Mt. Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata Prefecture, Japan: Every year in the peak of summer, tens of thousands of people make the pilgrimage to this remote, forest-covered location in the Japanese Alps. Among them are the music makers and music fans, nature lovers and pleasure seekers, noodle merchants and tequila vendors. East meets West meets in an otherworldly wonderland of Japanese imagination gone wild. If the world is a stage, then for three days of every year, Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival is heaven on Earth.
Aside from the innumerable attractions on hand for punters – particularly a foreigner’s first encounter with Japanese culture (see panel) – the festival provides an unparalleled experience for visiting performers.
This year the international contingent included New Order, Beck, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Dinosaur Jr, Fatboy Slim, The Futureheads, Juliette & The Licks, The Music, Asian Dub Foundation, The Pogues, Moby, The Bravery, Gang of Four, Amp Fiddler, Laurent Garnier, Doves, The Go Team, The Mars Volta, Royksopp, Primal Scream and The Beach Boys amongst many, many more.
But perhaps no one seems more qualified to wear the I Heart Fuji Rock t-shirt than our very own (adopted) ambassador Charlotte Hatherley. Having appeared four times previously with Ash, Fuji Rock holds many fond memories for the guitarist-turned-solo-artist.
“Last year Tim [Wheeler] and I stayed up all night and we were sitting on the hill, just over there,” recounts Charlotte, “and we spotted Graham Coxon nearby. I was a massive Blur fan and so I was like, ‘Fuckin hell, it’s Graham Coxon!’ and we ended up hanging out with him and his band. That’s how I met the guitarist and Stuffy the drummer, who are playing with me. And in the space of a year we’ve got this band together.”
In fact, today’s was only their second time performing as a band, and Fuji Rock is Charlotte's first appearance beyond home turf.
“It’s amazing coming over to Japan,” she enthuses. “It’s the kind of ‘wow’ I haven’t had since I joined Ash – you know, after eight years I’ve gotten slightly used to this sort of thing. And now I walk in and see my name, just my name, in the dressing room when I’m actually looking for Ash by force of habit. It’s new and exciting and I think that’s kind of why I decided to do it. It’s such a massive challenge… I’m nervous for the first time in six years, it’s amazing."
This coming from a guitarist who’s just finished touring with U2, and cites Robbie Williams’ 'Knobworth' support as the biggest crowd she's played to yet.
“I’ve played in front of like a hundred thousand people and it doesn’t faze me at all," she says, "and then doing this, it’s just like, ‘Oh my God!’ It’s like when you’re in a four-piece you can kind of deflect some of the spotlight, it’s not just about you.
"I’m so used to, and I really enjoy, that role of being the guitarist that I’ve never really had aspirations to be the centre of attention… But I do like it. It’s growing on me a lot.”
As well as stepping into the role of frontwoman, Charlotte is becoming multi-skilled in other areas.
“With Ash, I just turn up for rehearsals, play and that’s it. Now I’m booking rehearsals, hiring out gear, finding band members, paying them, loading up my own stuff – I couldn’t figure out how to set up my fucking pedal boards because I hadn’t done it before! So I’m getting a big kick out of that. I feel like I’m paying my dues.”
And she certainly paid her dues today, shuffled around from journalists and translators to TV crews and public signing sessions. As Hot Press looked on, the scene became all too reminiscent of Bill Murray’s character in Lost In Translation.
“Yeah, you just have this slightly bemused look on your face all day long," Charlotte laughs. "Everything’s really funny but you’re not sure why. And I do find it weird doing interviews through a translator. I can’t take myself seriously – just yet. So I’m doing all these interviews on my own and it’s really weird!”
So what are the Japanese media like in comparison to elsewhere?
“They’re very intense about the minute details in lyrics. They’re fascinated about what it’s all about, they really go into a lot of depth, and they’re really interested in, say, ‘Why are you a guitarist?’ and, ‘What is it about the guitar?’ They’re very emotive, so it always very interesting because you talk about different things… They’re just really into music here.
“The thing that used to freak me out about the audiences here is that the Japanese are famous for being really quiet when you finish a song. And it’s because they’re just deeply into what you’re doing. I really like that and it’s a great thing for me, with today being the first big gig as such.”
Although her album Grey Will Fade was only released this January in Japan – and doing very well if the Fuji Rockers are any indication – Charlotte is already moving forward, with not one but two albums in the pipeline.
“I’m doing an album with Rob Ellis [English composer and drummer/keyboardist with PJ Harvey]," she reveals. "It’s very mellow, with lots of instrumental stuff. It’s completely different to the pop-punk of Grey Will Fade. I wrote all the music and Rob wrote the string and piano arrangements around that, and produced the album. It’s really different and exciting, and it should be finished in September. Aside from that I’ve got lots of songs that I’ve been writing for the second proper album; I see the Rob stuff as a bridge.”
At this point in the conversation we are approached by a man carrying two fairly garish-looking jackets and Charlotte is asked to select one for a photo shoot. It’s almost 11pm and she is still very much in demand. Before she’s whisked away, I ask how she enjoyed Ash’s support tour with U2.
“U2 was brilliant,” she replies. “It’s just the easiest thing in the world to go on tour with U2. You get a massive dressing room, you get catering – you eat the best food all day long! – you get a big rider, you play for half an hour and then you’re done and you get to watch U2 and get pissed! And then you have a day off in Rome the next day. It was brilliant.”