Review: Going With With The Flow Is Extra Easy At High Water
HIGH WATER FESTIVAL, which takes over North Charleston, South Carolina, one weekend every April, started out as a boutique festival with something to prove. The Charleston-based married musical duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, who record as Shovels & Rope, launched the festival back in 2017 with an impressive lineup that included The Avett Brothers, The Shins and Dawes—and a hometown feel. In the years since, they’ve continued to not only measure up to but also build on the promise of that 2017 lineup and host the festival with smarts, melding top-notch curation and excellent event-planning with low-country culture and an indie mindset.
But it’s not the same festival as those early years. Following a COVID-induced pause in 2020 and 2021, High Water returned in 2022 a bit flashier than before. For one thing, High Water is now facilitated by the Live Nation-owned Front Gate Tickets, but the biggest noticeable difference in its sixth year, which took place April 20-21, compared to the last time I attended in 2019 is pure size. There are plainly just more attendees now than there were before the pandemic. In many cases, the growth of an event like this one might result in a loss of character and curation, or at least an uneven upscaling complete with long lines and unhappy patrons. That’s not the case with High Water. Some touchstones of a commercialized festival are now present —things like $20 pizza slices, White Claw-sponsored beverage tents and skyrocketing rideshare fares—but the overall feel is still anything but corporate. As in 2019, the festival felt contained, curated and overall charming.
Noah Kahan
The lineup still feels hand-picked, as opposed to some other mid-tier festivals that seem mainly concerned with stacking the top of the bill with as much discretion as a Spotify algorithm while filling the smaller lines with forgettable bands responsible for a singular TikTok hit. With headliners Hozier and Noah Kahan and an undercard that featured both a nice mix of legacy acts like The Flaming Lips and exciting up-and-comers like The Linda Lindas, High Water once again reigns as one of the best festival bills for indie rock and indie folk during the 2024 season. And the best part is High Water doesn’t have the one characteristic that makes music festivals so often suck: competing sets. At High Water, each act gets its own hour. When someone is rocking out on the Stono stage, there’s no one on Edisto, and vice versa. And you can see and hear the music from anywhere in the park, so even if you’re taking a popsicle break or making a run for the johns, you’ll still feel like part of the party.
The fest’s long-running slogan “Stay Dry” was extra applicable this year, as a steady rain soaked the grounds—and everyone on them—Sunday afternoon. But rather than dampen the mood, the rains somewhat added to the festival’s personality. Kevin Morby, the Texas-born, Midwest-based artist who sounds equal parts Bob Dylan and millennial songsmith, thanked fans for sticking out the soggy conditions to hear him play tracks from his 2022 album “This Is A Photograph” and a slew of his live set staples from across his solo career: “Campfire,” “City Music” and “Beautiful Strangers.” But he needn’t have thanked folks, as they were happily bobbing along in the mud. Similarly, the weather was a bit gloomy when the Max Clarke-helmed Cut Worms—who could be mistaken for the Beach Boys from afar—took the Stono stage at 2:15 p.m. Sunday. But again, the crowd was pleased as could be, singing along to the songs they knew and apparently keen to learn the ones they didn’t. And Hozier, who is no stranger to a headlining slot, closed out the wet weekend with a characteristically unearthly set on Sunday evening. You could even make the argument he was meant to sing in the rain.
But the real magic, arguably, happened on Saturday, which was sweltering compared to the blustery Sunday, but perfect when paired with conscious hydration and sunscreen. Beneath a clear sky of stars, Noah Kahan, who we could coin Gen Z’s Hozier, played his indie folk hits to a giddy crowd who sang every line right back to him. Any of his naysayers (he has many) who may have been witness to that set likely left with at least an understanding of his star power. I was one of those skeptics, but his charisma and stage presence are undeniable.
The Flaming Lips
Elsewhere on Saturday, roots singer Leyla McCalla wowed the Edisto crowd with her Haitian-infused sound and incredible musicianship. Indie rock favorites Houndmouth sounded identical to their studio selves during their Stono set. And Australian indie rock legend Courtney Barnett, who is as engrossing a performer as ever, played a career-spanning show at 5:15 underneath a blazing late-afternoon sun.
It’s always fun to see a band or artist play in a setting that’s so different from where they got their start, and that was certainly the case with the following set from The Walkmen. They were formed at the start of the new millennium in New York City amid a crowded scene, and proved to be more influential than many of their peers. So I expected my first time seeing them to be in some dark room in the city, not on a muggy evening in South Carolina. And yet, it was the perfect backdrop.
But the natural landscape was an even more fitting stage for what may have been the best set of the fest: Fleet Foxes’ 7:15 p.m showing at Stono. Frontman Robin Pecknold seemed to be in awe at the crowd, which was nearly the size of that of a typical headlining slot. Wispy clouds and a peach-colored sunset certainly contributed to the magic, but Pecknold and co. are mainly responsible for the beauty of that hour. Complete with a horn section, the band played tracks from all four of their studio albums, including the eight-minute epic “Third of May / Ōdaigahara” and hits “White Winter Hymnal” and “Mykonos.” The singer Uwade opened for the band on the first leg of their tour supporting their 2021 album “Shore” but hasn’t been on the road lately. Since she hails from the region (Charlotte, North Carolina), she made a welcome surprise performance to sing the album opener “Wading In Waist-High Water.”
Music festivals are rarely perfect, but it’s clear when one has it figured out. High Water is one such festival. This year, the logistics of the festival had as much harmony as the music. Trent and Hearst clearly care about the city of Charleston and bringing a slate of both popular and boundary-pushing artists to the Spanish moss-cloaked Riverfront Park each year, and that passion can be felt with every purchase of a regional beer (this year, it was Asheville’s Wicked Weed) and stomp of a cowboy boot. As sailboats and pontoon boats pulled up to the shore to listen from the water, and land dwellers moved from stage to stage with ease, High Water 2024 was one groovy ride—dry or not.
