Day two of the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta was held under the constant specter of severe weather. Dark clouds threatened storms throughout the day, with the skies finally opening up near the end of the night. The weather prompted last-minute shifts in the schedule, but even a soaked crowd was able to enjoy a day of great rock music.
Canadian band cleopatrick may only have two members, but the duo made a big sound on the Ponce De Leon Stage. Guitarist Luke Gruntz and drummer Ian Fraser delivered a frenzied set of down-tuned alternative rock. Fraser’s pulverizing drumming was met in ferocity by Gruntz as he attacked the strings and howled into the microphone. With fast, aggressive songs like “Sanjake,” the duo made a statement and picked up where Thee Oh Sees left off on day one.
Grunge icon Mark Lanegan, best known for his work fronting Screaming Trees, delivered a mostly subdued set with flashes of grunge attitude. Opening the set with “Death’s Head Tattoo,” the Mark Lanegan Band established a slow, somber tone. Five songs into the set, after a morose rendition of “Strange Religion,” the band played its first uptempo rock number, the power chord-heavy “Stitch It Up.” The band played two other grunge-influenced rockers, including “Nocturne” and “Methamphetamine Blues,” but never delved into anything from Screaming Trees.
English singer-songwriter Jade Bird delivered a set of energetic folk rock that had the melody and storytelling of folk and the dynamics and grandiosity of arena rock. Bird’s voice was strong and raspy, her rhythmic vocals, such as her rapid-fire delivery on “I Get No Joy” mirroring that of her backing band. Slowing things down once for the folksy strummer “Ruins,” which Bird said was “to avoid passing out on the stage from the heat,” Bird and the band otherwise stuck to frenetic rock songs. A cover of the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” was a highlight, as was an impassioned performance of “Lottery.”
My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James brought improvisational southern rock to the Piedmont stage playing a diverse set of songs from his solo career. Beginning with “Over and Over,” James and his backing band laid the foundation for a performance of riff-heavy rock with danceable grooves and extended jams. Mid-tempo rockers like “Throwback” and “A New Life” had James laying down infectious riffs and tearing through lengthy guitar solos, but it was the bouncing bass groove and contrasting guitar lick of “No Use Waiting” that stole the show.
The Struts brought its bombastic retro rock to the Peachtree stage. Singer Luke Spiller sprinted, jumped, danced, and well, strutted across the stage in his Jagger-meets-Mercury swagger. From the opening salvo of “Primadonna Like Me” through the rest of the performance, the Struts showed off its more-is-more formula for rock shows. “I didn’t fly my ass all the way from the United Kingdom to not have the time of my life,” Spiller said. Throughout the set, Spiller led the crowd in choreographed dances and call-and-repeat sing-alongs. Meanwhile, guitarist Adam Slack tore through an array of blues-based rock and roll riffs, most notably the snarling riffs of “I Do It So Well.” Midway through the set, Spiller took a seat the piano for the ballad “One Night Only,” but his energy wouldn’t allow him to stay seated for long. The rest of the set was classic Struts formula: retro guitar licks, belted vocals, and all of the spectacle that a daytime show without pyrotechnics could muster. It’s a formula that served the Struts well, making them one of the most entertaining bands of the festival.
In an effort to get every act in before a severe thunderstorm was scheduled to hit, Interpol, Gary Clark, Jr. and Cage the Elephant all had their sets pushed forward.
New York indie band Interpol took the Peachtree stage a half-hour earlier than scheduled and had its set time shortened by 20 minutes. In the limited time allotted, Paul Banks gave a sonically pristine performance that covered some fan favorites, such as the brooding “PDA” and current single “If You Really Love Nothing.” Banks’ moody baritone vocals combined with dueling guitars created dense textures, with Banks and Daniel Kessler’s guitar lines sometimes complimenting, sometimes harmonizing, and at other times clashing in discord. Interpol closed the set with “Slow Hands,” a song that exemplifies the band’s penchant for atypical chord structures and complex compositions while still being accessible and highly melodic.
In Gary Clark, Jr’s shortened set, the guitar virtuoso gave a brief tour of his journey from the bluesman hailed as the heir to Jimi Hendrix to the more complete rock star. Clark opened with “Bright Lights,” his guitar chugging with maximum fuzz. On newer songs, such as the politically charged “This Land,” Clark put away the fuzz box and took on a darker, crisper tone. After tearing through his originals, each featuring at least one histrionic guitar solo, Clark ended the performance with a heavy, sing-along cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together.”
Inclement weather couldn’t keep Cage the Elephant from sending off day two with a bang. If The Struts’ bombastic performance was only missing pyrotechnics, Cage the Elephant supplied them. Opening with “Broken Boy” on a flaming stage, the Kentucky alt-rockers brought spectacle to Shaky Knees. Frontman Matt Shultz matched Luke Spiller’s swagger, his spasmodic gesticulations adding to the band’s off-kilter performance. In concert, Cage the Elephant has more of a rock edge than on the albums, with Brad Shultz and Nick Bockrath’s guitars having a harder tone and a more prominent role, such as on the shuffling “Spiderhead.” With the thunderstorm bearing down on a soaked crowd, Cage the Elephant ended the regular set with a powerful rendition of “Teeth” before Shultz came onstage alone for the encore, playing a solo acoustic version of “Love’s the Only Way.”
