New finds on the fringes
With the lack of really high-profile headliners on the Green Stage this year, Fuji Rock may have turned into more of what the organizer Smash always wanted it to be: a place to discover great music that you'd missed before.
Ashleigh Mannix: The 21-year-old Australian Ashleigh Mannix fitted in perfectly with the laid-back Gypsy Avalon stage vibe. Playing a solo set of songs reminiscent of Ricki Lee Jones (she closed with Jones' "Danny's All-Star Joint"), Mannix casually engaged the audience, punctuating comments such as "May I have a photo? Everybody stand up! This is going to Australia!" with giggles. Her powerful voice and jangly guitar fueled "Sally Jones" from her only EP, getting a crowd up to dance at a stage where everyone is usually comfortably reclined on the grass.