SHAKY KNEES 2022: Preview, Guide, & Vote On Toughest Choices

Shaky Knees Music Festival 2022 finally arrives back at it’s rightful place at the end of April/beginning of May, this year’s festival taking place in Atlanta’s Central Park on April 29th to May 1st, 2022. The (hopefully) final lineup has been announced, the schedule has been set, and we also know which artists are playing Late Night Shows after the festival in Atlanta venues. Now that we’ve got all the info, all that’s left is to plan your 2022 Shaky Knees…..

This April in Atlanta is jam packed with concerts, and with Sweetwater 420 Festival pushing their 2022 fest from it’s usual spot the second to last weekend in April, you know closer to 4/20, to now being on the same weekend as Shaky Knees, Atlanta is going to be popping around town – including Sweetwater 420 Fest’s own Late Night Shows at Atlanta’s venues. This year Shaky Knees has announced 10 Late Night Shows (*Now nine Late Night Shows with the Grandson show at the Masquerade cancelled. Grandson is still performing at the festival though) taking place at venues such as The Masquerade, The Earl, Vinyl, and Terminal West, including Shannon & The Clams kicking things off Thursday night at the Masquerade in Hell before the fest starts on Friday. Once again, these shows are separate from the festival itself – meaning you can’t get in with a festival wristband, but you can buy a ticket, even if you aren’t going to the actual festival. Get your Shaky Knees 2022 Late Night Show Tickets, before the sell out here. Also, if you are planning on taking Uber or Lyft, brace yourself for insane rates, just FYI. And give yourself extra time to go through security if you are attending a Late Night Show at the Masquerade – 3 venues worth of Late Night Shows all entering security at the same time = long lines (or really most venues these days).

Since announcing the initial lineup back in November for the 2022 Shaky Knees Music Festival, there have been some changes. Billy Idol, Travis, Japandroids, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Drugdealer, and now Gerry Cinnamon are all out for various reasons. Welcome to the world of 2020-present ….. There have also been additions, such as Grandson, Ada Lea, Lennon Stella, Dropkick Murphys, Dehd, Lanie Gardner, Pinkshift, Spiritual Cramp, Band of Horses, The Glorious Sons, and Scarypoolparty. The headliners have remained the same: Green Day on Friday night, Nine Inch Nails on Saturday, and My Morning Jacket closing it out on Sunday night.

The official schedule for Shaky Knees Fest 2022 is pretty straight forward with two artists going at all times, one on each side of festival grounds – either the Peachtree Stage or Piedmont Stage will have an artist playing, and either the Ponce Stage or Criminal Records Stage will have an artist playing – except the Headliners ending each night and Songs For Kids opening up each morning at 11:45am on the Peachtree Stage, a worthy reason to get there early. There is pretty much no planned cross over of any sets. So, now is the time to decide between a few simple choices: Pick between one of two artists playing at each time slot, hop around and catch a little bit of everyone, or camp out at a stage in anticipation of the headliners.

Now that we know what we are up against with each time slot set, perhaps factoring you could catch an artist at a Late Night Show, we take a look at each time slot below and our pick for our first priority on at that time. Of course, the reality is there are some really tough decisions, and there are no right or wrong decisions. Heck the beauty of a festival like Shaky Knees is the new discoveries – finding yourself at a surprise set you really loved totally unexpected, it’s pretty much a tradition at SK.

So yeah, our vote came with a little caveat, a confidence level on the pick of 1-5, 1 being “could really go either way”, 2 and 3 being a sliding scale of not feeling to strongly about the pick, to 4 being “damn I’d really really love to see the other artist but have to see this pick”, to 5 being “no doubt, this is where to be”. It’s pretty much a scientific scale, so those are our picks.

Where will you be though? What are the time slots that you feel strongly about? Which ones are the toughest decisions at Shaky Knees 2022? Which is your favorite headliner? Who are the must check out food vendors? Vote below and help others make those tough decisions:

*Don’t forget to buy your Shaky Knees Music Festival 2022 Tickets here.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29TH – SHAKY KNEES 2022 DAY 1

FLIPTURN OR ULTRA Q

OE’S PICK: ULTRA Q

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 2

*Tough Choice – Here you could catch Billie Joe Armstrong’s youngest son, Jakob Armstrong, in his four piece band Ultra Q. You can definitely hear some influence from The Strokes within their released material so far. Or you could catch the up and coming indie pop sensations Flipturn out of Fernandina Beach, Florida and get your dancing shoes on early as you release those endorphins during their set. Not bad options for an early set.

