Torrential downpour muddies grounds but can’t dampen spirits
Friday Recap • Saturday Recap • Sunday Recap
Sunday started for many festival attendees with aftershows the night before. Several of those saw what they described as maybe their favorite show ever in Arcade Fire’s early morning romp at Heaven at The Masquerade, but we opted for Pond at Terminal West. The sold-out affair began just after midnight and was even more maniacal than the band’s Friday afternoon slot within the festival gates.
During ” Don’t look at the sun or you’ll go blind,” lead singer Nick Albrook gave a nod to Outkast by adding the words “power music electric revival” in a downturn of the chorus before bringing the beat back and destroying the crowd. He did the same on Friday as he crowd surfed during the band’s regular festival set. These weren’t the only nods to Atlanta’s favorite duo over the weekend, either. Later on Sunday, during Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s blazing hot (both on the stage and off) set, the band’s multi-instrumentalist played the famous riff from “SpottieOttieDopalicious.” And the crowd went wild, as if Holyfield had just won the fight. While we haven’t been able to discover this young man’s name, his addition of keytar and other fun instruments add a unique element to Ingram’s blues-heavy set and gives it depth in a way that wasn’t present before. Expect Kingfish and company to stay on the rise.
The headliner for most on Sunday, though, was the rain. Shaky Knees almost always deals with weather issues, and while it looked like this year might be an exception, Mother Nature made her presence felt in a big way in the festival’s final hours. As the Kingfish crowd made the twist to Dinosaur Jr. at Ponce, the droplets started falling. The band played on, though, as did Waxahatchee up on the other end of the festival, and as these two acts left the stage just an hour after the downpour began, two inches of precipitation had fallen. The festival did not stop the action, and neither did the crowds. In fact, if anything, everyone who stuck it out appeared to be reenergized. A rain like that can be transformational, and I’m proud to say that BLANK editor Matt Rankin and writer John Flannagan – the latter of whom found me under a tent later and flipped me off to great applause from those nearby – weathered the storm without cover. They were all the better for it, as you’ll read below, and it added to what was another fantastic iteration of Shaky Knees. Without further ado, here are our favorites from the final day. – Rusty Odom
Nova Twins
A publicist’s email about a new band that sounded promising got me out early Sunday afternoon to see Nova Twins on the main Peachtree Stage. The pair of U.K.-based childhood friends have been collecting awards like Halloween candy across the pond, and in the U.S. they have been touring in support of Foo Fighters.
Live, they are simply electrifying, with big hair and even bigger riffs. The two women in question, Amy Love on guitar/vocals and Georgia South on bass, covered every inch of the stage during their performance, playing and posing with an undeniable swagger. Their songs are catchy and proved that while it doesn’t have to be, rock and roll music can be fun. Think Royal Blood with a little Queen Latifah mixed in. – Bill Foster
The Struts
The Struts are always good for a nice time at a festival. You’re not going to get many surprises, just basic, fun rock ‘n’ roll. Their Shaky Knees set was another fine performance, as singer Luke Spiller posed and preened all over the stage, and guitarist Adam Slack delivered bombastic riffs alongside a rhythm section as tight as Spiller’s pants. Highlights included “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Could Have Been Me” and a brilliant interpretation of Lorde’s “Royals.” – BF
Men I Trust
The calm before the storm, in every aspect of that cliché, was Sunday afternoon’s Men I Trust set, which was elegant and soulful and exuded a funkiness that made for a welcome lazy and dreamy experience in the hottest part of day. Little did we know of the storm that was brewing, but at this point in time, Emma Proulux had us eating out of the palm of her hand, emitting a radiance that was accompanied by a measure of fun, both of which the show’s attendees were soaking up along with the beating sun’s rays. As we swayed back and forth, much like Central Park’s trees with the impending thunderstorm, all in attendance seemed to be feeling the hazy vibe. The band’s sound was similar to Mac DeMarco at times, perfect for the biggest crowd to have assembled at Peachtree thus far on Sunday. – John Flannagan
Dinosaur Jr.
Always priding myself on being prepared for even the merest of sprinkles and having checked the forecast each day for a week prior to the festival, I had packed a couple waterproof jackets, as the probability of experiencing inclement weather looked robust. By Sunday, though, chances were about as slim as they had been the two previous days, so I declined to bring a protective layer to avoid the extra weight. At the conclusion of Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s dynamite yet sweltering set at Criminal Records, I turned toward Ponce, thinking that a light shower might feel nice. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than the sky opened and a torrential downpour commenced, drenching everything and everyone in the park to the bone in a matter of seconds.
Starting out in a manner that indicated it was unsure if it would be able to continue given the circumstances, the iconic alt-rock trio noodled around for a bit, the sound emanating from the stage seemingly affected by the adverse conditions and a jarring clap of thunder suggesting an imminent stoppage. However, when no official word to desist occurred and the band recognized that a large portion of the sizable crowd that had gathered in advance of its set hadn’t retreated even a step, something truly special happened. The equipment issues were resolved concurrently with Dino Jr. instinctively kicking into high gear and delivering what was unquestionably the most memorable set of the weekend, as well as one of the best I personally witnessed.
Taking pity on the soaked yet devout masses, the notoriously surly three-piece tore through a generous assortment of tracks, eschewing filler and between-song banter for hits and fan favorites. Despite the deluge, which lasted for more than half an hour and only intensified from its onset, the vibes stayed positive throughout the band’s allotted hour. Beginning in earnest with “Garden” and continuing for the duration, J Mascis’ gnarly solos visibly energized those in attendance, who reciprocated the verve by zealously moshing or crowd surfing; splashing in puddles with arms outstretched; nodding intently with enormous beads dripping from their visages; or, in some cases, appreciating the spectacle while just trying to grin and bear the abrupt temperature drop.
After the live rendition knocked me for a loop, I was still trying to reconcile having somehow forgotten that the group had recorded a killer cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” when my internal dialogue was broken during “The Wagon” by the first of several brave concertgoers’ face-first slides through the ravine that had developed in the cut between Ponce and Criminal. Not long before that, the folks manning the sound booth had jabbed the roof of the tent shielding the electronics, releasing cascades of water that had pooled in the fabric. And after the show was over and the rain had let up, I saw a guy remove his sneakers and dump out the contents, each shoe producing a substantial stream.
None of these incidents describe the incredible onstage magic Mascis, Murph and Lou Barlow conjured on the afternoon, of course, but they do count among the indelible moments that occurred offstage which ensure that this performance will be enshrined in Shaky Knees lore alongside sets by The Lumineers, Tame Impala and Cage the Elephant that had achieved legendary status because of their soggy nature. – Matt Rankin
Matt and Kim
If the party were close to winding down, someone forgot to tell Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, who used the last show at Ponce to whip the audience into a frenzied mob heaving in unison to the Brooklyn duo’s up-tempo electronic pop. Perhaps feeling free of inhibition after the soaking they took a couple hours before and spurred on by the onstage pair’s hyping energy and barked commands to dance, attendees packed together into a tight throng, many flailing around gleefully and/or with abandon.
Incorporating sound snippets culled from various sources and genres of music (including the third of four instances of “Blitzkrieg Bop” I heard over the weekend) and even covering Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Johnson and Schifino ripped through 15 songs in an hour, concluding with an uplifting and crowd-pleasing final third featuring some of their most popular tracks: “Daylight,” “Steal a Yellow Cab,” “Don’t Slow Down,” “Hey Now” and “Like I Used to Be.”
