Slight hiccups not nearly enough to disrupt festival’s progress
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The inevitable companion to a festival’s evolution and ability to book larger headliners is a slew of complaints filling social media, message boards and the like about it “not being the same, man.” Shaky Knees this year is no exception. With exorbitant prices such as $15 dollar beers that are actually $17.50 after hidden fees and before tip; a second stage (Piedmont) that has a much more finite capacity due to its mesa-like geography and extended Platinum section that cuts off rail access to GA ticketholders; an un(der)publicized and still-unclear smoking policy and the resulting confiscations of packs and vapes; and the unfortunate albeit apparently necessary relocation of a favorite stage (Criminal Records), this year has had no shortage of controversy.
But the music … the music, almost without exception, has been straight fire from the get-go – chock full of amazing sets by headliners, great performances from middle-tier acts, lots of wonderful surprises and quite a few new discoveries among the earlier slots. If confronting some minor inconveniences and legitimate frustrations is a part of the growing pains associated with the festival expanding its scope and reach, then so be it as long as what we are all here to communally experience – the music and its power to uplift even in the most turbulent of times – is worth the cost of admission. On that front, Shaky Knees 2024 has been unfailing. The following is some of what we loved on a second day that turned out to be twice as beautiful when none of the long-expected storms popped up. – Bill Foster
Lido Pimienta
After seeing her in 2022 at Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival, the BLANK crew could not wait to see this Canadian-Columbian artist again, even to the point of us making an early-by-festival-standards set time of half past noon. Pimienta is from Barranquilla, Colombia, and sings exclusively in Spanish while sporting indigenous clothing. Her music mixes electro-pop and other danceable rhythms with Colombian styles such as cumbia, and her songs are all fiercely feminist. Her onstage patter was charming and engaging, and after a somewhat slow start, the music really grabbed hold and was a perfect starter to Saturday’s action. – BF
Grace Cummings
With an overcast sky overhead threatening showers, the Australian singer-songwriter/actress, seated behind a Korg, greeted the early afternoon crowd at Peachtree with a muted “g’day” before launching into a gale-force wind of a performance. For the uninitiated, the Melbourne-based artist’s voice is at once arresting: a singular, versatile instrument that can transition from a husky croon to a full-throated roar in the blink of an eye. The latter became evident when she traded the keys for an electric guitar, those sturdy pipes congruent to the impressive wall of sound conjured by her ace touring band at the half-hour mark.
There is a fair amount of ‘60s psychedelic inspiration manifest in the group’s brooding indie-rock sound, so it was no surprise to see the frontwoman sneer through multiple songs like Bob Dylan circa 1966 – minus, presumably, the influence of strong amphetamines. And though not to further compare Cummings to the legendary songsmith, but if the alluring bluesy strains of “Something Going Round” – the opening track from her recently released third album “Ramona” – hadn’t already ensnared me from the jump, then her rhyming of Confucius with useless in the lyrics certainly would have.
Aside from only a few drops, the rain never materialized, but the clouds didn’t begin to part until right after Cummings was done on the main stage, ensuring that the natural gloominess enhanced the moodiness of the music for the duration of her set. If one criticism of the performance could be levied, it was that the retuning breaks between songs took a bit too long and featured awkward periods of silence broken only by even more awkward banter. Overall, though, Cummings proved herself to be a compelling new voice in modern alternative music. Hailing from a land famous for producing multitalented individuals, she just might be the best of the bunch. – Matt Rankin
Bad Nerves
If you were looking to chill out around the Criminal Records Stage on Saturday afternoon, Bad Nerves weren’t going to let that happen. The five-piece power-punk group from Essex, England, blazed through an 11-song, 45-minute set as the sun began to break through the clouds, the music an apt accompaniment to the suddenly steamy conditions. Frontman Bobby Nerves wasn’t feeling those in attendance who were relaxing in the grass up on the hill at stage right, as he remarked several times that the crowd was great except for “those people on the hill sitting down, they’re shite.”
