Sled Island continues to bring an eclectic lineup, that allows festival govwers to experience a wide range of music during the five day event. The event provided some intimate shows ranging from the rock and roll of Tokyo’s Guitar Wolf at the Palomino to larger Electronic shows and light shows from headliner Flying Lotus. Many venues were packed to capacity. In the case of Guitar Wolf, I managed to squeak in, as a lineup behind me hoped that they would be as lucky. The Palace Theatre was also packed every night for Flying Lotus and San Diego’s Pop-punk Wavves.
The venues were likely packed due to the fantastic line-up, but also due to the notable lack of a “venue” at Olympic Plaza. Which is typically the largest venue for the event. No Olympic Plaza was likely a financial decision, and also due to that the venue is heavily weather dependent, and in the case of last year was virtually a waterpark for the portion of the day as the skies opened. With no outdoor component, it saw Sledders move to the variety of venues, and many packed throughout the festival, creating some spectacular shows with a palatable energy to them.
Sled Island is always a win for discovering new music, and this year was no different. I recommend checking out 36? Calgary based indie rock/pop group fronted by a charismatic Taylor Cochrane, as well as Edmonton’s Dead Fibres with their brand of punk/psych rock, and for those who love garage/rock and all things loud and chaotic Tokyo’s Guitar Wolf!
