Get your rockers off
Asia's summer rock festival season is fast approaching and, with Hong Kong a glaring omission from the list of dates, it's time to get those tickets sorted.
But deciding which festival to attend isn't easy, given that three of the big four fall on the weekend of July 28-30. The obvious choice for most, however, will be the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, which will this year be marking its 10th anniversary with a massive lineup.
Fuji (right) features seven stages set against a backdrop of streams and mountains, and last year attracted more than 300,000 'Fujirockers'. It's celebrating its 10th birthday in style, with a lineup that includes Franz Ferdinand, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth and the Strokes.
Taking advantage of the presence of such big names in the region, the Pentaport Rock Festival makes its debut in South Korea, and will host several of the main acts featured at Fuji. Apart from Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes, the inaugural Pentaport in Incheon also counts Black Eyed Peas and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs among its main drawcards.
By far the smallest of the bunch that weekend is the Formoz Festival in Taiwan. The Super Furry Animals are the only big name on the bill, but the beauty of rock festivals is that punters almost always come away raving about a great new discovery.
And there should be plenty of potential at Formoz, with more than 100 bands, mainly from Taiwan, the mainland, Hong Kong and Japan performing on several stages in Taipei.
