Sled Island Day 4: Performers electrify the crowd at The Palace Theatre
By Laura Beldor, June 21 2026—
The fourth day of Sled Island featured a series of highly impactful performances at The Palace Theatre, including this year’s guest curators clipping. Along with 2 acts handpicked by them for the festival: Jairus Sharif and Cartel Madras.
Jairus Sharif opened the show with an experimental jazz set. Sharif is a musician from Calgary, whose work combines elements of electronic, ambient nature sounds and industrial droning, which is used as the foundation for him to build his otherworldly saxophone improvisations. The audience was transfixed as the music took them on an almost otherworldly journey. During his set, Sharif said no words to the crowd; there was no need to explain the feelings of freedom and catharsis evoked by each note.
The next act was Cartel Madras, who amped the crowd up with their fun songs and high-energy set. The group, consisting of sisters Eboshi and Contra, were raised in Calgary and are Sled Island veterans, first performing at the festival in 2018. Since then, they have expanded their catalogue and brought their unique blend of hip-hop and electronic back to the city. The sisters, with the help of their DJ, yungkamaji, encouraged attendees to let loose and have fun. On the stage, the pair are a dynamic duo; their powerful synergy shines through the way they seamlessly go back and forth on the beat. Along with performing fan favourites such as “WORKING” and “Ghoonda Gold” as well as unreleased tracks, they gave the audience a taste of what is to come on their upcoming album.
The last act of the night was clipping., who did not disappoint during their highly-anticipated performance. The legendary group from Los Angeles consist of Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, who combine mainstream hip-hop with elements of electronic and industrial. Their performance did not just ignite the crowd but set the building ablaze. The transitions between each song were seamless, and the group’s rapper Digg made his rapid-fire delivery appear almost effortless. The group performed songs such as “Nothing is Safe” and “Shooter” as well as “Mirroshades pt. 2,” a collaboration track with Cartel Madras, who, much to the crowd’s excitement, were invited back to the stage. Sharon Udoh, who accompanied clipping. on vocals and keyboard, was the standout of the night, her singing wowing attendees. Their explosive set left an impact on the audience, who were voraciously calling for an encore when the group left the stage, which was obliged.
Information about the performances, venues and ticket pricing for Sled Island 2026 can be found here.