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Shaky Knees, now situated as a mainstay indie/alternative music festival in the southeast, is celebrating their 5th anniversary this weekend. LCD Soundsystem, The xx, and Phoenix will headline the festival’s second year at Centennial Olympic Park. Here are the performances three WUOG staffers are most excited to see.

LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem have had quite the monumental week. Last Thursday at midnight the band released “Call the Police” and “American Dream,” the first songs that will be on their highly anticipated first album since their reunion. On Saturday they performed both of these songs on Saturday Night Live. And now on Friday they will headline Shaky Knees. I am tremendously excited to see them, especially since I thought I’d never get the chance. I had come to accept the closest thing I’d get to seeing LCD Soundsystem was seeing a James Murphy DJ set at Slingshot Festival in 2015. LCD Soundsystem has the special ability of producing music that’s simultaneously extremely fun to dance to while being sentimental and poignant. “All My Friends” will absolutely send the crowd into a sing-a-long struck and I’m anticipating thousands of flailing limbs to “Dance Yrself Clean.” I had never listened to LCD before their farewell, but I am so grateful to see them now.

–Daniel Easley

Car Seat Headrest

After a successful 2016 with their most recent album, Teens of Denial, which topped many end-of-year charts, including WUOG’s, the prospect of seeing Car Seat Headrest live is an exciting one. Scheduled to perform on the Peachtree stage at 3:30pm on Friday, their set promises to be a great time, offering an hour of moody indie rock. The last time they were in town, they received rave reviews that lauded both their drummer, Andrew Katz’s, and Will Toledo’s stage presence, though it’ll be interesting to see how Toledo’s more reserved personality will translate to the festival stage.

–Anne Still

Wolf Parade

While their hiatus barely lasted 5 years, the return of Wolf Parade is certainly something to be very excited about, especially if you’re of the certain age where Apologies to the Queen Mary means the world to you. More than 10 years after that record, Wolf Parade remains one of the more-buzzed about bands of the festival given the rarity of their performances in Georgia. Fans nervous about getting to the Peachtree stage to catch them after Pinegrove or The Growlers can also catch Wolf Parade at Terminal West Friday night in a separately ticketed event.
–Andy Tabeling

Cage the Elephant

Cage the Elephant are no strangers to the festival scene, with past performances compared by some to that of Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones. The band promises a high-energy performance, and based off of reviews of their other festival gigs, it is a promise they deliver on and more. They’re scheduled to take the Peachtree stage Friday at 8pm, and I’m excited to see if they live up to their reputation.

–Anne Still

Preoccupations

Preoccupations, the band formerly known as Viet Cong, are playing late in the day on Friday. Although I prefer the self-titled Viet Cong album over the self-titled Preoccupations album, I’m eager to hear their intense brand of post-punk. I’ve heard they were fantastic at Shaky Knees two years ago. I especially excited to hear the mesmerizing “Death,” the 10+ minute song they traditionally close their show with.

–Daniel Easley

The xx

After releasing their new record I See You earlier this year, I’m excited to see how the xx’s more-beat driven sound fits into their live show. New single “On Hold” is one of my favorite tracks of the year so far, and this track along with other strong new material like “Say Something Loving” and “I Dare You” should make The xx’s live performance one of the most memorable on Saturday evening. The new material pushes the xx in a more energetic direction, which lends itself well to the big outdoor festival stages that they’re now starting to dominate. This is by far the most high profile show the band has had in Georgia yet, so it should be a treat to see how they approach it.
–Andy Tabeling

Phoenix

French indie rock heavyweights are headlining the Peachtree Stage on Sunday night. I am guilty of incorrectly singing the lyrics to “1901”, but Phoenix is an undeniably fun band, who I think will provide plenty of entertainment in a festival setting. Over the years, their sound has become more electronic and synth-driven while maintaining a certain catchiness. Phoenix will release Ti Amo on June 9th, their 6th album and first album since 2013’s Bankrupt! They will likely perform some of that material, especially their newest single “J-Boy.”  Phoenix has a deeper discography than most people realize, and I expect them to satisfy loyal Phoenix fans and those who only know “Lisztomania” alike.

–Daniel Easley

Ryan Adams

A veteran of the Shaky Knees Festival, Ryan Adams is always one of the most entertaining artists there is, especially given his alt-country/southern rock vibes often lend themselves well to a tired festival Sunday afternoon. After this year’s Prisoner, Adams has returned to lots of the glum acoustic material that made him famous, but his live sets remain a steady dose of constant energy and joy. With the festival-ending sing-alongs like “Come Pick Me Up” and “Where the Stars Go Blue,” Adams’s return to Atlanta will be a fitting conclusion to this exciting festival.
–Andy Tabeling

Whitney

Whitney’s debut LP, Light Upon the Lake, was made to be played outdoors in the summer, as the album’s recurring twangy guitar, paired with Julien Elrich’s soft falsetto makes for great warm-weather rock, albeit tinged with melancholy at times. Their most recently released singles (covers of Lion’s “You’ve Got a Woman” and Dolly Parton’s “I’m Gonna Hurry (As Slow as I Can)”) have been equally pleasant listens, and I can’t wait to see them take the Piedmont stage on Sunday.

–Anne Still