Name-your-price albums have been de rigueur ever since Radiohead flipped the music industry on its head with In Rainbows, but it takes a rare breed of foolhardiness to throw a name-your-price gig. In the wake of the March 11 quake and tsunami, the organisers of Hibiki Rock Fest had a change of heart and decided to wave the original admission fee: now punters need only pay for a 500 yen drink ticket to get in, though naturally you're encouraged to chuck in a bit more than that. They'll be taking collections and selling charity goods over the course of the two days, with a portion of proceeds from the food stands also being donated to quake relief efforts. And the music? Well, the overseas artists originally booked have all cancelled, but there's a strong showing of homegrown talent. Sleazy electro-rock trio Mo'some Tonebender and instrumental rockers Mudy on the Sakuban should provide the highlights on the first day, but the second day looks to be the stronger of the two, with Mogwai-esque post-rockers Te', New Wave popsters Polysics, indie genius Shugo Tokumaru and on-the-up guitar band Cinema Staff.
Note: While it's pay-as-you-go to get in, you'll need to have an advance ticket. Crazy, we know, but you can snap one up at Lawson convenience stores. The L-codes for each day are: 71083 (May 4); 77656 (May 5)