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All Photos © Steve Galli + Story by : Chloe Catajan

LINK TO A FULL GALLERY OF IMAGES AT THE BOTTOM

Rain, shine, and rock and roll were all in the forecast for the 11th annual Shaky Knees Festival. The three-day music spectacle hosted by C3 Presents returned to Atlanta, Georgia the first weekend of May, where fans showed up to Central Park looking summer-ready, soaking up warm mid-80s weather. Others retreated to shady spots, dancing from the depths of surrounding forestry.

But even when skies turned gray, the fine folks of Shaky Knees made the most of it. People did everything from dance and twirl to mosh and crowdsurf in the pouring rain. Some even skimmed across the muddy terrain a la slip-n-slide. The music never stopped, the show went on, and set times ran like clockwork.

This year’s fest drew in approximately 40,000 fans a day to see 60 artists across four stages. The Peachtree and Piedmont stages were the largest, Ponce de Leon offered an intimate vibe, and Criminal Records hosted the best up-and-coming names to know. Headliners included Noah Kahan, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, and Billy Idol. Undercard acts like Royel Otis, the Nova Twins, Winona Fighter, and many more made waves.

For our veteran photographer Steve Galli, the weekend marked his fourth Shaky Knees Festival. Check out the artists Steve caught below.

Noah Kahan headlined the Peachtree Stage on Day 1, performing for his biggest crowd yet. Despite his rise to fame in recent years, the Vermont singer-songwriter made sure to introduce himself to the Shaky Knees crowd.

“My name is Noah Kahan. My goal is to leave you a little more depressed than you came in tonight,” he joked.

Paired with his signature comedic banter, Kahan delivered a 17-song set of indie folk musings. He switched between acoustic and electric guitars at the mic, while his live band covered rhythms and strings. Behind Kahan and crew, silhouettes of a mountain range were illuminated in color, punctuating Kahan’s anthemic verses.

Kahan of course played fan favorites like “Dial Drunk” and “Stick Season.” Gems like “Passenger” also made the setlist, its third appearance in all of 2024. And for the encore, Kahan performed a solo acoustic version of “Young Blood.”

Arcade Fire took the stage over at Piedmont, where the Montreal ensemble performed 11 songs across nearly their entire catalog. The band spent the most time on 2010’s The Suburbs, playing songs “Ready to Start”, “Sprawl II”, and both title tracks. Songs off Funeral, Reflektor, WE, and Everything Now were also revisited.

All members of the live band played their respective parts with immense energy. Opening song “Rebellion (Lies)” featured buildups that had the crowd oohing, ahhing, and chanting right on cue.

The most radiant energy came from Arcade Fire’s percussionist, Paul Beaubrun, who often ran around to interact with his bandmates and the fans. He’d play a djembe drum from atop the monitors with hairflips in tow, and would also wave a large Haitian flag across the stage. Equally magnetic was Régine Chassagne, who switched between keys and supporting vocals. She rocked a red patent leather skirt and boots that fit the stage production’s accent colors.

From the smaller Ponce de Leon stage in 2016 to the Piedmont on Friday, Young the Giant took the stage in breezy white pants and tan tops and knocked out an energized set. They dove into the Bollywood-inspired “Wake Up”, and proceeded to dive into songs across all of their five albums, including “Mind Over Matter”, “Superposition” and “Something To Believe In”.

Lead singer Sameer Gadhia’s vocals sounded immense and hypnotizing, while guitarists Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata, bassist Payam Doostzadeh, and drummer François Comtois layered sonic textures from grit to gauze, heavy to light.

They closed with the thrilling 2011 classic, “My Body”, which had the packed crowd yelling along with all hands up.

Even in daylight, Interpol’s shadowy, enigmatic style was in full effect at the Peachtree Stage. The New York City quartet emerged from clouds of fog and kicked off a set full of their signature post-punk sound. Riffs from Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler, and Brandon Curts were sharp on “C’mere”, tied together by punctuating drums from Sam Fogarino.

The band continued to play songs across their catalog, including “Say Hello to the Angels”, “My Desire”, “Obstacle 1”, and “Rest My Chemistry”.

A giant disco ball, a staple visual of Interpol’s recent tours, sat on the floor of their set. In place of its reflections, fog machines worked overtime, their smoke illuminated by red and yellow lights.

Currently on the Days of Oblivion tour, Metric took the Piedmont Stage for a 10-song set. Lead singer Emily Haines appeared in a metallic red jumpsuit and took to the keys, while Joshua Winstead, Jimmy Shaw, and Joules Scott-Key geared up to launch into “Black Sheep”. The opening song, famous for its feature in Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe, had the Day 1 crowd singing loudly.

A strong start, Metric continued to bring out fan favorites like “Help, I’m Alive”, “Gold Guns Girls”, and newer cut “All Comes Crashing”.

Ax and the Hatchetmen performed the first set at Piedmont Stage, turning in sounds that mixed beach vibes, jazz, and alt-rock. The Chicago seven-piece band also debuted a new song, “Flagstaff”, which they released on streaming services the same day.

