Sled Island 2024: Festival Preview
The full line-up to Calgary’s Sled Island Music Festival was just revealed. This is what I love best about Sled, now’s the time to discover the next break-through act before they’re too big to play a coffee shop on a Friday afternoon. The final list has no bells and whistles, in fact, the press release we received didn’t highlight one new musical act from the over 100 names that have now been added to the roster. This is where I come in, I’ve been combing over unknown Canadian independent music for years and I have a few suggestions for all the festival goers out there. Cups N Cakes has put together a Spotify playlist you can check out after reading about some of the acts I’m highlighting in this article.
Sunglaciers’ Regular Nature, released earlier this year
Before we dive in, I’ll let readers know that I’m going to gloss over Calgary acts pretty quick. I’ll be assuming that most of the ticket purchasers are from Calgary and likely have a decent knowledge of the cream that’s rising to the top of the musical landscape in their hometown. I’m of course talking about acts like Sunglaciers, Tea Fannie, Stucco, Sargeant X Comrade, Ryan Bourne, or Still Depths. These are some of the acts in your hometown that I love and are starting to garner attention from the rest of Canada. They’ll definitely make their way onto the playlist but I have lots to cover in this article so I’m keeping the focus on acts from the rest of Canada. However, I will add that if you live in Calgary and have yet to see any of those names, get on it!
There’s so much indie-rock out there it’s hard to know what’s worth your time. I can tell you that Edmonton’s Stem Champ are a band you cannot miss this year. High-energy power-pop with some quirky lofi vibes, Stem Champ are the talk of the town with your neighbours to the north. Also, who could resist Heaven For Real? The Toronto/Halifax band have been a fan favourite for a long time. Montreal’s knitting return with more buzz than ever, last time they played Sled in 2022, they were one of the underground bands that the entire festival was swooning over. Finally, don’t miss Montreal’s Sunforger who are turning heads with their brand of post-punk splashed with emo.
Nora Kelly Band
If Country/Roots/Americana is what you seek, I’d highly recommend checking out Nora Kelly Band. This Montreal band is crafting extremely good twang which got our attention in 2022 with an EP called Perfect Pig which ranked very high on our list of the Best EPs from that year. Apparently that EP also got the attention of Mint Records and Nora Kelly Band dropped their debut album through this iconic label in 2023. Another banger of a twanger is Lethbridge artist, Skinny Dyck who’s become well known outside our province by touring relentlessly. All that practice no doubt has him at the very top of his game. Finally, Edmonton’s Smokey has resurrected after a long hiatus from music and is making the exact type of country I adore. Country with a kiss psychedelic vibes like those found in the best spaghetti westerns. The warble in his voice also touches on a trait found in all my favourite country acts… a little patina on the vocal cords.
Aladean Kheroufi’s upcoming record Studies in a Dying Love
This year has less Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul programming than we’ve come to expect but when it comes to Canadian content in this realm, Toronto rapper myst milano is at the very top of the heap if you like raw, underground hip-hop. An absolute must catch for all the rap fans. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the smooth radio-ready Hip-Hop and R&B stylings from Montreal’s Planet Giza who’s 2023 album, Ready When You Are, was long listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Finally, Edmonton’s Aladean Kheroufi leans heavily into a reimagining of classic Soul and R&B and has easily become the best live act in the city that finds itself three hours north on the QE2.
For those needing some chill time at some point during the festival, I’d recommend the art-pop stylings of Emilie Kahn, Tess Roby, Pony Girl, and Wallgrin. Montreal’s Emilie Kahn weaves intricate tapestries on the harp, while Montreal’s Tess Roby makes use of electronics for her downtempo experimental-pop. Four album’s deep, Ottawa’s Pony Girl have risen to the top of the art-pop pyramid within Canada’s pool of extremely high talent, while (we think) Vancouver’s Wallgrin are planning on following up the groundbreaking 2022 album, Yet Again The Wheel Turns, later this year and we’re very excited for the potential of new tunes live on stage.
Like it loud? If that’s the case and you miss Toronto’s Tomb Mold… for shame. Their 2023 album, The Enduring Spirit, was praised by metalheads across the globe. Prefer punk? Edmonton’s Midnight Peg are becoming one of the best punk acts from the City of Champions while Regina’s Pop Pop Vernac blend high energy garage-rock with punk and deliver an incredible, high energy live show. Finally, for those that love the noise, Lethbridge act SENTRIES just put out a noise-punk album that I’ve been listening to on repeat.
Diving into the experimental/ambient categories, this year showcases a plethora of incredible acts. The most unfortunate part is that Sled no longer has a good venue for these types of shows (other than the church that is… but that’s a venue for the big names). Regardless, I’d highly recommend you check out the incredible looping violinist respectfulchild, the modular synth wizardry of Edmonton’s k. burwash, and/or the juxtaposition between beautiful and terrifying from Montreal’s Kee Avil. Another notable experimental act from Montreal is N NAO who just released a fantastic EP. But if you only have room in your schedule for one experimental/ambient show, don’t miss Toronto’s Michael Peter Olsen. This acclaimed cellist creates gorgeous soundscapes and his 2023 album, Narrative Of A Nervous System is simply magical.
Eliza Niemi
Finally, if you want to know which acts I’ll be going out of my way to see come hell or high water. You’ll find me catching the post-punk punch of Winnipeg’s Fold Paper who just announced their signing with Royal Mountain Records. Also, I will not miss Toronto’s Eliza Niemi who I believe is one of the top five most important musical figures in Canada right now. Long time festival goers may remember her old band Mauno but put those days behind you because her brand of art-folk/art-pop is my favourite in all of Canada. Cups N Cakes placed her debut album at #2 on our list of the Best Albums of 2022. And finally, I will not be missing Thanya Iyer’s set. Art-pop fused with jazz and layered with heavy experimental elements, the Montreal songwriter’s 2020 album KIND was our #6 Best Album of 2020 while her 2022 EP also cracked the top ten for our Favourite EPs from that year.
All in all, this will be a fantastic year to check out some of the Canadian talent on display. Especially true due to the scheduling gods being cruel to us and slotting in so many of the larger name headliners on Wednesday night. Thankfully our great nation has some of the most talented acts in the world that have yet to be discovered. Get out there and discover them!
- Jeff MacCallum
Follow this link to listen to our Spotify playlist of all the acts mentioned in this article, and this link to a full listing of the Sled Island 2024 lineup. See you there!