Shaky Knees Music Festival returns for its sixth year; this year taking place at an earlier date than usual on May 4-6 at Central Park in Atlanta.
Slowdive @ the 2017 Shaky Knees Kickoff Show. Photo by Mike Gerry
While many other festivals around us have gone to pop or dance music, Shaky Knees remains truthful it its indie heart. Some memorable acts are headed our way, including: David Byrne, The National, Queens of the Stone Age, Jack White and so many others. We also get an added bonus this year with the revival of the Ponce De Leon stage, making the stage count to four instead of just three. More bands and options for festival attendees.
And if that isn’t enough to satisfy your rock ‘n’ roll heart, keep the party going well into the night at the Late Night Shows. These shows won’t happen on the festival grounds of Central Park, but instead will take place at different music venues around Atlanta. These are separate tickets from the festival itself, so if you aren’t attending the fest, you can still capture some of the magic. Or maybe there is a scheduling conflict during the festival, the Late Night Shows are the perfect opportunity to catch a set you missed during the day, or at the minimum, for those that just aren’t ready for your festival day to end.
While there are a myriad of worthy late-night shows to choose from this year, these are our 5 choices to catch, and only one is currently sold out, so get your tickets while you still can:
The Black Angels – 10 p.m. Thursday, May 3rd
[Shaky Knees Kickoff Show]
@ Masquerade – Hell w/Bayonne
Photo by Alexander Howard
Austin’s psych gods, The Black Angels, have been mesmerizing the masses since 2004. From the heavy vibrations of their 2006 debut Passover, to their latest album Death Song – it’s actually a wonder it took the group so long to name an album Death Song. The group got its name from The Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song,” as they are heavily influenced by its droning and dark spins on psychedelia. Other influencers and bands alike include: The 13th Floor Elevators (they’ve even backed Elevators frontman Roky Erickson several years ago), The Velvet Underground and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who also have a set at this year’s Shaky Knees. If you’ve been hooked on The Black Angels since the beginning, you know how captivating their shows continue to be. And for those who have yet to experience a Black Angels show – you’ll be hooked instantly from the daunting lights to the reverb-clouded riffs of guitarist Christian Bland, frontman Alex Maas’s hypnotic vocals and Stephanie Bailey’s monstrous drums.
Tickets are $24, purchase here.
The Whigs performing Mission Control – 9:00 p.m. Thursday, May 3rd
[Shaky Knees Kickoff Show]
@ Terminal West w/Tedo Stone
Photo by Mike Gerry
If you’re an Atlanta music connoisseur, surely you’ve heard of The Whigs. Back in 2004, when members Parker Gispert, Hank Sullivant, and Julian Dorio were enrolled at University of Georgia in Athens, they were the hottest jangly, indie rock band in town. They not only headlined shows in Atlanta but they were almost always sold out. Well, not much has changed for The Whigs besides that they now have five albums under their belt. The band still continues to pack out shows with their combination of raw and kinetic energy. While The Whigs performed at Shaky Knees Festival in 2014, this year they return for an intimate late-night show at Terminal West, where they’ll play their second album Mission Control in its entirety. If you want an electrifying indie rock night, you won’t want to miss this.
Tickets are $16, purchase here.
The War On Drugs – 11:00 p.m. Friday, May 4th
@ Variety Playhouse
Photo by Jamie Platus
The latest album, A Deeper Understanding from Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs is an apt name: The band began in 2005 and has seen members (including Kurt Vile) leave the band for other projects, yet somehow strengthened their sound behind Adam Granduciel’s vocals and guitars. The War on Drugs is a little bit Bruce Springsteen, a little Tom Petty, and something more methodical and sonic. While The War on Drugs last few shows in Atlanta have occurred at The Tabernacle, this is a chance to see the Grammy Award winners (Best Rock Album 2018) in the more intimate setting of Variety Playhouse. Guitars will be soar off the Variety Playhouse walls like no other.
Tickets are $56, purchase here. (now sold out)
Post Animal – 11:45 p.m. Saturday, May 5th
@ Masquerade – Purgatory w/Sun Seeker
Photo by Pooneh Ghana
Based out of Chicago, Illinois, Post Animal is a psychedelic rock band to be reckoned with. They’re kind of the new kids on the block; compared to The Black Angels, Melody’s Echo Chamber and others who came several years earlier. Members include, most famously, Joe Keery from Netflix’s Stranger Things (he’s not an active touring member due to his busy schedule), Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Javi Reyes, Wesley Toledo, and Matt Williams. The band’s sound takes a modern approach on fuzzy garage and pop psychedelia – but just because they’re “modern” doesn’t mean they shred any less. They’ve toured with other strong rock acts. Including: Twin Peaks, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, and Wavves. If you can’t make their time slot during the festival (2:45pm @ Criminal Records Stage ), or heck, just want to see them twice, don’t miss your Shaky Knees late night opportunity – they’re well on their way to Tame Impala status.
Tickets are $16, purchase here.
Fleet Foxes – 11:00 p.m. Saturday, May 5th
@ Variety Playhouse
Photo by Shawn Brackbill
Fleet Foxes return to Atlanta for their first show in several years without the support of former drummer Josh Tillman, who today tours as Father John Misty. But the Seattle band has re-emerged better than ever, touring on the strength of their 2017 album Crack-Up. The album is as complex and complete as anything else the band has recorded to date, and singer Robin Pecknold pens compelling folk compositions unlike anything else in the genre. If you can attend their late-night show at Variety Playhouse, you should: It’s rare to see such a crowd-drawing band play in such a small venue.
Tickets are $66, purchase here.
Photos from Shaky Knees 2017:
