Shaky Knees 2015 Day 2 Recap. This day was jam packed with great performances.

Shaky Knees Festival Day 2 was a who’s who of critically-acclaimed acts young and old. Here is what we saw as we were making the rounds:

Best Set Closer: Viet Cong

By Charles Worthy & Mike Gerry

– Canadian post-punkers Viet Cong rode a massive wave of buzz into their early Saturday afternoon set at the Buford Highway Stage, and made believers out of anyone in the crowd who might have previously been uninitiated. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing these guys playing in the prime time slots as they continue to grow, both artistically and in popularity.

Viet Cong’s music is like the building of an F5 tornado, as the winds come together perfectly from different places to meet in the middle, slowly building into a total path of destruction, ripping through anything in it’s way. A lot of their songs build into that mayhem playing favorites at Shaky Knees like Bunker Buster, March of Progress & Continental Shelf, but it was their set closer, Death, that took the roof off of Shaky Knees. Death must have gone on for 15+ minutes, we aren’t quite sure, because our faces had melted to the point of no return and time wasn’t a thing. All we know is that every time we thought the song was over and we could return to normalcy, bam, they jumped right back into and get on jamming making sure the Shaky Knees crowd would never forget.

EPIC was what we were hoping for out of Viet Cong, and by god, EPIC is what Shaky Knees got. Glad to say this isn’t just a buzz band, but the real deal.

Biggest Surprise: FIDLAR

By Charles Worthy

– I. DRINK. CHEAP. BEER. SO. WHAT. F***. YOU. Not a very appropriate thing to have stuck in your head for a whole weekend, but there wasn’t really any helping it. Goodness these dudes are fun live! FIDLAR (which stands for F*** It Dog, Life’s A Risk), wasted no time whipping the crowd into a frenzy, as diminutive front man Zac Carper led an hour long assault on your ear drums, consisting of songs with names like Cocaine and Cheap Beer. They also made sure to mention their love for Atlanta, noting that this was their third time in our fair city, the first time being at the much-adored Drunken Unicorn, which endeared them to the crowd even more than their raucous set already had. The crown jewel of the surf punk resurgence, I’m making sure I get to see FIDLAR again as soon as I possibly can.

Biggest Surprise: Mariachi El Bronx

By Mike Gerry

Ok maybe this wasn’t a total surprise. In the preview we wrote for this set it was mentioned that this could be one hell of a good time. But for a band that I’ve never really listened to their work, this ended up being all I could hope for and more. After all, it’s just another mariachi band playing Shaky Knees, something I could have found at any ole Mexican restaurant on Cinco De Mayo? Nope.

Mariachi El Bronx is the alter ego of the LA hardcore punk rockers The Bronx who were playing a set later in the day. Instead of packing it in and taking it easy until they go all punk on the Shaky Knees crowd, Mariachi El Bronx took the stage to make sure their crowd had the best possible time. And that we did.

It’s one thing to go up there and play fun mariachi music, but the most endearing thing about this is the fact that the band itself was having the time of their life up there on stage. Even if the crowd wasn’t going to have fun, the band sure was, and that permeates straight into the crowd. The band had smiles all around, there was dancing, there was singing, there was rocking, and this set ended up being one of the most memorable of Shaky Knees Day 2!

Notable Sets:

Real Estate

By Mike Gerry

People that love Real Estate (the band, go sell your houses somewhere else) that have never seen this band live sometimes seem a little confused about seeing them on the festival circuit like this one. After all, they don’t get all wild, there is no mosh pit, there is no crazy jamming out, their music is just kind of chill.

Well I’m here to tell you that you should never discount this band. This is a group of phenomenal musicians who play tightly together, bringing the sunny vibes to your ears. And this set just happened to be in the middle of the day, in the full sun. It’s like it was all planned that way.

Real Estate had the sun shine down, the wind alive, and the breezy tunes playing through hits like Hard To Hear, Crime, Easy, Green Aisles and more. This was a perfect set of just great music that I could hear over and over again. We swayed, we sang, we danced, we enjoyed being right there at this beautiful out door festival.