BARNS COURTNEY OR ACID DAD

OE’S PICK: ACID DAD

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 2

FAYE WEBSTER OR MANNEQUIN PUSSY

OE’S PICK: FAYE WEBSTER

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

*Tough Choice – Mannequin Pussy, the Philly punks, have been making a name for themselves with their energetic live performances and yearning lyrics. But we’ve got to go with Atlanta’s own Faye Webster, who’s been blowing up the indie world, including 2021’s acclaimed I Know I’m Funny haha. The 23-year old songwriter should have the Shaky Knees crowd grooving and swaying in the afternoon sun.

GRANDSON OR ADA LEA

OE’S PICK: ADA LEA

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

LENNON STELLA OR SPORTS TEAM

OE’S PICK: SPORTS TEAM

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

HIGHLY SUSPECT OR NILUFER YANYA

OE’S PICK: NILUFER YANYA

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

*Tough Choice – On one hand you have Highly Suspect, who’s already made a name for themselves in the alt-rock world and puts on a great live show. On the other, you have a chance to see the young, critically acclaimed London artist Nilüfer Yanya. Recently releasing her third album in March via ATO Records, Nilüfer Yanya is a genre bending artist who’s sure to keep it lively as she effortlessly blends everything from soul, jazz, and trip hop into her indie rock sound, plus she’s sure to show off plenty of chops on the guitar.

SPOON OR BIFFY CLYRO

OE’S PICK: SPOON

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 5

Spoon released easily one of the best albums of the year so far, Lucifer On The Sofa, in February via Matador Records. You can also safely say the new album is one of the band’s best, which says a lot when you consider all they’ve produced over 10 albums. ‘Nuff said.

RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE OR SHANNON AND THE CLAMS

OE’S PICK: SHANNON AND THE CLAMS

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 1

*Tough Choice – Wouldn’t me mad at either here….on one hand you have Rainbow Kitten Surprise – since forming in 2013, the Boone, North Carolina band has built a large and loving fanbase being known for their energetic live performances. Lead singer Ela Melo, who just came out as a transgender woman, has consistently been one of the best front people in the game since their formation, rocking festival after festival. Then you have the Oakland quartet Shannon & the Clams, who released their sixth studio album Year of the Spider in 2021, which was produced by Dan Auerbach. They bring a little bit of everything – from surf, punk, rockabilly, doo-wop, soul, freak folk, whatever – it’s all great and makes for a stellar live show. Want to see both, hit RKS on the festival grounds and Shannon & the Clams on Thursday night at the kick-off show at the Masquerade.

DROPKICK MURPHYS OR GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

OE’S PICK: DROPKICK MURPHYS

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 1

*Tough Choice – The Celtic Punks, Dropkick Murphys, out of Boston bring it every single time; we’ve seen it before at Shaky Knees. There will be a mosh pit, and it will be glorious. Or you could hit the influential post rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their cult following for some drone-y goodness. Slightly different mosh pit, but also very loud and powerful. Pick your poison.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30TH – SHAKY KNEES 2022 DAY 2

FRANCIS OF DELIRIUM OR EXUM

OE’S PICK: FRANCIS OF DELIRIUM

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 2

DEHD OR POORSTACY

OE’S PICK: DEHD

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 5

CHASTITY BELT OR PRETTY SICK

OE’S PICK: CHASTITY BELT

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

DJO OR HUNNY

OE’S PICK: DJO

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

GUIDED BY VOICES OR BABYJAKE

OE’S PICK: GUIDED BY VOICES

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

SCARYPOOLPARTY OR PHANTOM PLANET

OE’S PICK: PHANTOM PLANET

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

GANG OF YOUTHS OR REIGNWOLF

OE’S PICK: REIGNWOLF

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

*Tough Choice – Blues rock or alt-rock? Reignwolf isn’t exactly new to the scene, as they’ve seemingly played on major festivals and with major artists since their inception in like 2013. But they’ve still only released one full length album in 2019. Either way, this is just one of those bands that slay live, and they’ve certainly learned from some of the best ever. Of course, there is also Gang of Youths out of Melbourne, Australia. They’ve pretty much been nominated for every award in Australia including best live act as they brand has continued to grow globally. While Reignwolf should be some good ole fashioned in your face rock ‘n’ roll, Gang of Youths will bring you on a journey through their set.

MT. JOY OR MOLCHAT DOMA

OE’S PICK: MT. JOY

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

KURT VILE OR THE REGRETTES

OE’S PICK: KURT VILE

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

*Tough Choice – This is a tough choice only because The Regrettes would be great to catch live at Shaky Knees. The riot girls out of LA bring that punk and garage rock that should be a great show. But it’s Kurt Vile. He’s a Shaky Knees god thinking all the way back to the very first Shaky Knees as Kurt Vile & The Violators tore up the stage in the Masquerade Music Park. Glorious. And Kurt is back with his latest brilliant album, (watch my moves), released just last week.

