High Water Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, has evolved into a must-visit event in early April. The allure of Charleston as a city, with its stunning beauty, delectable food options, and exceptional weather, is only enhanced by the festival experience. Curated by Charleston’s own Shovels and Rope, the festival boasts a lineup that is a cut above the rest for a two-day event. The venue, nestled on the water in a picturesque park with two grand stages, offers a unique setting for a memorable experience.
Day one of High Water Festival featured an incredible lineup, and the beauty of this festival is that its scheduling makes it possible for you to never miss at least a portion of any of the performers on stage. The first two sets I saw after arriving at Riverfront Park perfectly showcased the wide-ranging genres curated for the weekend. Olivia Jean played an electric and dynamic rock set with impressive guitar riffs and impressive vocals on the Stono stage that led into Leyla McCalla on the Edisto stage. Leyla’s music stretches across several genres with a folk and blues theme. The multi-instrumentalist also features impressive vocals and powerful songwriting. Her set was a change of pace from Jean’s, but it was delightful in the 3:00 pm hour of the day.
I was excited to see Houndmouth for the first time. I’ve listened to them for years, but I’ve never been able to see them perform live. I wasn’t expecting the almost jam band sections that would happen during their festival set, with impressive solos from members of the band. I wrote in my notes that if Houndmouth is in my town, I must always go. I loved their performance of ‘Darlin’ and the guitar riffs and echoing “Darlin, darlin, darlin, why don’t you sleep at night” in the fresh late spring air was a moment that I took a snapshot in my brain to keep. A feeling that the band must have had as well as frontman Matt Meyers pointed out how great it was to be playing the festival, “after that winter, I thought I’d never play outside.” Cheers followed in a weekend that any seasonal depression dissolved as thousands jammed with Houndmouth singing songs like ‘Sedona’ and ‘Miracle Mile’ in one of my favorite sets of the day.
My number one favorite set of the day followed Houndmouth, The Dip. What a set by The Dip. The Seattle-based funk and blues band took the Edisto stage with a seven-piece band and a lot of groove. Frontman Tom Eddy’s vocals are always a takeaway when hearing this band. He can sing blues in a way that feigns nostalgia and makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time to jukebox dance clubs on a Friday night. It also can fit in folk or crooner genres. Then you back Eddy’s vocals with an incredible band? It’s magic. It’s a perfect recipe for a beautiful show. Together, the band shines. Each member perfectly executes their role, but they also champion one another. ‘Slow Supper’ had a giant solo on keyboards. ‘Crickets’ had a sax solo that echoed across the festival grounds. Then it was time for a trumpet solo on ‘State Line.’ The Dip played the lead single for their new album ‘Love Direction’, which was fun to hear live for one of the first times, but they also previewed songs from their forthcoming album that shares the same name.
I enjoyed Courtney Barnett’s set from deep in the field as I tried some of the awesome food options that High Water Festival featured. The Walkmen drew a giant crowd at the Edisto stage. Fans were excited to see the iconic New York band touring again. It wasn’t the best set of the day by far, but it was fun to see the group play. At one point, lead singer Hamilton Leithauser even called out his niece from the crowd for not looking enthused in the crowd, joking that she just wanted to come see them perform at the festival to see Noah Kahan. As a whole, the crowd aired the same sentiment, lacking enthusiasm as the set went on.
One of the highlights of the day was Fleet Foxes. As the golden hour approached, the Grammy-nominated indie folk band from Seattle played a truly beautiful and near-ethereal set on the Stono stage. The sun was setting behind the harmony-rich vocals for which Fleet Foxes became famous, and the feeling that was created at Riverfront Park at that moment was when I knew this was a festival I would look forward to attending year after year. A perfectly curated lineup of fantastic artists amidst perfect weather and a gorgeous location on the water.
I had an excellent spot for the headliner, Noah Kahan, and stayed in my spot, enjoying Shovels and Rope from afar. I’ve written a lot about Noah Kahan since interviewing him just before the release of Stick Season. This is the second time that I’ve seen him perform at a festival. It was crazy to see the difference that even just a year makes in his ascent to becoming one of the most popular artists in the world and headlining his first festival. Dressed in a matching all-white set, Kahan made jokes about the outfit he called “arrogant.” The Stick Season singer has always had a visible stage presence, but that has only grown. His set is perfectly sculpted with zero lulls or hiccups. Each member of his band excels at what they do, and Kahan champions them any chance he gets. Every song has become a hit, basically. I spoke with fans leading up to the set that had driven all the way to South Carolina from Maine just to see him. Fans that flew from Ohio. Shovels and Rope made a smart move choosing him to headline, and the New England-based singer-songwriter sold tickets from locals and fans across the states to experience the beautiful festival and opening night to a memorable weekend in Charleston.
