Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

This year’s Fuji Rock theme song was undoubtedly Massive Attack’s “Protection,” which was performed no less than three times by three different artists at the 14th installment of Japan’s largest international music festival.

Fans might have needed protection from the English accents of the numerous French and Spanish bands on the bill. But rather than seeking protection, the crowd seemed more inclined to surrender—surrender to the music, surrender to the rain and mud, surrender to the Woodstock gestalt created by 100,000-plus music fans assembled in a verdant alpine valley for three days of peace, love and rock’n’roll.

Aside from the loss of an artist’s passport and the clogged port-a-potty or two, the latest edition in promoter Smash’s marquee event would have to be judged one of the best in recent years, whether the standard was the astounding diversity of more than 200 bands on a dozen stages over three days, or the attention to detail that saw staff conducting questionnaires to improve the festival experience.

Historic firsts came in the form of appearances by several certified rock gods who had never before mounted the stage at Naeba. Friday night saw 64-year-old former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones join the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme in celebrity supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. The band was at its best when providing a rhythm backdrop for Homme’s dark vocal fantasies; other times, their jams were directionless, proving that it doesn’t matter how famous your rhythm section is if your songs aren’t memorable.

Following them as headliners on Friday, England’s Muse turned the massive Green Stage into a pulpit for frontman Matthew Bellamy’s extravagant art-rock sermons, sounding and looking something like an interspecies hybrid of Radiohead and Queen.

Over at the indoor Red Marquee stage, human beatbox and sampling wunderkind Beardyman was launching into the first rendition of “Protection” as a shout out to dub producer Mad Professor, whose remix of the song became a worldwide smash in 1995. Not to be outdone, Mad Professor himself then sliced and diced the track in a subsequent set, to the pleasure of the assembled dub fanatics.

History on day two was embodied by American roots singer-songwriter John Fogerty and British glam-rock innovators Roxy Music, back in Japan for the first time in 38 and 27 years, respectively. Onetime frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty invited a willing audience back to the ’60s, a decade in which most hadn’t been born yet. Whether it was because they’d heard songs like “Proud Mary” somewhere before or were just game for anything, the crowd opened up to Fogerty’s music, and a connection was forged across cultures and generations.

If Fogerty resurrected ’60s Americana, Roxy Music drew a line to ’70s London and its experiments in music, fashion and attitude—experiments that are still being played out by younger bands on the Fuji Rock bill like The xx. Frontman Bryan Ferry’s booming baritone—the polar opposite of Fogerty’s clarion tenor—was undiminished, but his decision to save the big hits for last tried fans’ patience.

The final night on Sunday fast-forwarded the timeline to the ’90s, with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke making his first appearance at FRF in the company of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and their new project Atoms For Peace. Where the celebrity jam session of Them Crooked Vultures was ponderous and proggy, Atoms For Peace were arty and eclectic, with Yorke playing both electric and acoustic guitar and piano. Looking pleased to be liberated from expectations that he perform Radiohead hits, Yorke offered up songs from his solo album The Eraser, which sounded fully fleshed in a live context. But the varied quality of the band’s new material and lack of a star turn for Flea left questions that could only be answered by the release of an album.

There was nothing left unanswered by Massive Attack however.The Fuji Rock veterans pushed all the right buttons, performing ’90s trip-hop hits like “Angel” with haunting Jamaican reggae singer Horace Andy and, yes, “Protection,” as the rain began to beat down.

Reports that tickets weren’t selling well proved groundless, with FRF ’10 just topping last year at 125,000. And any worries that Japan’s demographic youth implosion might imperil events like Fuji Rock are proving unfounded—every year sees more fans flying in from places as far as Australia and Finland for what is widely acknowledged to be one of the world’s definitive music festivals.

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Detroit Social Club

Back in Tokyo, Metropolis sat down with David Burn of Newcastle rockers Detroit Social Club to talk about their Fuji Rock debut and new album Existence.

You wrote that one of your ambitions was to play Fuji Rock—did it live up to your dreams?
More than. When our drummer and I were just friends years ago, we were talking about how amazing it would be to transcend cultures and play our music in Japan. To be able to come across and do it was amazing. The journey through the Japanese countryside was also unreal. A gig is a gig, but to be doing it here is a blessing.

When did you realize that you weren’t anywhere near Mt. Fuji?
I only found out they had to move the festival on the day of the gig. But there was no disappointment because the venue was beautiful.

Were you able to catch any other bands?
Unfortunately not. We caught a bit of Muse Friday night but had to come back to Tokyo right after the gig because the others had to fly out on Sunday. But we have done 20 festivals this summer, so we’re suffering a bit of festival fatigue.

How did Fuji rate compared to the other fests?
The festival was amazing. So were the others, for different reasons, but the experience of traveling to Japan puts it up there with Glastonbury.

You’re a new band and this was your chance to try to crack Japan. How did you go over?
It’s strange, because you’re not able to communicate between songs. But our album only came out a few weeks ago, and there was a bloke right in front singing all our lyrics. It’s amazing to think that something you wrote 6,000 miles away can have an impact here. We did a signing afterwards and were worried no one would turn out, but there was a massive queue. So it was nice to see we’ve resonated with at least a few people over here. It gives you confidence to think the next song you write might be heard in Japan.

Any sense that the buzz might lead to a tour?
We’re meeting to talk about it tonight, and our management is saying there is the possibility of coming back at the end of this year or top of next year. Obviously, we would jump at the chance, but the expense of flying makes it hard to justify economically.

What is meant by “Detroit Social Club”?
Back in the day, I was doing a degree in American History and studying the migration of African-Americans to Detroit, and listening to a lot of Iggy Pop and the MC5. Social clubs in northern England are an institution, so I wanted to pull together something that represented England and America, but it’s probably less relevant now as our recent music is less influenced by America.

Tell us about one song on Existence.
One that I’m particularly proud of is the secret track, “Mind At War,” because it’s a big tune and took a year to write. It’s about the battle between science and religion, because I’m torn between my quite religious family and my 21st-century understanding of science. Usually, you would want your strongest track at the beginning of the album, but if you can save it for the secret track, it’s kind of making a statement that the other tracks pull their weight.

Tell us about your natty white suit.
It’s about trying to go beyond the music. I’ve gone on stage in jeans and a T-shirt, but it’s boring, isn’t it? You need to step outside the box a bit and push the boundaries. I respect bands that have a certain look. It’s not just about the music. You’ve got to put on a show.