What a way to celebrate a decade!
We just came back from the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, where we witnessed some of the most amazing performances and all we can say is wow!
The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with a stellar lineup of headliners: The Killers, Muse, and The Lumineers. They rocked the stage with their hits and made the crowd go wild.
But that’s not all. The festival also featured some of the most iconic bands in the music industry, such as Greta Van Fleet, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tenacious D, Placebo, The Mars Volta, Hozier, The Flaming Lips, and many more.
All the bands played some of their classic songs as well as some new ones since many of the bands have been releasing new albums this year and are currently on tour.
Definitely, it was great to see so many of these bands in one place and The Heart Sounds team was there to bring you what we experienced and photos of this great festival.
FRIDAY
For Day 1, our schedule was a little tight, many of the bands we wanted to see were playing at the same time. So, timing and running were crucial to enjoy our Friday.
That day we enjoyed the performance of Cautious Clay, He was amazing, his voice was so smooth and soulful, and he played some of his best songs like “Cold War” and “Wildfire”. From there we went to see Surf Curse, the duo, and now quartet, brought their energy to the festival who gathered very early to see the band.
Grouplove, what can we say about this band other than they are incredible on stage and really know how to connect with their fans. The crowd sang along to their hits like “Tongue Tied”, “Ways to Go” and “Colours”.
Definitely one of our highlights was seeing Placebo live for the first time. They rocked the stage with their new songs and classic hits. Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and music guests really know how to give an amazing show. They played songs from their old and recent albums such as “Forever Chemicals”, “Bionic”, “The Bitter End”, “Infra-Red” and they finish with two covers, “Shout” from Tears For Fears and “Running Up That Hill” from Kate Bush.
It was time to run to another stage to see the guys from Michigan, Greta Van Fleet! Loved by many and hated by others, the band really sounds awesome on stage. They’re great musicians and the songs are full of energy and fans really love them! Some of the songs they played, “Built By Nations”, “Caravel”, “Heat Above”, “Light My Love”, their newest single “Meeting The Master” and “The eight Of Dreams”.
Another band we were grateful to see live was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!
Karen O and company rocked the Shaky Knees Festival with their energetic and catchy songs. The indie rock band from New York City has been making waves since 2000 with their unique style and sound and they have a solid group of fans that follow them everywhere! They played some of their big hits such as “Zero”, “Maps” and “Heads Will Roll”. It was really good to see them live!
And to finish our first day of Shaky Knees Festival, we got ready to enjoy the performance of The Killers!
They literally played all their hits, from “Mr. Brightside”, “When You Were Young”, “Smile Like You Mean It”, to “Somebody Told Me”, “Boy”, “Runaways”, “Read My Mind”, “All The Things That I’ve Done” and to finish “When You Were Young”.
The crowd was singing along, dancing, and having a blast during their whole show. The energy was incredible. The Killers are truly one of the best bands in the world and we were there to experience their great performance!
SATURDAY
Day 2 of Shaky Knees Fest was looking a lot lighter with a clear sky and cold breeze in the air. For Saturday, the list of great bands was on our list, but with the same struggle as every time we cover a festival, who to see and who to sacrifice? But at the end of the day, the experience of a big music festival is the same, great time with great bands everywhere you go!
We caught part of Suki Waterhouse’s show. The English actress and singer brought her indie-pop music to the Peachtree stage and performed some of her great songs, such as “Bulshit On The Internet”, “Nostalgia”, Moves” and “The Devil I Know”.
From there we walked to the Piedmont stage to see Futurebirds, a local band who was been growing in the rock and roll music scene. Many of the fans who gathered know them a lot from their constant presentations in the area being from the state of Georgia. Songs “Rodeo”, “College Try”, “Twentyseven”, and “Trippin'” were part of their setlist.
As time passed, we got ready to see more rock on Saturday with The Gaslight Anthem, same as other bands, their song selection was a mix of old and new songs, from “American Slang”, “Handwritten” to “Mae” and “The ’59 Sound”
Another band who brought some nostalgia to the festival was 311. The alternative-rock band had the whole crowd singing and dancing along with their really catchy melodies and rhythms. Some of the classing songs they played of their 13 studio albums were “All Mixed Up”, “Come Original” a cover from The Cure, “Lovesong” and songs that couldn’t be left out, “Amber” and “Down”.
