Hanggai

Each year, the organisers of Fuji Rock Festival manage to turf up a few choice acts from within the loosely delineated realm of world music. Following on from the success of Räfven (Swedish gypsy punk!), Altan Urag (Mongolian folk metal!) and the Narasirato Pan Pipers (self-explanatory), audiences at last year's event were treated to the wonders of Hanggai. Based in Beijing but rooted in the sounds of Mongolia, this group alternate between windswept steppe-songs and raucous drinking anthems that could make even the meekest listener feel like Genghis Khan. It's a hell of a combination, and their Tokyo show is made all the more tempting by the addition of support band Turtle Island, who meld taiko drumming and punk in a fashion that's seen them hailed (by this correspondent, at least) as a Japanese answer to The Pogues.