Founded in 1987 by all-girl rock band Show-ya, Naon no Yaon is a festival dedicated to female artists — although anyone expecting a kind of Japanese version of American chick-rock festival Lilith Fair will either be very disappointed or very pleased to learn that this event has a decidedly pop bent.
Naon no Yaon is cosponsored by Japan's increasingly monolithic Avex group of labels, which is taking the opportunity to push an interlocking web of high-energy J-pop cheer.
Regular visitors to the ¥100 section of Book Off will perhaps recognize vocalist YU-KI from 1990s Tetsuya Komuro vehicle TRF. Futsal-playing Dream, fresh from their 2007 rebranding as DRM, will be making a valiant attempt to shake off their image as Morning Musume rip-offs, with appearances also planned for idol singers Nao Nagasawa, Nanase Hoshii and former Morning Musume reject Aiko Kayo.