REVIEW: Shaky Knees Festival 2026
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY JULIA FINOCCHIARO ☆
Hot Mulligan
SHAKY KNEES RETURNED TO PIEDMONT PARK—under the scorching hot Atlanta sun (minus some rain delay chaos on Saturday). The festival was back for its 13th year and brought with it three days of stellar indie and rock performances as well as some sprinklings of hip-hip and hardcore to make sure there was something for everyone. It was clear Shaky Knees had a very specific vision for the lineup they wanted to curate, and that vision definitely came to life this past weekend. Despite an evacuation on Saturday, we still got to see incredible performances by headliners The Strokes, Twenty One Pilots and Gorillaz, as well as many killer performances by bands throughout each day.
The festival kicked off late in the afternoon on Friday, with gates not opening until 4 p.m. Maybe the festival knew that the lineup they had put together for Friday was just too powerful to need a full day to enjoy it. The fun began immediately with rock acts Ben Howard and Cartel before I made my way to catch Hot Mulligan on the Peachtree Stage. As many performers would do over the weekend, these guys persevered through some incredibly hot weather. Lead singer Nathan “Tades” Sanville still made sure to get plenty of headbanging in with his long hair, and no amount of heat could stop fans from crowdsurfing during the set.
Turnstile
After Hot Mulligan, fans had a difficult choice to make between indie rockers Geese and electronic music duo Snow Strippers. Both groups would certainly bring completely different vibes to their sets, and I decided to head over to Geese on the Piedmont Stage. Geese has had massive success recently, and all of the members of the Brooklyn-based band are only in their early to mid twenties. You could say they’ve revived the love for a jam band amongst Gen Z. Next up was a highly anticipated performance by Turnstile, who kicked off their set with “BIRDS” in front of their iconic, VHS-esque colored bars backdrop. There was more moshing, more crowdsurfing, and overall great vibes towards the front of the pit. Singer Brendan Yates even came down to perform the entirety of their third song, “ENDLESS,” at the barricade with fans. The nonstop nature of Friday continued right after this as nearly the entire crowd migrated over to Fontaines D.C. on the opposite stage when Turnstile wrapped up their set.
With the sun set and the grounds starting to cool off, it was time for some more indie rock as The Strokes took the stage for their headlining set. Fresh off releasing their first album in six years, Reality Awaits, the band is back to performing and will continue to tour in Europe this upcoming fall. Singer Julian Casablancas performed against a colorful, strobing backdrop as the band opened with “Dine N’Dash” and of course made sure to include hits like “Someday,” “Juicebox,” and “Is This It,” as well as “Going to Babble On” from their latest album. Though an older crowd, the masses of people stretched from the stage all the way back to the very tops of the hills towards the back of the festival grounds. “Last Nite” and “Reptilia” closed out the set before fans made their way to the exits to recharge for day two.
Day two started early. Really early for some dedicated fans, most of whom wanted to see Twenty One Pilots or Pierce The Veil, who were scheduled to play back to back on the Peachtree stage later that day. There was a sea of red, yellow and black lined up early at the festival gates as fans spent the early hours of the morning trading bracelets, cards and whatever else they’d made. After the sprint to the barricades when the gates opened, fans settled in to watch the other sets on the Peachtree Stage as they waited. It was another hot one, too, and security at the front of the stage brought out tanks of water to periodically spray down the crowd.
All the way on the other side of the festival grounds, I started off my day with sets by Sophie's Body and Hotel Fiction. Sadly, the rock scene is often male dominated, and the lineup this year did feel like it emphasized that at times. But these two female-fronted bands showed us some incredible talent. Sophie’s Body are Boston-based grunge rockers, fronted by singer and songwriter Sophie McMinn. They drew a respectable crowd early in the day at the Ponce de Leon stage, and had plenty of their fans headbanging in the first few rows. Hotel Fiction is an indie rock band founded by Jade Ireland Long and Jessica Thompson. They’re based right around Atlanta; it was cool to see some local talent! Their set at the Criminal Records Stage was the perfect way to follow Sophie’s Body. We also got the chance to snap some fun photos of both bands over in the press lounge.
Sophie’s Body
Hotel Fiction
Sir Chloe
For the next two hours or so, I bounced between the Piedmont and Peachtree stages to catch VILLANELLE, Elio Mei and Sir Chloe. All three of these sets had completely different vibes; they were a great snapshot of the diversity of sounds found on this year’s lineup. VILLANELLE brought us some grunge and alternative rock, while Elio Mei lightened the mood with a more folky bedroom pop sound. Sir Chloe leaned more towards indie rock, and I loved the vision she had going with her black and white outfit against the red rose backdrop.
Next, it was time to grab a few photos of Peach Pit before they played their set on the Peachtree Stage. The band’s set had been moved to the main stage after original performers Jimmy Eat World had to cancel due to a medical issue, and the Vancouver-based indie pop band were excited for the opportunity. Their set consisted of lots of guitar solos and hair flipping as they played their hits like “Tommy’s Party” and “Alrighty Aphrodite.”
