Sled Island Day Two: BAWAH, Yaya Bey, Shiv and the Carvers, SAMWOY, Tropical Fuck Storm, and more
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Shiv and the Carvers
At Central United, Osmanthus played a violin and synth piece that had a serene yet noisy quality about it. The two instruments fed into each other as much as they clashed, both modulating the sound of the other. It had both the peacefulness of a nice string and the hoarse digital droning of a satisfying head scratch. Niecy Blues was a phenomenal singer to watch. She has such a mighty blues voice, and the place resounded with the reverb of the drum machine. Maybe it was the church backdrop, but the experience felt deeply sacred and reverent. Beyond the enchanting flow of her keys, Zola Jesus’ beautiful vocals were star quality. The vocal range she was able to showcase was awe-inspiring. You can feel the heartache in her vocal wavering, and her louder moments blow you away. Also, they really programmed Zola Jesus to play in a church huh?
Photo credit: Marcus Ogden - Zola Jesus
Photo credit: Marcus Ogden - Orchidae
Victrix opened the night at Dickens with a very moody, vibe-y rock set with a touch of flute. While their energy was a bit subdued, they had an effortless cool about them; they were a perfect act to ease into the night with. Orchidae brought sultry honesty and love to the stage. Blending sexy, sincerity, and effortless warmth, she bore her heart to the crowd at Dickens in a lustrous red slip. In her singing, she conveyed palpable desire over a smooth base of melting synth and sunset beams. The room felt closer together by the end of her set. Sofie Royer’s keys and strings over power guitar got the room swayin' during the third set of the night; She literally asked, “Can a white boy speak a little Español tonight?” as she picked up and flew with the energy of the audience. She did such an incredibly paced set, you could feel the room get more and more into the music as she cut more and more loose. By the end of the set, we were all jumping, head banging, and singing alongside. The headliner of the night, Baths, was very kinetic and their music had a lot of impact. Very punchy, high energy, deep resounding base just hit you in a way that vibrated your ribcage. On top of their rock-solid beats, they were so fun and disarming to watch; Baths injected small moments of punchy humour and levity to really engage the crowd and balance their intense sound. For someone who hasn’t performed in a month, they killed it. - Marcus Ogden
Photo credit: Marcus Ogden - Sofie Royer
Photo credit: Marcus Ogden - Baths
Calgary’s own, this group has time after time shown that they are here to display greatness every show they play. (un)decided’s set at common was nothing short of amazing; the eight piece group had everything from strong bars to soulful melodies. Blending jazz, hiphop and afrobeats, (un)decided put on such a eclectic show. Highlight of their set was definitely seeing people in crowd play along and act shocked as they announced the final song, “Watch Out”.
Photo credit: Daman Singh (@damaann_) - (un)decided
BAWAH followed (un)decided and oh boy, this might have been my favourite discovery at the slopes. Joined by a trumpet and a trombone on stage, BAWAH put on one of the most energetic sets I had seen. The thumping bass groove of his tracks was matched by his eccentric stage presence, he had everyone in the audience captive to his flow.
Photo credit: Daman Singh (@damaann_) - BAWAH
Not a single dull moment in sight, I could not stand a minute away from the stage and trying to take photos while doing the crowd dances in that audience was NOT easy. Away from Sled, BAWAH is pouring his heart out into the monument MAUVEY TO A BAWAH, transitioning his sound and his name and it's going to be a journey to follow.
The night ended with the one and only, Yaya Bey taking the stage from her first smile the audience couldn’t stop cheering. Joined by her three piece band live, the simplicity of the stage was matched by the joyful bliss in her dancing. Playing a selection from her latest release, do it afraid, Bey was soulful and it was so worth the wait. Every time I caught a look from someone in the audience, all I could see were smiles— that’s the magic of Yaya Bey. - Daman Singh
Photo credit: Daman Singh (@damaann_) - Yaya Bey
Swiftly making my way to the Royal Canadian Legion in time to catch my favourite band from Montreal, Family Man, was so worth the run. If you’ve never seen them before and this was your first time, wasn’t it the most perfect introduction? Aggressive punk guitars and an eccentric stage presence made for such a memorable show. Family Man is a delight to see, not a moment where I wasn't seen in the crowd headbanging (my head hurt after). Coming off their last release, ICONOCLAST, “Golden” into “Tar Lungs” is one of my favourite musical transitions and boy it was such a good start to their set. They had no patience to tease their theatrics, from the first song you knew exactly what you were gonna get into— chaos. Guitarists running around, screaming vocals, crowd moshing…. You get the gist.
Photo credit: Daman Singh (@damaann_) - Family Man
Barely holding onto myself by the end of the night, feet in shambles, having to pick between the million bands playing at the same time (really, it was a million) and as if Family Man wasn’t enough chaos, I fought my way through the crowd to get to the front (ish) for Tropical Fuck Storm. Before the show had even started, people were trying to push in and the front kept getting crowded and crowded, classic innit? “Bloodsport” came on, people started moshing and I found myself juggling my way to the center of the pit and I would not have had it any other way. As loud as it got, it wasn’t enough. Tropical Fuck Storm was so good I needed to feel it in my bones. The punk grooves of “Moscovium” were a delight for my ears. The politics of TFS aren’t to shy away from as well— “This goes out to all the governments out there”, as the band said. Family Man and Tropical Fuck Storm were punk in its truest and you can’t have it any other way. - Daman Singh
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Tropical Fuck Storm
Day two of Sled Island delivered a genre-bending journey at the Ship, anchored in punk. Kicking off with Shiv and the Carvers, they were tearing through a high-energy set that blurred the line between performance and punk chaos. With riot grrl ferocity, Shiv climbed over tables and howled through razor-sharp tracks like “I Want It All” and “Danger Girl,” rallying the crowd into a frenzy. Their unfiltered presence set the tone for a night that refused to settle into one sound.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Shiv and the Carvers
Later in the evening, SamWoy brought an entirely different energy to the stage with a set that fused experimental electronics and pop textures, joined by collaborator Jeffrey Mitchell. Tracks like “Poison” hit hard with pulsing beats, while “Diamond Eyes” offered a soft and shimmering comedown. The set closed with an unexpected but fitting nod to synth icons Depeche Mode, tying together Sam Woy’s emotional undercurrents and danceable edge in a single, cathartic moment.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - SAMWOY
Capping the night was Lemon Boy, who packed the venue wall-to-wall with a devoted crowd. Their blend of nostalgic melodies and mosh-ready arrangements made for an electric finish, affirming their place as one of the most magnetic live acts of the fest so far. Day two proved that Sled Island’s magic lies in the contrasts—riotous punk, tender synth-pop, and everything in between. - Jess Arcand
Montreal has some of the most talented artists. Laraw played an intimate show at Sloth Records, sharing how a boy from Calgary broke her heart and she received a list from him of all the places he liked… but honestly she wanted to see why he ended up the way he did. Singing in both French & English, Laraw’s voice was ethereal and beautiful.
Another band I was looking forward to seeing, the Montreal-via-Alberta’s Truck Violence played the Royal Canadian Legion #1, opening up the floor for the closers Tropical Fuck Storm. The blend of hardcore punk and folk that Truck Violence has attributes to the energy they have on stage. Even during their ‘slower’ tracks, people would still be moshing. - Gabrielle Cadiang