The excitement from Saturday’s festivities poured over into Sunday. Trash bins from Saturday night were towering with waste. The grounds were littered with Styrofoam boxes, empty water bottles and several pairs of abandoned shoes.
Festivalgoers were showing up to Shaky Knees wearing everything from floral and flannel buttoned shirts to psychedelic-print sundresses and cowboy hats and boots. People were lying on beach towels, making mudpies in the dirt and playing disc golf barefoot.
Some of the attendees turned their train rides on MARTA into a family outing. Atlanta native and first time Shaky Knees attendee Alex Petree planned the weekend with his brother, sister-in-law and his girlfriend.
He says one of the highlights of Shaky Knees was the four of them seeing All Them Witches perform a sold-out late night show at The Earl on Saturday night.
”It’s been a lot of fun hanging out with them and getting to see some of the smaller bands you don’t really know,” Petree said as he sips from a 16 oz. can of Red Bull. “It’s exciting to jump around each stage and see what’s going on.”
And though the potential for rain has loomed over the festival all weekend, the downpour didn’t come until about 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Some festivalgoers took cover under the plentiful trees as the rain finally started to arrive in sprinkles just before Waxahatchee took the stage. Video operators got bags ready to cover equipment as needed. Shower curtain liners and other impromptu coverings started to pop up in the crowd.
Two to three minutes before the 4:45 set began, the rain started to come down heavily and many more ran to find shelter wherever they could, including the tent that houses water refilling stations. Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, played the full hour to a small but clearly enthusiastic crowd.
Only as she neared the end did the rain finally start to let up, leaving a river running down the sidewalk between the Piedmont and Peachtree stages.
Here are a few of the highlights from Sunday’s lineup:
BENCHES
The third and final day of Shaky Knees got off to an overcast, humid start as San Diego band benches took to the Piedmont stage. Dressed mostly in black, the quartet had a bright video projection behind them for the perfect contrast. “What’s up, Shaky Knees?” asked singer/guitarist Anson Kelley midway through the band’s opening track.
The band’s atmospheric indie rock was buoyed by Kelley’s distinctive tenor, which at times was reminiscent of Supergrass’s Gaz Coombes. The music drew on the sounds of early ‘00s indie rock such as Ambulance Ltd. and stellastarr. “Thank you for being here so early,” said benches’ vocalist, with the ever-louder crowd growing throughout the set as fans arrived in waves. Left-handed guitarist Evan Ojeda wove spacy lead parts throughout current single “Naïve,” which was a standout in the set. Another highlight was the midtempo “Crash,” which featured a soaring, anthemic chorus and Kelley singing near the top of his range.
“This is our first festival,” said the singer before launching into the chime-y next song with waves of guitar feedback. The slow, dreamlike lament “It Doesn’t Have to Change” was a late-set high mark. The band wrapped up with a new song, a fast one with standout parts from the rhythm section of Charlie Baird and Ethan Bowers.
Speaking to the AJC an hour after the set, the Californians were thrilled with playing their first festival. “It was really awesome,” said Ojeda. “It was cool to see so many new faces out there.” Baird added that some friends of theirs had had negative festival experiences elsewhere. “Overall it was an amazing experience,” he enthused about Shaky Knees. The band played in the city a few months ago but are still hoping to go sightseeing when they get the chance.
Bowers noted that benches wrote “Naïve” quickly. “We had two rehearsals to work on it, and it was basically done,” he said. The group is almost finished with an EP that should be released before the end of the year. “We’re just finishing up vocals, lyrics and some loose ends,” Kelley acknowledged about the recording process.
Discussing their influences, Kelley highlighted that “when the band started, a lot of the music was influenced by The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, 2000′s indie rock. All of our influences today are very different, a lot of modern bands.” The singer cited Fontaines DC as a favorite while Ojeda mentioned Interpol and Radiohead as influences on his guitar playing.
In the next few weeks, benches will wrap up their tour and head home to finish work on their EP. Undoubtedly their Shaky Knees appearance and the warm welcome they received will be a highlight of their year.
- Matthew W. Smith
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
ARCY DRIVE
The Criminal Records and Ponce De Leon stages are next to each other year, and it was on the latter that New York’s Arcy Drive took to the stage at 1:15. The sun was still coming and going as drummer Brooke Tuozzo did some jumping jacks as she ran onto the stage. The crowd was welcoming, at least tripling in size by the middle of the folk-inflected indie rock band’s second song. It was also a case of déjà vu as like benches, all three guitarists in Arcy Drive played Fenders and one is left-handed. After a quick tuneup, the barefoot quartet was off to the races.
The group started with brash rocker “Wicked Styley,” for which there’s a hilarious roller skating video. Attendees bounced along as singer/guitarist Nick Mateyunas announced, “we’re happy to be here — we’re Arcy Drive from New York.” New songs were peppered throughout the set, with one getting this ominous introduction from Mateyunas: “This is a weird one, we’ve never played it live.” He talked quickly through the verses for what turned into an epic story with plenty of stops and starts.
The crowd sang along to one of the group’s best known songs, “Time Shrinks.” Its catchy chorus proved popular with those gathered. Tuozzo introduced new song “What’s In My Head,” also taking the time to commiserate with the loyal fans standing in the heat. Tuozzo’s backing vocals were the perfect complement to Mateyunas’ throughout, and lead guitarist Austin Jones had several tasteful solos to wrap up Arcy Drive songs. One jangly, labyrinthine number boasted thunderous bass from Patrick Helrigel.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Fans maintained their energy as Mateyunas admitted, “This is our first time playing in a while so it feels good to be out here.” Three of the four band members joined in the convivial atmosphere by taking shots from mini bottles thrown on the stage. The crowd loved it. Wrapping up with another brand new song, Arcy Drive played “Things I Don’t Need” with the singer switching to acoustic guitar.
