The Rifles follow The Futureheads in spearheading all sorts of Jam comparisons. Lead singer Joel Stoker hits the stage with a rousing "Os!" and crowd responds in kind. With a roughly chiming rhythm guitar, bouncy bass and a squalling lead guitar, Stoker, Rob Pyne and Grant Marsh lay down a tight, chugging sound, listing off the name of every song as they proceed. As their album won't be coming out in Japan till September, there were no hits for the local audience to single out, but "When I'm Alone" did the best job of showing off Rifles' bright, crinkly sound. "She's Got Standards" also hits a dark driving pace, chomping through the Marquee.
With a bit of buzz, plenty of festival appearances and Sony backing them, The Rifles have plenty of traction for act two. If they rise in Japan like Kaiser Chiefs did last year, what will we see from them at Fuji 2008?