CHVRCHES OR AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

OE’S PICK: AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

*Tough Choice – As soon as the initial lineup was dropped, Amyl and the Sniffers were immediately on the must see list. The Australian punks led by the most badass frontwoman, the hard rocking Amy Taylor, released their sophomore album Comfort to Me last September via ATO Records, taking their buzz globally. It’s going to be a wild set; plus… it’s on the small stage in the forest of the Criminal Records Stage. Damn, this is a must see set. Then again, there is the Glasgow synth pop sensations Chvrches playing on the Peachtree Stage. They put on a heck of a live show, which makes their set even harder to miss. So if you are hanging out at the Peachtree Stage in anticipation of Nine Inch Nails, well then you are in for a treat.

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD OR JAPANESE BREAKFAST

OE’S PICK: KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

*Tough Choice – Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner might as well be on top of the indie world these days. She’s released three critically acclaimed albums, including 2021’s Jubilee, scored a video game soundtrack, and now is an author. And Japanese Breakfast puts on a great live show, heck we’ve seen it before, back in 2019 on the same stage – Ponce (this weirdly doesn’t seem very long ago, but that is only 2 Shaky Knees ago….). Which makes it hard to say we’ll be over at the Piedmont Stage for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Another one that was marked as can’t miss upon the initial lineup, the Melbourne band is the most prolific rock and roll band going today – in number of albums released, number of live shows, set times, etc. They can and will bring a little bit of everything – psych rock, garage rock, heavy metal, psych pop, they do it all, and at an insane rate. Every single moment of this scorching set will be worth it.

SUNDAY, MAY 1ST – SHAKY KNEES 2022 DAY 3

LAINE GARDNER OR PINKSHIFT

OE’S PICK: PINKSHIFT

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

STEPHEN DAY OR SPIRITUAL CRAMP

OE’S PICK: SPIRITUAL CRAMP

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

DESTROYER OR ANGEL DU$T

OE’S PICK: DESTROYER

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

COLONY HOUSE OR BRISCOE

OE’S PICK: BRISCOE

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 2

DIRTY HONEY OR THE GARDEN

OE’S PICK: THE GARDEN

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

COIN OR GIRLPUPPY

OE’S PICK: GIRLPUPPY

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 1

*Tough Choice – Look, we know COIN should be a good time and have all the kids dancing. But girlpuppy is a legit up and coming new emo folk darling from right here in Atlanta. She’s already garnered national appeal with a couple of EPs and singles, and now she gets the national audience, live in her hometown to see what she’s really all about. Fans of Phoebe Bridgers and Faye Webster are going to love girlpuppy.

BAND OF HORSES OR THE GLORIOUS SONS

OE’S PICK: BAND OF HORSES

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 5

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE OR THE HAPPY FITS

OE’S PICK: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

KHRUANGBIN OR PUP

OE’S PICK: KHRUANGBIN

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

*Tough Choice – PUP rocks just FYI. No doubt there will be some moshing and crowd surfing at this set on the Criminal Stage, another one of those memorable sets on the smallest stage at Shaky Knees. But the Houston-based Khruangbin is another artist earmarked as “must see”. With their initial inspiration being Thai music from the 1960’s, the band has been making waves over the last few years with their global influences. Covering everything from psychedelia to dub to soul, this is sure to be one of those perfectly timed, euphoric sets just as the sun is going down. The grooves will be hard, and the bodies will be moving.

THE HEADLINERS

OE’S PICK: MY MORNING JACKET

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 4

Sure, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Nine Inch Nails will get a lot of votes. Afterall they don’t tour all that often, and everyone’s stoked to see them for good reason. Then there is the other Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Green Day, whose sold like 75 million records. Their punk energy on the headlining stage is always going to be a crowd pleaser. For us though, it still has to be My Morning Jacket. This band is what Shaky Knees is all about, heck the festival was named after a MMJ lyric. Their last headlining set at SK was on a Saturday night in 2016 – pure magic and joy. This time they get to close the whole festival down, which is sure to be an extra special set.

SHAKY KNEES 2022 LATE NIGHT SHOWS

SHAKY KNEES 2022 FOOD VENDORS

OE’S PICK: ROTI ROLLS

Confidence Level (Scale 1-5): 3

Did Shaky Knees even really happen if you haven’t stopped for a Thurman Merman? Braised short-rib or pork (depending on availability), Creole mac & cheese, & homemade kimchi. Yes pls, Roti Rolls is the move. And why not stop for a Mother Clucker over the weekend while you are at it.