Other standout performances from the Peachtree Stage included Del Water Gap, Odie Leigh, and Linka Moja. Fronted by Brooklyn-based S. Holden Jaffe, Del Water Gap knocked out a 45-minute indie pop set, during which Jaffe dominated all ends of the stage.

**Samuel Holden Jaffe of DEL WATER GAP**

Louisiana’s Odie Leigh brought a southern southscape to the stage beforehand, delivering songs like “Ronnie’s Song” and “Take Back” with whiskey-soaked vocals.

And before Leigh was Linka Moja from Lake Tahoe, California, who played a fun set of familiar favorites. Some covers included No Doubt’s “Just A Girl”, Metric’s “Black Sheep”, and Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”. Her recent original cut “Unravel Me” also made the setlist.

Australia’s Pond and Nashville’s Winona Fighter and Athens Georgia moroder metal-ists Maserati, put on high-energy performances at the Ponce de Leon Stage.

Pond turned in their unique brand of psychedelic rock with songs like “(I’m) Stung” and “America’s Cup”, while Winona Fighter was pure punk with “Johnny’s Dead” and “Nyc”.

Over at the Criminal Records Stage, good vibes were all around with Psychedelic Porn Crumpets’ otherworldly tuneage and Mali Velasquez’s heavenly indie-folk serenades.

Queens Of the Stone Age took the Piedmont stage at sunset and played into the night, starting with a couple of songs off the 2020’s Songs For the Deaf. Bright red light saturated the Seattle quintet, dressed in black, doing cheeky dances to “Know One Knows”. At the bridge, heaviness erupted.

Josh Homme, Michael Shuman, and Troy Van Leeuwen delivered their riffs effortlessly, while Dan Fertita and Jon Theodore brought the soundscape to the next level. They went on to 14 songs across six of their albums, with “A Song for the Dead” as a powerful closer.

When a “W” superhero signal flashed over the Peachtree Stage, it could only mean one thing: Weezer was on the scene. The Los Angeles alt-rock greats kicked off their Day 2 headlining spot with the punchy Blue Album hit “My Name Is Jonas”.

It’s quite a feat when a setlist spans a three-decade career and features nonstop hits and fan favorites, but for the Weez, that venn diagram was a circle. Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, Scott Shriner, and Patrick Wilson went on to play everything from the good-life anthem “Beverly Hills” to the actual “Good Life”. They also played beloved b-side “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams” and a cover of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin”.

On “Say It Ain’t So”, the backdrop changed to a cyan blue to match its album cover. The band were sharp to deliver their riffs and solos, while Cuomo and the crowd quipped the lyrics in unison.

The Offspring came out to play at the Piedmont Stage, delivering high energy from start to finish. The skate-punk heavyweights brought Southern California vibes to Atlanta, complete with inflatable beach balls being tossed by the crowd throughout the set.

Songs like “Want You Bad” and “The Kids Aren’t Alright” reminisced carefree youth and summers at Warped Tour as fans finger-pointed and yelled along to Dexter Holland’s vocals.

Holland, Noodles, and Todd Morse were generous with onstage jumpshots, while Brandon Pertzborn went all out on the drums.

Hailing from Norway, Shaky Knees first-timer girl in red took the Peachtree Stage, flanked by a live band positioned on risers and a blue staircase. Girl in red started as a bedroom pop project by Marie Ulven, but in the flesh, she was upfront with spunk and confessional vocals. Ulven’s five-piece band hit every note with intensity, making songs like “bad idea!” and “you stupid bitch” a wall of infectious sound.

The high point of girl in red’s set happened on “I wanna be your girlfriend”, during which Ulven crowd surfed all the way to the back of the Peachtree grounds.

On Peachtree before girl in red were Holly Humberstone and Royal Blood.

Currently on her first U.S. headlining tour, titled This Feels Like The Truman Show, Holly Humberstone brought a 45-minute set of fan favorites to Shaky Knees. The English singer-songwriter mixed indie pop lightness with guitar-driven edge on songs like “Paint My Bedroom Black” and “Scarlett.”

For a guitar-and-drum duo, Royal Blood went in heavy with the high voltage during their early evening set. Mike Kerr’s and Ben Thatcher’s riffs were fiery, beats frenetic, especially on cuts “Little Monster”, “Mountains at Midnight”, and “Figure It Out”.

**Mike Kerr & Ben Thatcher of ROYAL BLOOD**

Grace Cummings and Lido Pimienta brought their own unique flavors to the Peachtree Stage earlier in Day 2.

Grace Cummings paired powerhouse vocals with classic folk rock elements. While the Melbourne singer-songwriter switched between a keyboard and guitar, her live band turned in some winding riffs that hypnotized the early crowd.

Colombian-Canadian singer Lido Pimienta performed a gorgeous set that mixed traditional Afro-Colombian themes with modern pop and punk elements. Bradon Valdivia backed Pimienta’s angelic vocals with punctuated beats.

Day 2 at the Piedmont Stage was full of hybrid alternative sounds that never missed a beat. Chicano Batman showed up with style and sweet sounds, dressed in colorful fits and delivering an alt-rock sound with psychedelic tendencies.

