Tokyo's Back Drop Bomb came out with guns blazing for their third appearance at FRF. Have played on the White Stage in 1999 and on Green in 2003, the sextet were no strangers to the large crowds and adverse conditions of the site.

With the rain lightly falling, a heavy dance beat exploded from the speakers on the White Stage. Yellow lights began flashing all over the stage as the audience rushed forward to secure as close of a spot as possible. One by one, the band slowly sauntered out and began toying with their respective instruments. A huge cheer erupted from the large mass of raincoat clad bodies as vocalists Takayoshi Shirakawa and Masashi Ojima appeared.

A wave of feedback mixed with the dance beat as Back Drop launched into their first song. The crowd began swaying and bouncing as the band's electronic-infused hard rock rhythms filled the area. A large banner with the band's name was dramatically raised as Shirakawa and Ojima began singing. Trading off verses, the two vocalists took turns singing and rapping throughout the song.

Playing a variation of nu-metal, the group expanded the genre and gave it a slightly poppier edge by adding in elements of electronica and punk. Extremely danceable, band members and spectators alike grooved along to the heavy sounds. The ring leaders of this multi-headed sonic beast, Shirakawa and Ojima's ability to drop a series of hip hop-inspired vocals and then sing melodically allowed them to repeatedly change the vibe and add new dimensions to the dense wave of noise being created by their bandmates.

The band continually used bouts of feedback between songs to help build things up before kicking into their next number. With nightfall rapidly approaching they were able to make full use of the White Stage's large lighting rigs. The energy level of their performance was intensified by the swirling colourful lights and strobe lights that began to go off half-way through their concert.

Performing selections from their recently released "Breakdawn" album the group could do know wrong in the eyes of the continually expanding audience. Dropping musical bombs lefts right and center, you can be certain that Back Drop will be making many more Fuji Rock appearances in the years to come.

Shawn