Peach Pit
Peach Pit
I had originally planned for my next set of the day to be Taking Back Sunday at the other side of the park, but the Atlanta heat had taken a toll on me and I decided to sit that one out and grab some water. This turned out to be the best decision I would make on Saturday, as winds and pouring rain began shortly after they started to play. Fans were originally just instructed to step away from structures in the festival, but when it became clear that some serious lightning and thunder was rolling in, the festival decided it was necessary to evacuate.
A chaotic few hours ensued as fans took shelter from the torrential rain anywhere they could, not knowing if the gates would reopen after the storm passed. Some were told to leave, others were told there was a chance that some bands would still be able to play. A little before 9 p.m., the festival announced on their social media that the grounds would be reopening shortly, but that Twenty One Pilots would be the only remaining performance of the night. Pierce The Veil, The Prodigy and Pavement all had their sets cancelled by the rain.
Around 10 p.m., Twenty One Pilots took the stage to play an abridged one-hour set. If there’s one thing about this band, it’s that they do everything in their power to show up for their fans. A few songs into the set, singer Tyler Joseph revealed that their crew had to almost completely rebuild their set after tearing it down for the rain. The band could have easily chosen not to perform, but that was seemingly not an acceptable option for them. They knew how long people had been waiting for them and, for some, how far they had traveled for the chance to see them perform live. So, the show had to go on.
Twenty One Pilots
“Overcompensate” opened the set, as it has done for over two years now. They then went into “The Contract” and “Center Mass” off of their latest album, Breach, which turned one year old earlier this month. Twenty One Pilots have always put so much thought into their live performances, and a perfect example of this is the transitions between the next three songs: “Shy Away,” “Heathens” and “Next Semester.”
Due to the shortened set, fans got to hear uninterrupted versions of “Drum Show” and “Ride,” which usually have some crowd interaction mixed into them. You would have had no idea this set was any different other than some cut songs (of which there were only five, despite only having two thirds of their typical time). They wrapped up with their big hits “Ride” and “Stressed Out” before coming into the crowd to perform “Trees,” followed by fireworks.
Day three was just as hot and sweaty as the last two, so hot that the inside of my camera lenses kept getting foggy. It was a bit of a more relaxed day for me, and Coheed and Cambria was the first set I saw over on the Peachtree Stage, and the progressive rockers brought high energy and a heavier sound. After them, Jet played their set on the Piedmont Stage, and everyone was sure to know their hit “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” that they played in the second half of their set.
I took some time to walk around the festival grounds and see what else Shaky Knees had to offer this year. There were plenty of food and drink options, my personal favorite being the abundance of slushy stations throughout the park. All weekend, the spaces on the hill underneath the trees were very popular as a way to get out of the hot Atlanta sun. There was a booth selling band posters and tote bags, as well as activations by Beatbox, Cabot, Chase and more giving out free food samples or even fans to help people stay cool.
Wu-Tang Clan
The Peachtree shifted its focus from rock to hip-hip as Wu-Tang Clan was next to take the stage. There were lots of fans up at the front waiting to see them, putting up their “W” hands, and they made sure to put on a great show. I didn’t realize how many members the group had; more and more were introduced as they made their way through playing the first three songs of their set. The group is set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November, and their set almost felt like a mini celebration leading up to the event.
LCD Soundsystem vs. Knocked Loose was another tough choice to make, but me and many of my fellow photographers decided to make the hike over to the Ponce de Leon Stage to check out Knocked Loose’s sunset performance. We were a little confused why they were performing on the other side of the park, but it became clear very quickly that their energy was one that needed lots of room to be let loose. The hardcore punk band has been on the rise recently, and they may have set a record for the most crowdsurfing, moshing and circle pits I’ve ever seen during a set. Both singer Bryan Garris and guitarist Isaac Hale have some seriously impressive screams, and the band had security working overtime to keep everyone having a fun and safe time.
Knocked Loose
The night concluded with a performance by virtual band Gorillaz. The project is a collaboration between musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, who creates all of the character art used during the performances. Gorillaz also happen to have a lot of features on their songs from Atlanta artists, and Albarn made sure to shout them out (and even bring some of them out) during the set. Fans got to see “The Pink Phantom” with 6LACK, “Andromeda” with DRAM, and “Opium” with Earthgang. They continued on to play some songs solo like “Kids With Guns” and “Feel Good Inc.” before closing out the set with “Clint Eastwood” with Del the Funky Homosapien.
Despite the weather-related issues on Saturday, Shaky Knees 2026 still delivered, in my opinion, one of the best festival lineups we’ve seen in a long time. They had a vision, and they made sure to stick to it each day of the festival. Hopefully we’ll see just as stellar of a lineup in 2027!