Black Lips

By Charles Worthy

– The Black Lips and ATL. Might as well be spaghetti and meat balls. Your friendly neighborhood punk rock band brought the heat on Saturday afternoon at the Ponce De Leon Stage, and continued to cement their legacy as one of the all-time great Atlanta groups. The homage to the hometown Braves on the Black Lips banner was a nice touch as well. Only disappointment about this set was that they were in the same time slot as FIDLAR. Regardless of your choice, you got to see some quality rock and roll.

Built to Spill

By Charles Worthy

– Built to Spill kicked off a nice little one-two punch of 90’s cult favorites, playing a late afternoon set at the Boulevard Stage right before Neutral Milk Hotel hit the neighboring Ponce De Leon Stage. The prolific Boise-based rockers welcomed those of us who may have been late to the party before, and made sure the crowd understood why they’ve always been critical darlings amongst those in the know. They even did a little crowd-pleasing, finishing with a barn burner of a Don’t Fear The Reaper cover. Prophetic? Doubtful. I think we are going to be seeing Built to Spill continue to pour their hearts out onstage for the foreseeable future.

Neutral Milk Hotel

By Charles Worthy

– Few bands evoke the type of fervid response from fans as do Athens, GA residents and original members of storied Elephant 6 label Neutral Milk Hotel. Jeff Mangum, previously known to be somewhat of a reclusive musical genius, was very clearly in his element on stage, his confidence buoyed by a rather intensive touring schedule over the past 2 years. Those that were there were treated to a simultaneously intimate and emphatic performance, consisting mainly of tracks from their cherished In the Aeroplane over the Sea record. Rumor has it that this may have been one of your last opportunities to see these indie rock heroes. I sincerely hope you were there to catch it.

Social Distortion

By Charles Worthy

– Legendary American punk rockers Social Distortion, affectionately known to fans as Social D, showed up at Shaky Knees on the 25^th anniversary of their highly influential, self-titled album. Punk bands aren’t around for 25-plus years unless they are the real deal, and Social Distortion is the real deal.

Avett Brothers

By Charles Worthy

– The Avett Brothers have this whole concert thing down to a science. Officially a four-piece, the band tours with seven members, which, combined with the excellent sound quality coming from the Peachtree Stage, gave the massive, headliner worthy crowd two hours of Southern sonic bliss. Equal parts foot-stomping and heart-breaking, The Avett Brothers showed us why they are such a hot commodity on the festival circuit – they are a live music experience that is engineered to never disappoint.

The Avett Brothers. Photo By Jamie Platus

The Avett Brothers by: Jamie Platus

Best Set: Wilco

By Charles Worthy

– Wilco opened with I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, off of their beloved seminal album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and never let up from there, proceeding to fill up a 17-song set with nothing but the hits. Jeff Tweedy gets all the love when it comes to these guys (and rightfully so), but, in my opinion, it’s lead guitarist Nels Kline who holds the whole thing together. The band gave Mr. Kline some space to work during their performance of Jesus, Etc., and he delivered with a series of solos previously thought impossible by mere mortals. There shouldn’t be any doubt; Wilco is one of America’s greatest gifts to music, and one that continues to keep on giving.

More goodness from Day 2:

Interpol

The crowd was packed and pumped for Interpol as they powered through a career spanning set including PDA, All The Rage Back Home, and Slow Hands.

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly had the crowd dancing in circles, moshing, and having one of the best times of the weekend.

Milky Chance

The hot up and comers Milky Chance lived up to that billing at Shaky Knees!

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher showed off his new band to the Shaky Knees crowd and even threw in a few Oasis crowd pleasers like Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back In Anger.

Speedy Ortiz

Speedy Ortiz, another hot up and comer played an early set that showed the festival just why they were added to this billing and are a band to watch.

Hey Rosetta!

Indie pop sensations Hey Rosetta! started Day 2 off right with a thrilling set.

Field Report

Field Report showed off their stellar musicianship at the early set!