Since 2013, Atlanta has been the home of one of the best music festivals in the country for fans of indie rock, alternative, indie folk, and all things rock-adjacent. Since then, Shaky Knees has grown in both size and reputation. One would be hard pressed to find an attendee that isn’t awed by how well organized and fan-friendly it all is. The festival has taken place in Central Park since 2018 and it’s fairly small layout facilitates the ability to quickly navigate from one set of stages to the next in only a few minutes. Another great feature for music fans is that there are only two bands playing at the same time on opposite sides, which leads to fewer conflicts and no sound bleed over from other stages.
2023 finds the festival celebrating its ten-year anniversary with a stacked lineup. In honor of its tenth anniversary, Shaky Knees is bringing back The Lumineers as a headliner, one of the headliners at the very first iteration of Shaky Knees. The Lumineers will close out the festival on Sunday with The Killers and Muse as the main act on the first two days. While these headliners undoubtably led to Shaky Knees selling out of tickets for the first time since 2013, it is the “undercard” bands that really make this year’s lineup worthy of praise.
If you’re hitting the fest, these are a handful of must-see acts:
Fans of psych rock are in for treat with Australian groups Pond and Babe Rainbow, as well as Austin psych rock royalty, The Black Angels. As Pond haven’t released anything since 2021’s 9, it is anyone’s guess what albums will feature heavily in their set, but whatever they play is bound to excite fans. Hailing from further up the coast from Pond, Babe Rainbow lean heavier into the 60’s sound of psychedelia and surf culture. Last year saw the release of The Organic Band and features some Latin influences alongside their usual Tropicália tinged psych. The Black Angels will be bringing their dark brand of psych rock to Atlanta hot off last year’s release of Wilderness of Mirrors. However, the weekend before will find them at the reignited Austin Psych Fest where they will be playing their sophomore album Directions to See a Ghost in full, so expectations about their set are up in the air. Will they surprise everyone with a full album set or lean heavy into Wilderness of Mirrors?
Those who love a bit of satire and comedy in their music are sure to be heading to see Peaches, Tenacious D, and Father John Misty. Peaches will entertain with her hyper sexualized songs that both entertain and cause listeners to ponder their hang-ups about our mores and values surrounding sex. Having not released an album since 2016’s Rub, her set is sure to feature a ton of fan favorites. Fans of comedy will definitely be heading over to catch the duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass better known as Tenacious D. Even attendees that have never owned one of their albums are sure to be entertained with their hilarious lyrics and charismatic stage presence. Speaking of Pure Comedy, Father John Misty will be bringing his satire filled songs to Shaky Knees this year. Currently touring on last year’s Chloe and the Next 20th Century, Josh Tillman will be sure to feature his new album heavily in his set as well as quite a few fan favorites.
Fairly uncommon for Shaky Knees, this year finds a few hip-hop acts joining the lineup. The iconic Cypress Hill will be performing their breakout album Black Sunday in full for its thirtieth anniversary and is sure to a be must-see performance. Earlier on Friday, underground hip-hop trio Digable Planets will be performing their cult-classic debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) in its entirety. The album was instrumental in the hip-hop underground scene for infusing jazz beats into its songs and will be a great way to start the festival on Friday. Fans of Beastie Boys are sure to love the duo of Joey Valence & Brae. With lyrics full of 90’s references and an old school sound this duo is bound to hit it big and will no doubt entertain the crowd.
Fans of the NYC garage rock scene of the early 2000’s will be rushing to go see Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Walkmen. Touring in support of last year’s Cool it Down, Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be bringing the energy on Friday. As they are playing directly before The Killers, there is sure to be a lot of latecomers to the headliner as Karen O and company will likely draw a huge crowd. Back from a ten-year hiatus, The Walkmen will be a wild card on Sunday. Having not released an album since 2012’s Heaven it’s anyone’s guess as to what their set will consist of. Also, playing at the same time as The Flaming Lips performing the entirety of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots means the crowd is sure to feel the FOMO either way. With these and so many other excellent bands on the “undercard,” like Live, 311, The Mars Volta and many, many others, this year’s tenth installment of Shaky Knees is bound to be one of the most talked about festivals of the year.
