NOTE: Organisers announced on March 31 that Tokyo Rocks had been cancelled due to "management problems." Full refunds available.
Blur, My Bloody Valentine and Primal Scream are set to play in Tokyo next May, as the headliners at a revamped version of the old Rocks Tokyo. Formerly a domestic-artist-only event that served mainly as an appetiser for the summer's Rock in Japan, the festival has moved location, undergone a name change and drafted in some heavyweight international talent for its 2013 edition. Much of the change is thanks to the input of ex-Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who's been working with local promoter Takashi Yano to give Tokyo Rocks some added clout. And you can't ask for much better than My Bloody Valentine – whose February Tokyo gigs sold out in a flash – and the reformed Blur, making their first trip here for a decade. Festival goers can also expect a solid lineup of local talent, including Illion (aka Radwimps frontman Yojiro Noda), Back Number and Man With a Mission.
May 11
Bands: My Bloody Valentine, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Andymori, [Champagne], Droog, Salyu x Salyu (NEW)...
DJs: Mark Beaumont (NME), Alan McGee, Tom Meighan (Kasabian), Simon Taylor (Tomato), This Feeling...
May 12
Bands: Blur, Back Number, Carl Barat, Illion, Man with a Mission, Primal Scream, Straightener, Sokabe Keiichi Band...
DJs: Mark Beaumont (NME), Alan McGee, Tom Meighan (Kasabian), Simon Taylor (Tomato), This Feeling...