Sled Island 2026 Debrief - Part Three
Sub//Cell, Photo By: Sebastian Buzzalino
Clay Geddert
For 6 years now, Sled Island has been one of my most cherished yearly traditions. Countless bands spread across countless downtown venues makes for a festival experience that feels unlike anything else. That’s not to say that there aren’t myriad other great festivals in the area, but in my humble opinion, nothing quite compares to Sled. After 2025’s monsoon June, we all crossed our fingers for a more amenable forecast to allow for a little more mobility across town. Despite the occasional thundershower, the weather cooperated better than the forecast suggested, and the stage was set for a great weekend of live music.
BRIDGELAND, Photo By: Michael Grondin
This year’s curation was incredible – not only was the lineup absolutely stacked, but each show was so well assembled as to match vibes across bands and genres seamlessly. In particular, The Palace on Saturday comes to mind. Jairus Sharif’s enigmatic and brooding free jazz effortlessly set up the hip-hop stylings of Cartel Madras and clipping. that followed. I’m not sure that every clipping. fan was prepared for challenging and thoughtful jazz, but when paired together, it made perfect sense. But more on that show later.
Wednesday night was a bit of a warm-up for me. Rather than scribbling a convoluted schedule all over my program guide like I usually do, I decided to operate a little more spontaneously – which is always when I stumble on talented new artists that I wouldn’t have heard of otherwise. The spirit led me to Blox for some heavy bands where I saw Oldmound and local favourites Milkmaid. Oldmound is a solo post-metal project from Edmonton artist Wes Christiansen. Playing only a bass guitar, Oldmound meditates on witchy incantations that morph from gentle whispers into haunting lullabies. Religious trauma permeates their music and elevates it into a sonic and thematic indictment of traditional Christian norms while remaining innately spiritual. Milkmaid followed with thunderous doom metal that maintained Oldmound’s meditative spirit, albeit with ear-splitting power and volume.
SENTRIES, Photo By: Michael Grondin
As the thunderstorm outside subsided, I hopped on my bike and moseyed on down to The Palomino, where I hoped to grab some grub before seeing SENTRIES. I happened to catch a handful of tunes from the Sled rock lotto group BRIDGELAND. I’ve seen them a number of times over the years, but this year was the first time they truly impressed me. Their raw, post-punk vocals were expertly buttressed by incredibly tight Krautrock noise. After so many years playing Sled, I was pleasantly surprised to hear them really hitting their groove. But SENTRIES was why I was at The Pal that night, and they did not disappoint. Led by recording artist Kim Elliot, SENTRIES performed their first show solo at Sled in 2024. Fans of the Lethbridge noise rocker were keen to see him with a full band behind him in 2026. The band oozed confidence and rapport like they had been playing together for years. The drums had the command of a freight train and drove the band forward without letting up on the throttle for a single moment. Psychedelic fuzz swirled wildly but never spiraled into psychosis. A mix of anguished wails and quasi-spoken-word vocals added just the right juxtaposition to keep their sound varied and interesting. They graced the crowd with a new tune, “Entanglement,” that showcased Elliot’s raw, booming vocals over mid-aughts emo riffs. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for SENTRIES in the years to come.
Thursday night I camped out at Legion. I was mostly there to see the famous pop-punk noise of illuminati hotties, but some smaller local acts would turn out to be the highlight for me. Alberta supergroup SUB / / CELL kicked off the festivities on the main floor, and they stunned me with their White Stripes-adjacent brand of garage rock. Featuring members of Window Lamp, Parisian Orgy, Lushings, and Cheer, this is a band with a ton of experience and talent. Ethan Muzychka’s drumming was some of the best I saw from any act this year. He had the wherewithal to expertly balance the loose and splashy drumming required for garage rock with incredibly tight grooves when the occasion called for it. His instincts to tighten the screws at exactly the right time and then lay back at other times were a sight to behold. The band followed his lead effortlessly, building a castle of sound while vocalist Joelle Burns oozed charisma.
Jairus Sharif, Photo By: Kyle Wilson
Earlier in the night, while meandering the smoke-stained halls of The Legion, I heard the soundcheck for local band Thee Canadian Dispatch upstairs and knew I had to catch their set. I’ve basically never enjoyed a band with two drummers, but somehow, these kids pulled it off. They can mostly be described as garage rock, but they were completely unencumbered by genre. They clumsily stumbled through some sound problems in their first couple of tracks before they really hit their stride. Not only were they able to miraculously keep the rubber on the road despite so much percussive noise, but they also left enough space for their keyboardist, who I can only describe as Lawrence from School of Rock, to flutter through wild jazzy riffs while the lead singer entered the pit with a charismatic youthful exuberance. Thee Canadian Dispatch is certainly young and inexperienced, but they have a bright future in front of them – they’re easily my favourite Sled discovery this year.
Friday night brought me over to The Palace. Black Country, New Road is a bucket-list band for me, and I was not about to miss it. I’ve grown skeptical about the direction of their sound since losing their frontman a couple of years ago, but their set erased any lingering doubts. But The Palace on Friday was another expertly curated lineup, and the band that most impressed me was Chrome Harvest. After a great opening set from Eye of Newt, Chrome Harvest burst onto the stage with huge country/folk vibes before morphing through post-rock, art-rock, and chamber folk just like BCNR but with a little more prairie personality. They struck a pretty strong chord of nostalgia with me, Lethbridge boy that I am, as they played visuals of cottonwood trees blowing in the unmistakable Lethbridge wind.
Saturday was my second night at The Palace, lining up early to get a balcony seat. Thee Canadian Dispatch may have injected me with a bit more youthful spirit, but I was still feeling pretty worn down by Saturday night. As I took my seat, someone sat next to me before quipping, “Is this the 35+ section?” Besides, I had to be there early to see Jairus Sharif. The Calgary experimental artist has been making waves lately, and a live performance from him is not to be missed. Swirling loops of electronic static and faded memories buttress Sharif’s emotive saxophone. Songs build slowly into deeply meditative emotional peaks, allowing Sharif the space to act as producer and lead saxophonist. The varied electronic production made for a perfect opening act for the festival headliner, clipping., but not before Cartel Madras would make their triumphant return to Sled. Clipping.’s set was exactly as good as you’d hope it would be. Daveed Diggs oozed personality and energy. The horrorcore trio had the crowd absolutely wrapped around their fingers for the entire set.
Altogether, I got to see some amazing international artists who have been on my list for a long time, but that certainly didn’t stop me from seeing some beloved and new-to-me Canadian acts. And, like always, there are so many that I missed. I guess I’ll have to come back next year.
Chrome Harvest, Photo By: Sebastian Buzzalino
