“Now’s the bit where I just dance … nothing else to do,” she said with a laugh during an instrumental break on her debut single “Cola.” Beyond that song and the lightly hip-hop-tinged “Sophie,” Parks stuck to Collapsed in Sunbeams tracks, including the standout back-to-back of “Eugene,” which she described as “a song about falling in love with a friend” inspired by Radiohead’s In Rainbows, and “Black Dog,” a “very important song to ” she wrote for ” best friend.” Shaky Knees Day 2 was Parks’ “first day in Atlanta,” she said, but there’s no chance it’ll be her last. The young singer/songwriter’s stage presence was delightful, from her contagious smile and carefree swaying to her soft-spoken banter and encouragement of her bandmates. We’re already looking forward to Shaky Knees 2022, but until then, here are 10 of our favorite sets from this year’s festival.Īrlo Parks’ Saturday afternoon Peachtree stage set, like her Mercury Prize-winning debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams, was a lovely display of detailed, emotional songwriting and sweetly breezy instrumentation, offering depth for those interested in soaking up the poignant specifics of Parks’ lyrics, and immediacy via bright grooves that anyone in earshot could appreciate. That sense of collective catharsis made Shaky Knees a beautiful experience from end to end, even in its imperfections. There were festival first-timers and living legends, surprise appearances and last-minute cancellations, singalongs and mosh pits … everything that makes live music so exciting, all dialed up to 11 after a layoff that felt like it would never end. Some of this year’s acts were just concluding their first runs back on the road, while others hadn’t played a show in years-more than one artist said they were emotional to the point of tears, just being back onstage in front of fans. Gratitude for all of the above radiated from audiences and artists alike. Thanks to the event’s COVID policies (which required proof of vaccination or a timely negative test result), it was relatively easy to leave pandemic anxiety at the door and just bask in having live shows back, knowing better than to take a single moment of music for granted while getting out and, as one Cults member put it, “enjoying the world again.”
22-24, for the first time in two long years. That was especially true at this year’s fall edition of Shaky Knees, which took over Central Park in downtown Atlanta this past weekend, Oct. Paste’s hometown, indie rock-centric festival is always a blur of sunshine, dust, booze, food, Braves merch and, above all, excellent music.
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