Artists performing at Kyoto’s summer and rock festival “Kyoto Daisakusen 2016”

swim04 Limited Sazabys

04 Limited Sazabys『swim』(Official Music Video)

04 Limited Sazabys have not only captivated die-hard melodic punk fans but also won over listeners who hadn’t been into the genre before, essentially breaking down the barriers of melocore.

Their popularity keeps growing across a wide range of audiences.

Their standout feature is definitely Vo/Ba GEN’s high-tone voice.

Add to that their catchy songs and a highly skilled instrumental section—this balance of three elements is arguably their biggest appeal.

RIVER10-FEET

10-FEET「RIVER」Music Video

10-FEET is a three-piece rock band from Kyoto that organizes the Kyoto Daisakusen festival.

Their lyrics and live performances, overflowing with the members’ kindness, are incredibly appealing.

When they perform the song RIVER live, it’s customary to change the lyrics to include the name of a river near the venue.

At Kyoto Daisakusen, they sing it with Uji River, which flows through Uji City where the venue is located.

It’s also a tradition to turn off all the lights and have the audience hold up the glow of lighters or cell phones.

It’s very beautiful and feels cleansing to the heart.

Life goes onDragon Ash

RSRF2002 Life goes on

Dragon Ash is a seven-member mixture rock band that has become indispensable to summer festivals.

Their signature song, Fantasista, is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that they always play live.

The track we’re featuring today, Life goes on, is a mid-tempo, slightly mellow song.

Although it’s from their earlier days, it’s been making frequent appearances in their recent live shows again.

It’s a track that showcases Dragon Ash’s distinctive hip-hop influence.

Jump AroundFear, and Loathing in Las Vegas

［PV］Jump Around/Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas is finally appearing at Kyoto Daisakusen.

With their chiptune-like 8-bit sounds reminiscent of old Famicom music, powerful shouts, and irresistibly catchy Auto-Tuned vocals, some people might initially think, “What is this!?” But the more you listen, the more it hooks you.

The song we’re introducing, Jump Around, is perfect for summer—it’s a track that pairs beautifully with a bright blue sky and fits the festival that kicks off the season.

Here’s hoping it’s sunny during Las Vegas’s set.

Punk Rock DreamKen Yokoyama

Ken Yokoyama “Punk Rock Dream” 【PV】

Ken Yokoyama, who led Japan’s melodic hardcore scene as the guitarist of Hi-STANDARD.

When you come to his shows, he doesn’t just want you to have fun—his passionate stance of constantly throwing out various messages so you can take something home with you is truly moving.

My Instant SongMONOEYES

MONOEYES – My Instant Song（Music Video）

A new band led by Takeshi Hosomi, the frontman of ELLEGARDEN and the HIATUS.

They released a CD last year, and this year MONOEYES—along with WANIMA, who are also appearing at Daisakusen—have been confirmed to perform at festivals nationwide with unstoppable momentum.

They’re an incredibly hot band right now.

I mean, it’s only natural—Hosomi is doing punk again.

Human CrossingRHYMESTER

RHYMESTER – Human Crossroads

We are RHYMESTER, formed in 1989 and a driving force in Japan’s hip-hop scene.

With ties to the rock scene as well, we collaborated with 10-FEET—the organizers of Kyoto Daisakusen—on their collaboration album 6-FEET 2.

Our own annual festival, Ningen Kousaten (Human Crossroads), also receives great reviews.

There might be some kind of collaboration on the day of the event too, so look forward to it.