Shaky Knees Music Festival 2024, day two at Central Park in Atlanta, Georgia

The second day of Shaky Knees 2024 avoided predicted storms and created the perfect atmosphere for exciting programming in downtown Atlanta.

The second day of the festival started in earnest when Blonde shell took the Piedmont stage. Wearing a classic Maggie Simpson t-shirt, Blondshell (Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum) kicked things off with “Veronica Mars,” the opening track from her 2023 debut. Blonde shell. Much has been made of Teitelbaum’s voice being reminiscent of some of the great rock singers of the ’90s, and that’s absolutely true. From one song to the next, you can hear shades of Liz Phair or Courtney Love, but only shades. While most of the set was made up of pieces from Blonde shellthere was a new song in the mix and Teitelbaum told the Constitution of the Atlanta newspaper that she is writing and recording her second album. You can catch Blondshell on tour in the US and Europe for the remainder of 2024.

Grace CummingsThe performance at Shaky Knees could only be described as “intense”. The Australian performer has paired a very unique, almost croon-like voice with piercing eyes that make you think that what she’s singing, whatever it is, is important. His presence is simply powerful. Latest version of Cummings, Ramon, is available now and will be touring Europe and Australia throughout the summer. One of Saturday’s standout performances took place on the Ponce De Leon stage with Quarters of change. The New York quartet created some buzz at the start of the day and showed it wasn’t unfounded, putting together a great set for fans and new listeners alike. The band’s sound is definitely reminiscent of 90s alternative, but their main trait is that everything is so… catchy. “Heaven Bound” from the recently released game Portraits it sounds like it could come from an 80s movie soundtrack, and that’s by no means a bad thing. The crowd tended to agree and were totally locked into the band throughout the set. Frontman Ben Roter is an imposing presence on stage (with or without a mask) and you can feel the emotion he brings to each song. Quarters of Change are a band to watch, and you can do so at Governors Ball (New York) and Lollapalooza (Chicago) this summer.

Bad nerves brought their brand of power-punk to the criminal records scene with what could only be considered assault. From the first song, the boys from Essex, UK sent the crowd into a frenzy as they sang, moshed and surfed. Choosing the best crowd throughout the weekend is difficult, but for the criminal record stage, this one had to be first. You can hear the new Bad Nerves on their upcoming album Always nervous, out later this month. In a real change of pace from Bad Nerves, Chicano Batman took the Piedmont stage to inject a little funk and groove into everyone’s weekend. Fresh off their latest album, Fantasy Notebook, the band seemed in top form as they began their summer touring schedule. “Steal” from Fantasy Notebook really digs into the heart of the Chicano Batman sound. It’s got a great groove, and a little funk, and you’re singing the chorus thirty seconds later. You can hear Fantasy Notebook on ATO Records, and catch them touring the US this summer. In some cases, the simpler you can do something, the better. This has never been more the case than with the English duo Royal blood. When you reduce a band to drums and bass, you lose some of the subtleties of the music, but you get a complete, raw power that can’t be matched. Mike Kerr (bass/vocals) and Ben Thatcher (drums) kept the sound and energy high throughout a set that leaned heavily on well-known tracks from their 2014 debut. Royal blood. A truly standout moment of the set came from 2017’s “Lights Out.” How did we become so dark? You can catch Royal Blood touring the US and Europe throughout the summer.

Offspring brought Shaky Knees a true 90s time warp with an incredible set consisting mainly of songs from their albums Accident And American. With all the anthems in their songbook, they still managed to work in a cover of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” to the delight of the rowdy crowd. The punk rock veterans closed with a stunning run consisting of “(Can’t Get My) Head Around You,” “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy),” and “The Kids Aren’t Alright.” Do yourself a favor and check out The Offspring on their tour of the US and Europe this summer.

Girl in red should have played a spot later at Shaky Knees as she introduced one of the festival’s performances. From the moment she entered the stage (in front of a red background of course) until the last note, she captivated the massive crowd gathered on the Peachtree stage. This was absolutely one of the most “fun” sets of the weekend, as Girl In Red makes it very clear that this is what she’s experiencing. Her emotions are so clear to read, whether it’s joy, worry, or chagrin, that you can’t help but feel those emotions yourself. The upbeat songs (“bad idea!”) sound even more upbeat and the ballads (“midnight love”) sound much deeper. Girl In Red is touring the United States until May. The wait was great for At Miike Snow first American show in five years. The Swedish-American band’s appearances in the United States have been few and far between, so the crowd at Shaky Knees was ready to take it all in. Dressed in white and gray suits, the group opened with 2009’s “Billie Holiday.” Miike Snow. The sound was composed as you would expect from the band, using guitar, bass and drums in conjunction with their massive synthesizer (The Blob). Singer Andrew Wyatt announced the upcoming release of new music, much to the crowd’s delight, and doubled down by performing “I Was A Sailor” from the upcoming release. Miike Snow has a few more US dates later this month. Despite the stormy forecast, a crystal clear night greeted headliner Shaky Knees on Saturday, Tweezers. The emo legends provided a career-spanning set of songs with songs from seven different albums, including a much-loved B-side (“You Gave Your Love to Me Softly”). The band also treated the crowd to a great cover of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin,” which they are working on for an upcoming tour with The Smashing Pumpkins. Most of the songs came from Blue album, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. While Noah Kahan might have produced the most cohesive chant of the weekend, no one could match the crowd’s volume on the chorus of Blue album remarkable “Say It Aint So”. Rivers Cuomo’s voice and guitar work were in top form, no small feat 30 years after the band’s debut. Weezer will tour the UK and Ireland with The Smashing Pumpkins this summer.

SHAKY KNEES MUSIC FESTIVAL

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