Saturday at Shaky Knees was a marathon.
The day kicked off unruly. Soft Play is a two-man band that turned their set into a punk brawl. With the drummer/vocalist screaming from the crowd and the guitarist pogoing across the stage, they made their lack a lineup somehow feel like a superpower. At one point, they asked Atlanta to show its vape clouds, which was a first.
Not far away, Ecca Vandal pulled off a genre-bending set that shifted from dream-pop haze to M.I.A-style punk-rap energy. Even from a distance, the heavy bass carried.
Then came Fat Dog, who doubled down on the reputation they’d sparked at their late night set, and cemented themselves as breakout kings of the weekend.
If Fat Dog kicked off the day in earnst, Die Spitz blew it open. The Austin punk quartet asked: “Atlanta, are you some dogs? Woof woof.” Raw, loud, unapologetic stuff. Saturday started hard and hot.
For a breather, Radio Free Alice brought angular post-punk and hypnotic vocals. Their sharper grooves and slow-burn energy hooked the crowd.
That calm didn’t last long. Scowl detonated the stage with a political, hardcore-meets-melody set that quickly turned into one of Saturday’s standouts. Frontwoman Kat Moss, green hair flying, screamed “ATL HOEZ!” and demanded the crowd “roar.”
Then came literal teenage riot The Linda Lindas. The few rain drops before their set barely dampened the massive hillside crowd. By mid-set, hands were in the air, bodies surfing across the pit, and the band proved they’re more than a novelty. These young kids are players and put on a show.
After The Linda Lindas, the Criminal Records Stage played host to one of the surprise sets of the weekend. Irish musician CMAT, known for her EURO-COUNTRY, came out with a big band and a larger than life persona that was one of the most buzzed about sets of the weekend. Letting the crowd know “It’s very very hot and humid for a ginger bitch like me”, CMAT did it all, made fun of herself, slapped that ass, shook that booty, and generally had the best time on stage with her crowd and band. At one point, she even talked about how the BBC had to turn off comments on videos and articles about her because the comments on her appearance would get so nasty. But you think that stops CMAT? “But you know what, I look very sexy” she announced to the Shaky Knees crowd before going into the song “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me”. The grooves were strong, and with the added country music influence, these pop songs stand out led by a frontwoman that never stops. The crowd couldn’t help but dance along nonstop. Heck, half the band put down there instruments at one point and did the two-step and eventually led the whole crowd in the country music dance. It’s pretty obvious why CMAT is already on the edge of being a world wide sensation.
The evening pushed the crowd capacity to its limit. All-American Rejects turned Ponce into a singalong, the hills and beer tents swallowed by fans.
Then Cage the Elephant detonated. Pyrotechnic heat blasted the front rows, guitars bled into the crowd, and frontman Matt Shultz reminded everyone that the last time they played Shaky Knees, he broke his foot on stage. This time he stayed upright.
The Black Keys followed with a masterclass in rock professionalism. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney ripped through a set heavy on new grooves and closed with “Lonely Boy.”
On Reddit, they said My Chemical Romance fans were lined up by 7:00 am. For those who endured through the heat and dust, MCR rewarded with a spectacle. They played The Black Parade front to back, and delivered what surely must have been the largest crowd in Shaky history, turning Piedmont Park into a massive emo revival. Gerard Way stalked the stage in full theatrics.
And with that, the marathon that was Shaky Knees 2025 Day 2 ended with a bang.
All photos by Mike Gerry
