It’s always a bit of a downbeat as the festival draws to a close, isn’t it? I’ll say this, when I’m dead and gone, spread a little bit of me around on the farm at Bonnaroo, and a little more at Shaky Knees.
The Early Sets
The last day of Shaky Knees 2025 started with an Atlanta original (which is, in my humble opinion, too rare for a platform like Shaky), Improvement Movement. I saw them once at 529 in EAV, and they were so tight, so original.
Right away, Improvement Movement are the kind of band that shows why they deserved that Peachtree main stage slot. 4-part harmonies, shifting song structures, shades of Laurel Canyon psychedelia, some Beatles influences, a dash of Ariel Pink. No one else is doing quite what they do.
While I wish their slot had fallen a bit later (so more people could catch them), the crowd that was there was entranced. For those that missed the set, they dropped you a lifeline: the band will play Terminal West in December.
Expect bigger and bigger audiences for Improvement Movement, who are on the big Spotify playlists, playing the big festivals, and breaking out from their “local band” era into something with wider and wider recognition.
I don’t know much about English Teacher, but singer Lily Fontaine is lightning in a bottle. The band has had a great 18 months, touring the festival circuit last year (and again this year), striking out on a European and US tour in between and winning the Mercury prize for their debut album (over Charli xcx’s Brat, no less). This is a band that has quickly been on the rise and their live set at Shaky certainly showed why.
The Throwbacks
Murder by Death leaned into legacy, making the “farewell tour” label feel earned. Sure, they are known for their haunting/sad songs, but these guys are pros by now and this was nothing more than a big time rock show, telling the audience “We’ve been a band for 25 years now, this is our Farewell Tour, so thank you Atlanta for having us.” Atlanta gave the love right back.
Also in the legacy column, 4 Non Blondes walked out onto the stage by leading the crowd in a quick sing-a-long to the chorus of “What’s Up” before immediately going into a Led Zeppelin cover (“Rock and Roll”), that immediately seemed like it was from their own catalogue. Bold for a band reintroducing themselves after 30 years away. If anything, it seems the time away from the stage only made them stronger and brought the band out with a fire. Not only did they play their classics and ended the set with the sing along of “What’s Up?”, that couldn’t have been better, but the band also played new songs and announced they are working on a new album. Linda Perry announced to the crowd “I’ve been a producer and songwriter for the last 30 years, and never thought I’d be here today with the band. We decided to play some shows, and that turned into more shows, and then Tim Sweetwood invited us to come play more shows.” She also went on to talk about how they wanted to have fun with these shows, so they ended up getting together to write new songs, that they wanted to be bigger, better, and faster. Mission accomplished 4 Non Blondes.
Both acts were fun. But no throwback was bigger or better than Devo. In a festival with plenty of throwbacks and modern hybrids, Devo somehow still feels like they are from the future and landed like a band ahead of their era. Futuristic, quirky, irreverent — their presence fit the weird, celebratory tone of Sunday.
Main Events
Wet Leg was an obvious must-see. The band was an instant success, Their 2022 self-titled album boasts hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify, and the last time they played Atlanta (2023?) they basically insta-sold out.
And I’ve seen their music videos, which are hilarious and fun. “Chaise Lounge” is a great song. So is “Angelica.” And live performances like their Tiny Desk (Home) suggest a tight little indie band, with everyone sort of sharing the limelight.
But that assumption is actually false. Wet Leg is a vehicle to advance the white hot supernova of stardom that is Rhian Teasdale. They aren’t Garbage. They are No Doubt. Teasdale stalked the stage in a bikini top and short shorts, armpit hair to the wind, inviting any teenage girl in the world to look up to her like she was Gwen Stefani herself. Iconic stuff, but different than the vibe I’d anticipated.
And then Alabama Shakes. If you ask anyone over the age of 35 and under the age of 50, they’ll speak of Brittany Howard in the same reverential tone that older people use when they talk about Aretha Franklin. She’s an icon to a subset of the indie rock community from a decade prior.
From quiet moments to full-throated crescendos, Alabama Shakes were an unexpected (or wholly expected) highlight of the day. Their new single “Another Life” hits well live. Brittany’s voice is famously transcendent.
It felt like we needed Alabama Shakes back, not just as a nostalgia act, but as a force of musical and emotional gravity. Good to have them back on stage.
The last act before Blink shut down the 2025 Shaky Knees was non other than Vampire Weekend, who might as well have been the headliner for a large portion of the audience. Vampire Weekend provided a career spanning set that was just a levitating experience for those in attendance. At this point, the band in a live setting might as well be a jam band, but when you are talking songs like “A-Punk” and set closer “Walcott”, it makes them that much more interesting with the band expanding on these only 2-3 minute songs on record.
Closing things out was Blink-182, definitely leaning into their camp, jokes, and weirdness. The crowd embraced it,. And, their presence grounded Sunday in good lighthearted fun.
Six stray takeaways to end the weekend
- Piedmont’s terrain gave you hills, which helped with distant viewing areas.
- Were the porta-potties nicer this year?
- Where were the trash cans? Trash can placement was inconsistent at best.
- The dust was real, especially over Peachtree at sunset. Clouds of fine grit.
- Overall: well run, with a larger, more regional feel.
- They could really blow out a “Centeroo” kind of concept at Piedmont Park. This time around, the middle area between the stages was a handful of food and other vendor activations. But with the expanded scale of the festival, reimagining the spaces between the music would be a really fun way place to try something bigger and bring something more unique to Shaky in future years. They’ve got the room for it now. Someone call Meow Wolf.
All photos by Mike Gerry