To date, this young outfit has produced only one studio album, a self-titled debut in 2020, but it is releasing a follow-up on May 31 titled “Still Nervous.” Despite its limited catalog, the group was flush with both tongue-in-cheek charm and confidence and was a perfect fit for Criminal. Highlights of the blistering set included “Radio Punk,” “USA” – complete with an ironic chant – and a super-charged version of “Antidote.” – John Flannagan
The Offspring
The Offspring were paired up against Sunny Day Real Estate, a match that should have led to fairly equal crowd sizes, but never underestimate the power of nostalgia at a festival. No music hits quite like what was playing the first time you fooled around with someone for the first time. I have a rule that bands that are still touring 25 years later off a handful of hits are usually doing so for one reason: because they are actually really good. And The Offspring were no exception on Saturday afternoon.
Facing a brutal afternoon sun in front of a gigantic crowd packed like sardines in front of Piedmont, the group put on a fabulous show. Opening with “Come Out and Play,” Dexter and Noodles looked mostly like they did in 1994 – just with a little more thickness around the waist and a little less hair. The songs were tight and sounded great throughout. A little snippet of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” leading into a cover of “Blitzkrieg Bop” was a nice surprise, and then they really dove into the hits with “Why Don’t You Get a Job,” “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)” and “The Kids Aren’t Alright” closing the set before an encore of “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” and a rousing “Self Esteem.” There was nothing life-changing here, but I enjoyed this set a heck of a lot more than I expected to. – BF
Girl in Red
Norwegian 25-year-old Marie Ulven Ringheim, better known as Girl in Red, played one of the most perfect sets of the weekend. The twilight set time created a perfect vibe for her songs of heartache and longing. Ringheim was obviously having a great time, as she stopped to banter with the crowd several times, asked attendees both young and old to get wild during the chorus of “Girls” and remarked that there were a lot of 50-year-olds in attendance and implored them to dance, as well. Ringheim also went into the crowd near the end of her set, something we’ve seen her do at previous shows. Second song “Bad Idea!” was a clear highlight and really set the tone for the rest of the performance. Between her smiles, playful banter and well-crafted songs, Girl in Red made for an ideal show at a really nice time of the day. – JF
Queens of the Stone Age
Josh Homme and company made their return to Shaky Knees, albeit not in a headlining role as their previous appearance in 2018. QOTSA went on before Weezer before a jam-packed Piedmont crowd and immediately tore into “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel like a Millionaire,” following that up with their mega hit “No One Knows.” From there, the set went on to ooze quintessential rock ‘n’ roll excess and sexiness, and Homme lubricated the crowd by inviting it to “drink, dance and be merry.”
The performance featured songs from most of the group’s past efforts but (perhaps not unexpectedly) leaned heavily into fan favorites from 2002’s “Songs for the Deaf.” For the closer, it played an elongated version of “A Song for the Dead,” complete with extended guitar jams that showcased Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen’s back-and-forth axe attack before ripping into the lightning-fast final section of the song during which the stage lighting matched its speed. QOTSA easily could have been a headliner at this Shaky Knees, as their flair and oversized draw indicated that they are still a fan favorite and a force with which to be reckoned. – JF
Miike Snow
After not being approved to photograph Queens of the Stone Age (a shame because I was going to wear my t-shirt from INXS’ “Kick”), I went down to Ponce to shoot Miike Snow and, man, what an absolute delight they turned out to be. The trio is playing only its second show since 2019, and it was a huge scoop for the festival to get. The crowd was large (for that smaller stage) but enthusiastic. Everyone I talked to on the rail had traveled to Atlanta just for this band, and they knew every word of every song.
Consisting of two Swedish producers and one American singer/producer, the members have worked with everyone from Britney Spears and Mark Ronson to Vampire Weekend and Madonna. Live, their music is precise and a bit cold but catchy as can be. A critic once called them “A-ha as performed by Animal Collective,” but I’m going more with “LCD Soundsystem covers Father John Misty.” They’re disco-forward and danceable yet feature intelligent, meaningful lyrics. Everyone wears white dress shirts with ties and suspenders, and they perform in front of a giant, analog tape machine with strong white backlighting and tons of fog. This definitely was one of the highlights of the festival for me thus far, and I cannot wait to explore the band’s catalog. – BF