Dexter and the Moonrocks showed off their Southern alternative flair, performing fan favorites like “She Likes Girls” and “Couch”. The Texas quartet also dished out fun covers of Surf Curse’s “Freaks” and Coldplay’s “Yellow”.

**Fox and James Tuffs of DEXTER AND THE MOONROCKS**

New York’s Blondshell delivered garage rock riffs and powerful vocals, while The Inspector Cluzo opened the stage with a rocking blues set.

Over at Ponce de Leon, indie pop, emo, and post-punk had their time to shine with acts like Miike Snow, Sunny Day Real Estate, Quarters of Change, and Been Stellar.

The Criminal Records Stage leaned even heavier into rock, seeing performances from British rockers Palace, Boston’s Dead Poet Society, Chicago band Friday Pilots Club, and Brighton-based Tigercub.

For their second Shaky Knees appearance, Foo Fighters played the longest set of the weekend, running at approximately two hours and 15 minutes.

Fans already familiar with the Foos were probably well in tune with the Seattle band’s setlist traditions. The first half consisted of hits like “All My Life”, “The Pretender”, “Times Like These” and “Medicine at Midnight”.

About halfway came the medley that mixes a slew of songs, covers, solos, and band introductions. “Aurora” was played in honor of Taylor Hawkins. And “Everlong” closed Day 3.

There was never a dull moment during the Foo Fighters set, with Dave Grohl and company always playing at high energy. Even classic songs came with new surprises, like when Grohl paused “Monkey Wrench” to call out a fan dressed as Evel Knievel.

Billy Idol took the Peachtree Stage before the Foos, starting strong with “Dancing With Myself”. Shirt and leather jacket undone, the English icon was on his A-game with his baritone vocals as the live band cranked out glam rock glory.

Fans of all ages relished in “Eyes Without a Face”, the Rebel Yell song that had a bit of a revival on TikTok in recent years. The 1983 album is fresh from celebrating its 40th anniversary, so of course the title track made the setlist as the penultimate song.

Billy Idol closed his set with “Hot In The City”.

Glam rock got a modern touch with The Struts, who played midday at the Piedmont Stage. The British quartet kicked things off in flashy fashion with “Primadonna Like Me”. As the band turned in haywire riffs, lead singer Luke Spiller prompted the crowd to jump—and jump they did.

The band not only sounded sharp, but looked the part as well, dressed in waistcoats, scarves, and ascots. Along with playing fan favorites like “Body Talks” and “Could Have Been Me”, The Struts also pulled out a cover of Lorde’s “Royals”.

Men I Trust put the Peachtree Stage in a dreamy trance with their mellow, guitar-driven jazz pop. After a scorching lead-in with “Fiero GT”, the Canadian band immediately jumped into their biggest track, “Show Me How”.

The band ripped through an hourlong set, their glimmery riffs finding harmony with Emma Proulx’s whispery vocals.

Dream pop fans at the Peachtree Stage were in for even more of a treat with Fazerdaze’s earlier set. The New Zealand project, led by Amelia Rahayu Murray, mixed shoegaze textures with airy melodies that resulted in hazy bliss.

Earlier at Peachtree, the punk and rap rock styles of the Nova Twins were in full force. Songs “Sleep Paralysis” and “Antagonist” had the crowd moshing and forming circle pits like they were second nature.

The duo, both dressed in animal print, delivered their powerhouse sound with searing energy.

**Georgia South and Amy Love of NOVA TWINS**

Singer-guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram played pure, unadulterated blues to the Criminal Records Stage. The Mississippi musician especially showed off his guitar chops on “Midnight Heat”, as the rest of his live band matched the energy perfectly.

The Piedmont Stage dove deep into indie on Day 3, hosting bands like Portugal. The Man, Royel Otis, and Benches.

Portugal. The Man opened on a wild note, performing a 4-song medley that consisted of covers of Sleep’s “Dopesmoker” and Yes’ “Heart of the Sunrise”, plus “Heavy Games” and “Bellies Are Full” from their own discography. Don’t be fooled by their popular, carefree hit, “Feel It Still”—the Portland band proved their affinity for calculated, heavy riffage with much of their setlist.

Sydney duo and gen Z favorites Royel Otis played a feel-good set of electronic indie pop. Their performance included “Oysters In My Pocket” and their TikTok-viral cover of “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

**Royel Madell and Otis Pavlovic or ROYEL OTIS**

Benches, a quartet from Southern California, were undoubtedly garage rock with their fuzzy riffs and nonchalant vocals. Any Interpol fans who made it through the weekend were definitely in for a Sunday treat.

Ponce de Leon was home to some of Day 3’s most memorable moments, thanks to the rain.

A downpour struck during Dinosaur Jr.’s set, but rather than dampen the mood, fans went all out. Mosh pits and crowd surfing were nonstop, and security teams did an excellent job helping surfers into the barricade and out.

The Massachusetts rockers dished out their usual feast of distortions and fuzz, but with their amps bouncing off the heavy rain, things were sounding a little more atmospheric.