by John Flannagan, Bill Foster, Rusty Odom and Matt Rankin
Many fans of music festivals look to the top couple of lines to decide whether or not their hard-earned money and vacation days warrant attendance. But for those folks with experience, they know it’s the undercards at these large-scale events that truly separate one event from another.
Over the years, very few festivals have done as good of a job as Shaky Knees when it comes to lineup density, and this year is no different. Here are a few of the acts we’re most looking forward to catching next month.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (Friday, May 3, Ponce de Leon, 3-3:45 p.m.)
One of the best aspects of Shaky Knees has always been its variety. Whether it be avant-pop, legacy or hard-rock acts, founder Tim Sweetwood and company have always managed to jam-pack their family of festivals – which now includes Shaky, the well-established Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona, and, already sold out in just its second year, September’s Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland – with diverse lineups.
Day one at Shaky Knees, and particularly its late-afternoon programming, will lean toward the heavier side of the rock spectrum with bands like Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs kicking off an afternoon run that also includes Wine Lips, All Them Witches, Switchfoot and Yves Tumor. Frontman Matthew Baty’s throaty vocals and energetic stage presence recall those of Joe Talbot of IDLES, whose “Spooky Knees” set in October 2021 is the stuff of legend. Similarly hefty musically, as well, this English stoner-metal band pulls no punches, fits this festival’s aesthetic perfectly and should lead the charge in what promises to be a raucous first afternoon in Central Park.
Editor’s note: Pigs x7 were denied entry into the U.S. due to visa issues and will not be able to perform at Shaky Knees this year. However, Athens-based Maserati has been tapped to perform in their stead, and although the almost-local band’s music is very different from that of the group it is replacing, its hypnotic, shimmering and psychedelic post-punk is more than an adequate substitute. Unfortunately, visa complications have seemed to plague several foreign artists as of late; the same issue resulted in POND having to cancel its 2023 appearance, though the Australians are still slated to perform the festival this year. As always, stay tuned to blanknews.com for updates, as we’ll continue to keep you filled in on all Shaky Knees happenings before the weekend. We’ll also be publishing daily recaps each afternoon during the event.
Wine Lips (Friday, May 3, Criminal Records, 3:45-4:30 p.m.)
Another show that we are hotly anticipating is this one by Canadian indie-rockers Wine Lips, whose garage-y post-punk, reminiscent of The Hives or The Vines, will surely set the tone for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, thus making Criminal Records the place to be in the late afternoon. The four-piece wowed a near-capacity Knoxville crowd in April 2023 at Barley’s while opening up for Acid Dad, itself a notable festival alum who also performed atop the lushly canopied Criminal platform in 2022. Have we mentioned that this is our favorite stage (and record store) in Atlanta?
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Friday, May 3, Criminal Records, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets burst onto the scene two years after their formation in 2016 with the explosive “High Visceral (Part One).” Since that debut, they have steadily risen on bills as they’ve continued to release albums – six over the course of eight years. PPC hail from Perth, Australia, and Shaky Knees is no stranger to featuring the best rock acts that the land Down Under has to offer, year after year. While the group’s name may suggest pure psych rock, PPC’s sound blends other musical elements including a healthy dose of jam, taking risks in the process and making for an adventurous yet riveting sound. Their latest effort, last year’s “Fronzoli” displays the band’s harder sound and will extend Friday’s blistering stretch.
Lido Pimienta (Saturday, May 4, Peachtree, 12:30-1:15 p.m.)
Lido Pimienta is a Colombian Canadian songstress whose modern sound features an array of traditional Andean folk and country stylings popular around the mountainous regions of South America. This blended mix usually incorporates flute and violin but also includes energetic, danceable beats and vocal effects. Pimienta’s music definitely hits on the eccentric side of the musical gamut. However, fans of traditional Latin reggaeton will get their fill of what they like – just with a splash of electronic cambia for good measure. Go off the beaten path by catching this early set on Saturday, and enjoy a delicious concoction of worldly sounds and influences that will surely get you up and moving.
Girl in Red (Saturday, May 4, Peachtree, 7:15-8:15 p.m.)
Although this artist is hardly under the radar at this point, we discovered Girl In Red last year at Bonnaroo and were blown away with both her charm and sometimes raucous stage presence. Norwegian songwriter and producer Marie Ulven Ringheim is the mastermind behind this indie-pop project, which since 2018 has released three extended plays and two fantastic full-lengths – the first of which earned critical praise and charted well across the globe (though not in the U.S.), and a recently released second effort that fulfills the promise of the first. There is a lot of momentum behind Girl in Red right now, as Ringheim opened for Taylor Swift on one leg of the pop diva’s massive Eras Tour, winning her a newer and wider audience in the process. BLANK hopped on the ride nearer the beginning of the journey, and we look forward to witnessing the rising star’s Saturday-evening set in Hotlanta.
Fazerdaze (Sunday, May 5, Peachtree, 12:30-1:15 p.m.)
New Zealand’s Amelia Rahayu Murray aka Fazerdaze will grace the main stage at Shaky Knees on Sunday afternoon. The extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter produces a unique pop/shoegaze sound, a style deployed on her 2017 debut “Morningside,” which introduced her to the Oceania rock scene. Her follow-up EP, 2022’s “Break!,” saw her return after experiencing burnout. Murray seems to have picked up where she left off in 2022, though, with last year’s excellent and dreamy single “Bigger,” which will surely to be featured her next LP, for which a release date hasn’t been announced. Shaky looks to be hitting the ground running on the final day with this exciting act.
Kevin Morby (Sunday, May 5, Criminal Records, 5:45-6:45 p.m.)
Admittedly, I am a little surprised that this 36-year-old multi-instrumentalist and indie folkster is playing Criminal Records stage, as it feels like that stage is a little small for someone of his caliber. The second Big Ears Festival alum we are featuring here (along with Lido Pimienta), this native Texan relocated to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s and gained notoriety playing in great bands like Woods and The Babies. (Both of those projects were started with former roommate and Vivian Girls leader Cassie Ramone.) Morby has delved into many styles such as folk, indie and noise rock in the course of releasing seven solo albums, and everything he has done to this point seems to revolve around music, whether it be his steady output, collaborations with other artists or even his romantic life. His partner, Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee, will be performing in the time slot before Morby’s on Sunday at Piedmont.
Honorable mentions:
Blondshell (Saturday, May 4, Piedmont, 1:15-2 p.m.)
This up-and-coming LA indie rocker fuses tasty grunge riffs with biting lyricism to glorious effect, creating a ‘90s retro soundscape that comes across as more empowered than all but the most feminist of riot grrrls from that era.
Men I Trust (Sunday, May 5, Peachtree, 3:45-4:45 p.m.)
This is another band that we caught at Bonnaroo 2023, and we know that it will bring the heat with infectiously dreamy reverb on Sunday afternoon.
