For people who weren’t able to or didn’t want to go to Calgary for the Sled Island Music Festival, there were a 
couple of preview shows featuring some of the Sled island acts around downtown presented by CKXU, The Electric Eye Music Festival and Sled Island.
The first show was Saturday night, June 20 at the Army Navy Club, featuring a cadre of Montreal alternative rock/ noise rock and synth rock bands.
I arrived in time for the end of Technical Kidman’s set of loud synth powered rock music.
They had two computers and drum set and spooky lyrics for the most part drowned out by the same.
One of the highlights was the up tempo “Too Insane.”
What followed was quite insane during the next song, a slower, more hypnotic number, their frontman did something different by wandering into the midst of the audience and lying on the floor while singing. Most of the audience joined him on the floor. And there wasn’t more after that.
I only caught the end of Big Brave’s big, loud grinding, dissonant set of alternative rock powered by two guitars and drums which reminded me of Calgary's Dri Hiev except trimmed down to a lean, mean trio. One guitarist was squeezing every ounce of feedback out of his wailing guitar.
Montreal guitar and drums duo Maicamia sounded like a more psychedelic Meisha and the Spanks.
They played a slower groove orientated set marked by drums and programmed bass guitar with haunting vocals in the forefront.
I missed the opening set by local synth act Sean Warkentin aka An Ant and and Atom.
