Fuji Rock '11: Rookie A Go-Go

Every year, over a thousand bands duke it out for a chance to perform on Fuji Rock Festival's late night Rookie A Go-Go stage. It's a slot that's more about bragging rights than anything else (the groups have to pay their own way to the fest), and the 'rookies' are often bands who've been plying the live circuit for the best part of a decade. Yet it's a coveted prize, and a few Rookie A Go-Go alumni have gone on to much wider success, among them Asian Kung-Fu Generation, The Back Horn, Sambomaster and Sakerock. This year there's an added incentive: one lucky band will be guaranteed a slot at Fuji Rock 2012. Join us on a haphazard rundown of this year's 15 contenders...

• Fuji Rock: Who to watch
• Fuji Rock: The Japanese acts
• Fuji Rock: Live blog

Friday

Sukippara ni Sake

Awayokuba | 11pm
Osaka party band play funk-rock with shades of reggae and hip-hop. Their eponymous debut album comes out on August 3.
Commercial prospects: favorable
On YouTube: Awayokuba

Sukippara ni Sake | 12midnight
Also from Osaka though considerably more demented, this lot sound like a very drunk PiL trying to play funk-rock.
Commercial prospects: dim
On YouTube: Sukippara ni Sake

SiM | 1am
A sort of emo/nu metal hybrid, reminiscent of early Lostprophets but with ska-punk breakdowns. Dreadful, in other words.
Commercial prospects: favorable to forgettable
On YouTube: SiM

mOt | 2am
Another band laboring under the mistaken impression that pointless capitalisation is cOoL. Occasional smatterings of Shibusashirazu Orchestra mixed with pub rock.
Commercial prospects: average
On MySpace: mOt

The Kingstompers | 3am
Kanto band playing 'authentic' ska, which is to say that they make Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra look like J-pop in comparison. Very good, for what it is.
Commercial prospects: niche
On YouTube: The Kingstompers

Saturday

Cero

King Columbia | 11pm
Old-school swing and jump blues octet who've been plying the Osaka club scene since 2002. Would fit in well at the Palace of Wonder.
Commercial prospects: niche
On YouTube: King Columbia

Cero | 12midnight
Offbeat indie popsters likely to appeal to Shugo Tokumaru fans. Tellingly, they share a record label with established acts like Kicell, Sakerock and Your Song is Good.
Commercial prospects: favorable
On YouTube: Cero

Nokies! | 1am
One of the few genuine 'rookie' acts performing this year, these frothy, energetic indie-rockers formed in early 2010. Lots of fun, albeit best enjoyed in small doses.
Commercial prospects: favorable
On YouTube: Nokies!

Matasita-Hack | 2am
Kawasaki girl band positioned somewhere between new wave and grunge. Usually found on the Tokyo underground circuit, though they played at Saitama Stadium last year after winning a competition run by EMI.
Commercial prospects: dim to average
On MySpace: Matasita-Hack

ZeZeZaZa | 3am
Lush, melodic electronica jam band with vocals reminiscent of a Satoshi Kon soundtrack. At 3am, this may be a little too soporific.
Commercial prospects: niche
On YouTube: ZeZeZaZa

Sunday

The Chome Chomes

Tadzio | 11pm
Abrasive garage-rock girl duo who released their debut album on heavyweight indie label P-Vine earlier this year. Popular on the noise scene, bizarrely enough.
Commercial prospects: niche
On YouTube: Tadzio

Yahchaika | 12midnight
Twee indie rock with traces of prog, shoegaze and reggae, and one of the most grating vocalists we've heard in ages. With only a couple of demo CDs to their name, they're also genuine rookies.
Commercial prospects: niche
On YouTube: Yahchaika

Super Spreaders | 1am
Melocore meets Asian Kung-Fu Generation, with an added dash of grunge. That this three-piece are staggeringly unimaginative might not count against them, commercially at least.
Commercial prospects: average to favorable
On Youtube: Super Spreaders

The Chome Chomes | 2am
Known in Japanese as 'The XXs'. Raw, sleazy rock'n'roll with an even rawer, sleazier frontwoman
Commercial prospects: they'll probably burn out before they get that far
On YouTube: The Chrome Chromes

Helmets | 3am
Bluesy rock duo with a few undeniably solid songs, though they seem better equipped for the pub circuit than mainstream success.
Commercial prospects: ho-hum
On YouTube: Helmets