Manabu Detu’s relatable and dreamy vocals.

It was a performance that got the blood pumping and set the animal urges dormant in us all awake for our first formal night together in these Naeba woods.