billy woods, Sextile, and Black Country, New Road among first wave of artists for Canada's Sled Island festival

The five-day festival takes place this June across 30 venues in downtown Calgary, Canada's third largest city, welcoming 25,000 attendees for its eclectic programme of art, comedy, and a conference, in addition to music. Every year also features a guest curator to hand-pick some of their favourite artists.

In addition to this year's curator, experimental hip-hop group clipping., the lineup is led by British chamber-folk heroes Black Country, New Road, Montreal bedroom-popper HOMESHAKE, and grungy fuzz-fiends feeble little horse.

Among the artists selected by clipping. are the abstract hip-hop icon billy woods, horrorcore rapper Backxwash, and experimental composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe. Many more of the 200+ acts are still to be announced.

Previous Sled Island guest curators include Bartees Strange, Deerhoof, Kathleen Hanna, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The 2025 edition was headlined by Yaya Bey and TOPS, with curation from Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver.