Fuji and Summer Sonic Update

Tickets for the two big Japanese summer rock festivals have gone on sale and both promoters have been gradually revealing the list of artists who will perform.

The Fuji Rock Festival will take place the weekend of July 27-29 at the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata prefecture. As of the end of March, only 24 acts had been announced, among them Ash, Blonde Redhead, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Fountains of Wayne, G. Love, Iggy and the Stooges, Jonathan Richman, Kaiser Chiefs, Kula Shaker, The Shins and Yo La Tengo.

The only headliner announced so far is The Cure, which will make its first concert appearance in Japan in 23 years.

Summer Sonic will take place the weekend of Aug. 11-12 at the Marine Stadium/Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba and the newly named Summer Sonic Special Center in Osaka. Thirty-one acts had been announced as of March 19, including Arctic Monkeys, Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Kasabian, The Offspring, Travis, Bloc Party, Cyndi Lauper, DJ Shadow, Sugar Ray, Interpol, Klaxons, Maximo Park, OK Go, and The Stranglers.

Of special note to the Japanese media was the fact that both Avril Lavigne and Sum 41, which contains Lavigne’s husband, Deryck Whibley, will be playing the festival.

However, the lineup schedule has yet to be mapped out, so it doesn’t mean the happy couple will automatically be in the same city on the same day.