More than 250 artists will be playing at the Fuji Rock Festival and Summer Sonic this year. You've probably never heard of most of them, and since so many bands have similar-sounding names you might wonder at times if what you're hearing is what you thought you came to hear. No one will mistake The Whyte Seeds (at Summer Sonic), a Swedish garage band, for The White Stripes (at Fuji Rock), but others may require more detailed identification.
Fuji Rock Festival
The Stills: This Montreal group think they're U2, and shouldn't be confused with The Stands, a Liverpool group who think they're Dylan (or, actually, The Beatles mimicking Dylan) and who aren't coming to Japan until the fall.
The Black Keys are two guys who play blues-rock, and shouldn't be confused with Black Dice, who aren't coming, or Blackmail (playing Summer Sonic), who play psychedelic hard rock.
moe. are a popular East Coast jam band, which makes them different from the Icelandic space-music group, mum (playing at Fuji Rock).
The Killers: A hot new garage band from Vegas not the trans-Atlantic punk-blues duo The Kills.
Cosmic Rough Riders: This is a jangly guitar trio from Glasgow playing the Green Stage, not to be mistaken for the Space Cowboy, a DJ named Nick Dresti who specializes in pop disco, spinning at the festival's Red Marquee.
Summer Sonic
The Veils: A generic guitar band from London that has nothing to do with The Vines, a generic guitar band from Australia who pulled out of Fuji Rock in June.
Lordz of Brooklyn are a white rap group from Brooklyn, while The Bronx are a white hardcore band from L.A.
All-American Rejects are an emocore band from Oklahoma, whereas Dirty Americans are a cock-rock band from Detroit.
