Photos and Words by Max Stewart
2023 has been quite the ride for the Futurebirds. As a native Atlantan with friends who attended UGA, I have been a longtime fan of the band and it has been incredible seeing their continued ascent over the last decade since forming in Athens in 2008. Although I moved away for a few years, whenever I would return to Georgia it always felt like a homecoming to see friends and catch a Futurebirds show. Recently they have really taken flight and grown in popularity throughout the country, with shows in the last year at Red Rocks in Denver, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Festival. There is no denying that there has been a major upswing in the Futurebirds’ popularity and increase in streams on Spotify the last few years after their 2020 album Teamwork and collaborations with My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel on the 2021 EP, Bloomin’. Take note folks – the flock is rising!
Futurebirds’ sound could be described as twangy indie rock with a hint of psychedelia… but really it is just a damn good time, y’all. Their magic really culminates in their high-energy, fun-filled live shows. While some bands in the indie rock genre feel a bit ‘too cool’ in concert, hardly moving throughout the night and inspiring shoe-gazing and arms-crossed responses from fans, the Futurebirds take their fans on a ride in concert. There is nothing quite like seeing the band fall to their knees and stare in amazement of a fellow member playing a guitar solo. Futurebirds fly together.
Each show they put on feels like a communal experience and that feeling was perfectly encapsulated at the inaugural Highball festival at Atlanta‘s Pullman Yards. When the band announced the festival earlier in the year and mentioned the lineup would be curated by the Futurebirds and put on by Georgia’s Rival Entertainment, it was a no-brainer.
The hype was real… these were some of the best Futurebirds shows that I have witnessed. In addition to the band sounding as locked-in as I can remember, the vibes at Pullman Yards were elite and the layout of the festival allowed for comfort and an all-around enjoyable festival experience. The band played both Saturday and Sunday nights ahead of the headliners Band of Horses and The Head and the Heart, with unique sets each night and tunes that included “Ski Chalet”, “twentyseven”, “My Broken Arm”, “All Damn Night”, “College Try”, “Put Up Keep Up”, “Rodeo” and “Vampire Nights” off of their latest spooky-inspired release, Ghoulin’ Around.
Daniel Womack, Carter King, and Thomas Johnson trade off lead vocals on songs and each have very unique individual voices and signature vocal flavorings. When they sing together, they all interweave in perfect harmony. Bassist Brannen Miles, pedal steel player Kiffy Myers, keyboardist Spencer Thomas and drummer Tom Myers each bring something special, serving the songs and performance perfectly. It is rare for a seven-piece band to avoid cacophony and have each instrument complement and augment the overall sound of each song, but the Futurebirds have an innate chemistry that just works so well.
On Saturday night Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell sat in with the band for a cover of Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon”, inspiring some singalongs in the Southern moonlight. Bridwell also sang “Trippin'” with the band to close out their set, which he actually contributed backup vocals to on Teamwork. The other musicians throughout the weekend were hand-picked by Futurebirds and all were excellent: T. Hardy Morris, Wednesday, The Whigs, S.G. Goodman, Hotel Fiction, Seratones, Band of Horses and The Head and the Heart.
One of the many reasons it is great to see the Futurebirds’ growing popularity is their likability and humble nature. Back in May, singer / guitarist Thomas Johnson mentioned being blown away by the massive crowd in attendance at Shaky Knees: “It’s kind of like you are out of body and looking at it happen…” And in commenting on their announced headlining Ryman show during that same conversation in May, singer / guitarist King was also in complete amazement: “Isn’t that crazy. Who is letting us do that!?”
How could you not root for these guys? Perhaps their ascension could be attributed to the back-to-back UGA national championships… maybe there’s just something special in the water in Athens. Whatever it is, we could not be happier to see this band thriving in 2023 and putting on a successful festival in Atlanta. We look forward to many more Highball fests in the years to come. Cheers y’all!
Photo recap from their Highball 2023 sets below:
