When walking into Dickens Pub in Downtown Calgary for the first night of Sled Island Festival 2023, there was a palpable feeling of anticipation in the air. The stage was cluttered with amps and illuminated only by a string of lantern lights. Montreal’s post-metal trio Big Brave were about to hit the stage. Before any music was played, everyone in the room knew that they were in for a fantastic few days full of music and a sense of community.
Sled Island is an annual five-day music, film, comedy, and arts festival that takes place in late June. The festival prides itself on the community it has built over the last 17 years. Each year Sled Island brings together a diverse collection of over 200 artists to various venues across Downtown Calgary, ranging from classic pubs to ornate churches. It’s a rare and important opportunity for music lovers, talented artists and intimate venues to find each other and, for a few days, revel in the pure joy of great live music.
The festival’s executive director, Maud Salvi, describes it as, “A five-day escape and joyful haven crafted with love to remind you that there is still beauty out there and things worth messing up your regular bedtime for.” This could not be more true. Sled Island is a chance for a much-needed escape into a world of music discovery and community-building. One unique element is that Sled Island welcomes a guest curator each year to help select the lineup. This year Sled Island was lucky enough to have Bartees Strange as the curator.
Big Brave provided the perfect start to the festival. With their minimal stage setup and thundering presence, the Southern Lord Records signees took the room on a journey through their fantastic 2022 album; Nature Morte. They were followed by an equally thunderous, yet very different set from New York experimental-metal outfit Liturgy. Fresh off the release of their fantastic new album 93696, frontwoman Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix and the band commanded the stage and put the room in a trance with their unique take on black metal. Songs like Caela and “Generation” are full of repetition, spontaneity, and relentless experimentation. The incredible musicians in Liturgy make it look and sound easy. It was an unforgettable first night of music.
The anticipation from the night before carried over into the next day as the legendary spiritual-jazz and afro-futurist collective, Sun Ra Arkestra were set to take the stage at The Central United Church. Toronto’s own Shn Shn opened for the iconic group. Her lush ambient soundscapes and otherworldly voice consumed the church like a cloud of peaceful mist as she took the audience on a tour of her wonderful 2021 “e.strange.d” EP. It was the perfect calm before the storm that is the Sun Ra Arkestra.
One by one, all 12 members of the Arkestra took the stage in increasingly eccentric outfits covered in glitter and bright colours. For the next two and a half hours, the church was sent on a cosmic trip through the wild and wonderful compositions of Sun Ra. From classics like “Space is the Place” to improvised blues-inspired jams, the Arkestra was firing on all cylinders. Their energy was infectious as members would often walk through and interact with the crowd. Original member and interim bandleader, Knoel Scott, even began to perform cartwheels at the front of the stage. It was an iconic performance, and everyone knew it.
The rest of day two was spent hopping around venues, looking to discover something new. This aspect of the festival is part of the reason why it’s so special. With so many artists to explore, the possibilities are endless, and it’s made easy with all venues being, at most, a 30 minute walk from each other. Just a few blocks away from Central United Church was Palomino Smokehouse, where Brooklyn-based band Gustaf electrified the downstairs stage with a fiery and quirky set of tunes from their great 2021 Audio Drag for Ego Slobs LP. Frontwoman Lydia Gammill took over the small stage with an intensely playful attitude that clearly spread throughout the audience as it was a raucous, joyful night of dancing and moshing.
The majority of day three was spent in anticipation of the Osees’ headlining set at The Palace Theatre. The waiting was made easy thanks to Sled Alley, a market in the alleyway behind The Palace Theatre featuring art, DJ sets, food, drinks and much more to explore. Calgary’s Tebby and The Heavy got the night started with an energetic and psyched-out performance. They were soon followed by Toronto’s Gloin whose fuzz-punk sound and riotous energy made for one of the best performances of the entire weekend. They ripped through a number of songs from their fantastic 2022 debut album “We Found This” at ear-splitting levels, a perfect setup for the Osees.
With two drummers at stage front, a keyboardist behind them, and two guitars on either side, John Dwyer’s Osees took the stage and tore through a set largely made up of tracks from their punk-inspired 2022 “A Foul Form” LP. Despite some issues with his vocal monitor, John Dywer and the band proved why the Osees are one of the most important underground rock acts of the past few decades as their blistering speed and unparalleled energy were on full display. It was the ideal headlining set.
Finally, day four presented the perfect chance to explore the various other events Sled Island 2023 had to offer. Whether it was the poster show featuring posters of some of the bands at Sled Island created by local artists, or the various conferences covering everything from community radio to royalties collection – it became very clear that Sled Island is not just about the attendees but the entire community surrounding it and beyond.
That night was split between the main floor of #1 Legion and the Ship and Anchor Pub. Toronto band Burs debuted some new songs at a great show filled with folk-rock improvisations and some fantastic musicianship at the Legion. Whereas, the night and festival concluded with Alex Edkins’ Weird Nightmare at the Ship and Anchor Pub. Known for his work with Toronto noise-rock group Metz, Edkins always brings a unique take to guitar playing even when exploring a back-to-basics approach with his Weird Nightmare project. Edkins and the band closed out the festival wonderfully with an insanely fun set that served as a perfect summation of the festival as a whole.
Sled Island Festival 2023 delivered an unforgettable experience filled with music, community, and exploration. From the moment Big Brave took the stage at Dickens Pub, there was an undeniable sense of anticipation that carried throughout the festival. It was a wonderful thing to be a part of and something every Canadian music fan should try to experience. As one of the only of its kind in Canada, Sled Island is a completely unique festival that focuses on discovery and connecting people. It’s the beating heart of Calgary’s music scene and a great annual reminder of the powerful impact that bringing music lovers, talented artists and intimate venues together can have.
