Millennial rockers Vampire Weekend, funk outfit Vulfpeck and electronic act Fred Again.. are set to headline this summer¡¯s Fuji Rock Festival, according to an official announcement released Friday.
The nation¡¯s premier summer music festival showcasing international acts in Japan, Fuji Rock will be held from July 25 to 27 at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture.
Unlike previous years, where only headliners and a trickle of acts were revealed, this year¡¯s announcement featured a whopping 60 artists, ranging from overseas bands to domestic singer-songwriters. Other notable acts on the roster include Four Tet, Haim and Barry Can¡¯t Swim.
On the Japanese side, however, the news was especially exciting. Festival organizers Smash revealed that local legend Tatsuro Yamashita, who has a decades-long career in this country, is set to play Fuji Rock for the first time ever. Other Japanese acts announced included Suchmos (reunited after going on hiatus in 2021), rap duo Creepy Nuts, Gen-Z rocker Vaundy and punk quartet Otoboke Beaver.
This year¡¯s first announcement saw a heavy focus on acts from wider Asia, too. Notable names were South Korean rock band Hyukoh and Taiwanese city-pop revivalists Sunset Rollercoaster appearing as a collaborative supergroup, genre-melding Korean outfit Balming Tiger and Seoul-based group Silica Gel.
Smash revealed its lineup of international performers just before noon on a digital billboard in Shibuya Ward, with several dozen people cheering from a corner across the street as artists¡¯ names appeared. Haim received the biggest shouts of joy. A larger announcement was made online shortly after.
With around 60 names announced so far, Fuji Rock promises more reveals in the future. The news came one day after fellow event organizer Creativeman shared a peek at its lineup for Summer Sonic 2025, a similarly international-focused music festival set to be held Aug. 16 and 17, concurrently in Tokyo and Osaka. The event¡¯s official X account shared that American rock band Fall Out Boy would headline the two-day event, alongside Japanese quartet Official Hige Dandism.
More Summer Sonic artists are set to be announced next week.
Fuji Rock Festival started in 1997, with the inaugural edition held near Mount Fuji. A typhoon hit the gathering, however, forcing Smash to cancel the festival¡¯s second day and find a new home. After one year in Tokyo¡¯s Toyosu neighborhood, Fuji Rock settled down in Niigata Prefecture¡¯s Naeba, where it has been ever since.
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