Ponce De Leon stage sets explosive tone with Low Cut Connie, Idles, Black Lips and Oh Sees
Shaky Knees kicked off in its typical fashion Friday as the sun beat down on thousands of rock music lovers for most of the day with (of course) a few sprinkles of rain mixed in here and there. Thankfully, Shaky Knees has seemed to settle on a permanent location of Central Park, which has plenty of ample shade to escape the mid-day heat as well as respite from inclement weather. Early day activities included trash can beer pong at the Malibu activation, sipping on the occasional Dos Equis and seeking out shade. While the sun was toasty, band after band came out firing on all cylinders with genuine appreciation of those in the crowd and the folks behind the scenes that make the festival happen.
I Don’t Know How But They Found Me kicked off the proceedings on the Piedmont stage, bringing a high-energy, indie-pop sound to the noon crowd. As the Salt Lake City, Utah duo took the stage, they played a tongue-in-cheek rendition of “We are the Opening Band,” before ripping into their 40-minute set, which included a righteous cover of Beck’s “Debra,” after which the band apologized for being cliche. Make no mistake, there was nothing cliche about their Killer’s-esque sound.
Duncan Fellows
One of the great things about music festivals is the discovery of new bands, and these discoveries are what keep music junkies like us coming to music festivals year in and year out. Another great aspect is taking the suggestions of others, which my group does in stride. The discovery in question on day one was the Austin, TX quintet Duncan Fellows at our favorite stage, Criminal Records. They played a mixture of previously released tunes such as “Sway” and “Freshly Squeezed” and a few new tunes as well, which the group promised would be released very soon. Our attention was grabbed by a harmonious Beatles cover of “Don’t Let Me Down.” Don’t worry Duncan Fellows, you did not.
Low Cut Connie
As a photographer at Shaky Knees, you always know you’ve made the right choice when you see Danny Clinch in the pit with you. It didn’t take long to spot him this year, along with nearly every other person with a photo credential at Low Cut Connie. It was early, but it’s obvious that word is getting out about lead singer Adam Weiner’s wild-eyed energy. It’s what showmanship and rock and rock in general is all about and the band is phenomenal as well. Clinch has photographed a lot of bands, so seeing him grinning and shaking his head at the bands’ fervor could be a sign of things to come. This band will spring, it’s just a matter of time. -Rusty Odom
Idles
Idles were arguably the most anticipated set of the day and they didn’t disappoint. Their live show was as ferocious and exciting as one could have imagined, ripe with violent guitar twirls and head-banging to go along with guitarist Mark Bowen and other members of the band crowd surfing a various points during the set. The moshing started almost immediately as front man Joe Talbot looked on with approval. There’s almost a sense of danger in watching Idles; maybe it’s Talbot’s “crazy eyes” or maybe it’s the dual-guitar attack. Whatever it is, the hype and anticipation was totally warranted as Idles did not disappoint and left the Ponce De Leon stage crowd exhausted but wanting more.
There were some big winners on Day One, which included guitarist/instrumentalist Tash Sultana, whose layered approach simultaneously soothed and energized, and Tears for Fears, who once again proved its staying power with a magnificent evening set, but the nod to the biggest winner on Friday was John Dwyer’s psych-rock collective from Los Angeles, Oh Sees. Oh Sees ripped through favorites from their expansive catalog, which included a jammy rendition of “The Dream,” which saw the group try to blow the roof off the covered Ponce stage with their driving sound that monitors couldn’t handle at times. Probably the biggest crowd on Ponce De Leon stage all day, Oh Sees left everything on stage, much to the delight of the masses, who may have been as covered in sweat as Dwyer and company were. It so great to finally see Oh Sees, especially on a late afternoon set where crowd and band alike gave their all.
Beck closed the first day in outstanding fashion, playing a career-spanning set of twenty songs. Coming out of the gate swinging, Beck started his headlining set with “Devils Haircut” and “Loser.”’ Beck rapped, danced, played acoustic guitar and harmonica for over an hour and a half while soaking in the love Atlanta was giving. His acoustic version of “Debra” was especially amusing as he joked that his guitar was out of tune. Beck’s backing band was incredibly tight, and the highlight of the show might’ve been when he introduced each member, and then promptly went into various covers including Prince’s “Raspberry Beret,” “Rappers Delight,” and “Blue Monday.” Beck left no question that he is one of the best headliners in the game, albeit a slightly underrated artist at this point in his legendary career, all of which made for a fantastic close to day one.