The group has been working on its debut album with producer Angelo Petraglia, known for his writing and production work on the acclaimed first three albums by Tennessee’s Kings of Leon. The record will be the follow-up to last year’s “Beach Plum” EP. Arcy Drive will be following up Shaky Knees with appearances at the Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City and the Governor’s Ball in their home state of New York.
- Matthew W. Smith
ROYEL OTIS
Despite the oppressive heat working against them, Australian band Royel Otis electrified the Piedmont stage, successfully kicking off their first North American festival show.
Feeling like a welcome breath of fresh air cutting through the mugginess, they began with “I Wanna Dance with You” from their EP “Sofa Kings.” Although relatively new to the scene, Royel Otis has proven quite the force to be reckoned with.
The alt-rock, indie-pop duo, also known as Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, seemed enthusiastic — albeit a bit nervous — to perform for the crowd gathering in the steamy heat. Throughout the energetic set, both Maddell and Pavlovic took sips from bottles of Guinness — a possible homage to Pratts and Payne, their local pub and the namesake of their debut album.
”Today, the experience was ...” Pavlovic said to the AJC in the press lounge.
“Shocking,” Maddell interjected.
”Yeah, in a good way,” Pavlovic agreed. “It was a bit of a surprise but yeah, it was lovely.”
”We expected 20 people, and we had a decent audience. It was incredible.”
The audience was, indeed, super stoked. By the halfway point of their set, any of the few remaining onlookers who hadn’t already started dancing, swaying or bobbing their heads to the infectious tunes gave in during the band’s cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dance Floor.”
”We promise we aren’t a cover band,” keyboardist Tim Ayre joked on stage before kicking off the song. Prompting a wave of recording cellphones and even an ambitious crowd-surfer, “Murder on the Dance Floor” was by far a crowd favorite.
”I wanted to see more people crowd surfing. She was a legend for breaking the mold,” Maddell said.
After performing more of their hits like “Oysters in My Pocket,” “Sofa King” and “Going Kokomo,” the duo closed out their set with “Kool Aid.” The crowd seemed to mimic their mostly upbeat, happy melodies. Many even stuck around to encourage an encore.
This is not the only 2024 Atlanta trip for Royel Otis. They are returning Sept. 30 to perform at Variety Playhouse.
- Abbey Edmonson
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
THE STRUTS
As the afternoon started to warm up, British rock quartet The Struts played before a euphoric crowd at the Piedmont Stage. Lead singer Luke Spiller’s squealing vocals, matched with his ‘70s glam-rock look, opened the foursome’s hourlong performance with “Body Talks,” “Fallin’ With Me” and “Kiss This.”
Their anthemic, stadium rock sound courtesy of guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott and drummer turned into singalongs with “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Pretty Vicious” and a cover of Lorde’s “Royals.”
”I have a feeling this afternoon is going to be exceptional,” Spiller said.
- Christopher A. Daniel
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
BILLY IDOL
Singer Billy Idol stepped onto the Peachtree Stage in a leather jacket decorated with gold chains and pins as the weather began to calm down. The audience danced around — and in — a large puddle of mud left by the torrential downpour and fist pumped as the spiky-haired, growly-voiced MTV star took them down memory lane with “Dancing With Myself,” “Cradle of Love,” “White Wedding,” “Power Junkie,” and his cover of Tommy James and the Shondells “Mony Mony.”
Recently reissuing his sophomore album, “Rebel Yell,” to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Idol cranked out a list of hits the included “Flesh For Fantasy” and the power ballad “Eyes Without a Face.”
- Christopher A. Daniel
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
MATT AND KIM
Electronic music duo Matt and Kim brought their energetic, rave-flavored set to the Ponce De Leon Stage. Underneath bright strobe lights, Matt Johnson sat behind a synthesizer while Kim Schifino attacked the drums over mashups.
The Brooklyn-based pair’s jittery keyboard melodies and speedy rhythms heard on “Yea Yeah,” “It’s a Fact (Printed Stained),” “Get It” and “Like I Used to Be” provided the soundtrack to their balloon tosses and what Johnson referred to as a “dance orgy.” That involved the audience throwing around nude blow up dolls while they dance in the mosh pit.
- Christopher A. Daniel
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
FOO FIGHTERS
On Sunday evening at the close of Shaky Knees Music Festival, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl told the audience that he had “nothing else better to do than to give as much rock ‘n’ roll as he possibly could.”
That’s exactly what he and his band did on the main stage. The 15-time Grammy-winning hard rock outfit took its massive mud-covered crowd down three decades of tunes full of distorted guitars.
Through the fog onstage, Grohl’s alarming lead vocal screams echoed throughout the park and tore through “Rescued,” “Show Me How,” “Medicine at Midnight,” “Learn to Fly,” and “La Dee Da” while he simultaneously showed off his chops on his blue ax. He got nostalgic by sharing a few stories about recording as a member of Nirvana followed by covering snippets of Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and Devo’s “Whip It” when he introduced the full band.
The Foo Fighters kept the momentum going under a church organ with “Times Like These,” the midtempo “Walk,” “My Hero,” “The Sky is a Neighborhood,” “These Days,” and “Shame Shame.”
The moment turned bittersweet when the Foo Fighters performed “Aurora” as a tribute to the outfit’s late drummer Taylor Hawkins.
- Christopher A. Daniel
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