Two great acts were ahead on our schedule. We were honestly very excited to see Jack Black’s music project with Kyle Gass, Tenacious D! The comedy rock dup was hilarious and awesome, and they made the whole crowd sing and laugh at the same time. Jack being Jack, spent the whole night making jokes on stage and interacted with the crown a lot. Some of the songs they played were the classics and some of the new ones, such as “Rize Of The Fenix”, “Wonderboy”, “Tribute”, “Video Games”, “Sax-A-Boom” and for the end, “F… Her Gently”. You should definitely check them out if they are in your town!
Another great act we enjoyed on Saturday was The Mars Volta. The progressive rock band from El Paso, TX formed by Omar Alfredo Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala has become a cult band to music lovers. They always bring an intense and passionate show and the sound of the band playing live is just incredible. Some of the songs they played were “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)”, “L’Via L’Viaquez”, “Graveyard Love” and “Cicatriz ESP”. The Mars Volta is playing in San Antonio on May 16 at the Boeing Center if you want to check them out.
Finally, we ended the day with the magnificent concert of Muse. They were phenomenal, and they put on a spectacular show of their rock anthems. They played some of their hits like “Will Of The People”, “Supermassive Black Hole”, “Hysteria”, “Uprising”, and “Knights Of Cydonia”. They also had amazing pyrotechnics, lasers, and confetti on stage, and with the images, they show on the big screens they make you feel like you are in a sci-fi movie. They were so powerful and epic. It truly was a great way to finish Day 2.
SUNDAY
The last day of Shaky Knees Festival was awesome, the weather was perfect for an outdoor festival. It was sunny but not too hot, and there was a nice breeze throughout the day in Atlanta!
With a list of great acts with a more indie vibe, compared to Friday and Saturday which had a strong presence of rock, we got there and were ready for the conclusion of this great festival.
Starting with The Black Angels that proved once again why they are one of the best bands in the neo-psychedelia scene. With songs such as “Wilderness Of Mirrors”, “Icon”, “Never/Ever” and “Blodhood On My Trail” they pleased the hundreds of fans who gathered to see them.
Also starting the day, the band Future Islands with Samuel Herring on vocals, gave a phenomenal show. With their synth-pop style and the incomparable presence and performance of Samuel on stage, fans really had a great time seeing them live. They included songs such as “For Sure”, “Ran”, A Dream Of You And Me”, “Long Flight”, and for the end “Fall From Grace”.
Later that day it was the turn for two great singers, Father John Misty and Hozier. Both artists showed their amazing vocal and musical talents.
Father John Misty delivered a captivating set of his witty and cynical songs, accompanied by his charismatic stage presence and witty banter. He played some of his classics like “Strange Encounter”, “Mr. Tillman”, “Date Night”, “Real Love Baby”, and “The Ideal Husband”.
Hozier, followed with a soulful and powerful performance of his bluesy and folk-inspired tunes. He sang some of his hits like “Eat Your Young”, “Work Song”, “All Things End” and finish with his international hit, “Take Me To Church”.
Changing gears to more energetic and strong beats, it was the turn for FIDLAR and The Walkmen.
Both delivered great performances, having the crowd jumping, moshing, and singing along to their catchy and rebellious lyrics.
FIDLAR with their punk rock style and The Walkmen with an indie rock were really awesome!
The Flaming Lips really rocked the Shaky Knees Festival with their psychedelic pop and dazzling visuals. Wayne Coyne, vocalist, knows how to deliver a great performance and his presence on stage is inimitable. The crowd was mesmerized by their colorful costumes, giant balloons, and confetti cannons. It was a sensory feast that left everyone feeling happy and inspired. They played some of their classic hits like “Fight Test”, “Are You A Hypnotist?”, “It’s Summertime”, and for the end “Approaching Pavonis Mons By Ballon”.
And last, but not least, it was the turn for the final act of the Shaky Knees Festival 10th Anniversary, The Lumineers. They delivered a stunning performance with their catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics. The Lumineers showed why they are one of the best live acts in the music industry today.
Some of the great songs included in their setlist were “Brightside”, “Cleopatra”, “Ho Hey” that had the thousands of fans singing along, “Dead Sea”, a cover of The Cure, “Just Like Heaven”, and to finish “Stubborn Love”. The band thank the crowd for the continuos support to the band and celebrated the 10th anniversary of the festival.
From here, we cannot thank enough to the amazing team of Shaky Knees Festival for their support and incredible coordination for us to cover their 10th Anniversary!
For another 10 Years!
The Heart Sounds team.
