This is who we think could headline Revelry 2015

We still aren’t sure yet, but here are 11 potential performers for UW’s spring festival

by Selena Handler

March 11, 2015

Photo courtesy of flickr user The Cosmopolitan of Las

Childish Gambino performing at Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2012.

The snow is melting and the city of Madison is starting to come alive, so y’all know what that means: Revelry is fast approaching. Several artists and groups will grace Madison’s streets May 2, but who they are is still unknown. Here our some likely picks.

1. Childish Gambino

The comedian, rapper, actor and future stripper in “Magic Mike XXL” could easily be the 2015 Revelry headliner. Donald Glover, a.k.a Childish Gambino, certainly has a propensity for playing festivals. Since his first full length release, Camp, Glover has hit up festivals and college campuses in the United States. His 2015 tour agenda so far looks like a comprehensive list of major indie festivals worldwide; the only item that’s missing is Madison’s own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gBMiq8drT4

2. Vic Mensa

Up-and-coming rapper Victor Mensah has a lot to prove, and what better a place to do it than at University of Wisconsin’s developing music festival? As a feature on the new Kanye track and with plenty of Chance the Rapper collaborations, Mensa is a rising star in the hip-hop world and hopefully Revelry can snag him now. Mensa also has a month-long break before performing at Soundset in Minnesota. Revelry is situated smack in the middle of this break and would be a great opportunity to prove his worth to the fine students of Madison.

3. Atmosphere

Atmosphere has quite the legacy in Madison. Just earlier this year, they played Freakfest after an illustrious career dotted by Madison performances. In an interview with The Badger Herald before Freakfest, Slug from Atmosphere guesstimated the band had played Madison 15 times and said his favorite aspect of Madison is the audience’s party mentality that prevails over pugnacious attitudes. The Minneapolis hip-hop group will be in Kansas City, Missouri, for the Middle of the Map Festival at the end of April and are playing several festivals this summer including Soundset, Governor’s Ball and Bonaroo. Why not add Revelry to their repertoire?

Q&A: Slug of Atmosphere talks Madison, 2Chainz, Hunter S. Thompson, police before Freakfest show

4. Doomtree

Yes, the Minneapolis hip-hop collective was just in Madison in February with their unique brand of manifold musical influences, but there is a massive hole in their touring schedule for May, and they have deep roots in the Midwest.

Doomtree slams synth boards, raps their heart out to floor-shaking beats at Majestic

5. P.O.S

Even if Doomtree doesn’t make it to the main stage in May, founding member Stefon Alexander might headline under as his underground hip-hop moniker D.O.S. He is also signed to the famed Rhymesayers label in Minneapolis alongside Atmosphere and Doomtree. With an open May and a deep Midwest loyalty, P.O.S could easily perform for Revelry, or perhaps one of his many punk rock ventures will play.

6. Kygo

This Norwegian chill DJ has been performing at a lot of festivals lately with his unique electric brand. Kygo has collaborated with pop and electronic stars like Ed Sheeran and Avicci, but as a solo he still has a long way to go before headlining bigger festivals. Revelry is the perfect stepping stone onto bigger gigs.

7. A$AP Rocky

A$AP is playing shows all over the world this spring including shows in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Luckily for the trap fans of Madison, A$AP Rocky’s schedule is open to go “wild for the night” on the Revelry stage.

8. Ratatat

Although this electronic rock duo hit their peak around 2006 with their full length, Classics, Ratatat is still performing festivals this summer like Governor’s Ball in New York. They also have a fat chunk of free time around the May 2 festival date.

9. Ice Cube

Ice Cube has had an incredibly prolific career. As an actor, N.W.A. rapper and solo artist with his own clothing line, Ice Cube doesn’t have much left to prove but a small campus music festival is still a great venue for the older performer. He still performs sporadically at smaller festivals, including a few this spring.