This year’s Vortex Music Festival, hosted by Beloit College’s Programming Board and held on Friday, March 20, in Chapin quad, paid special homage to the women who keep our communities running. Coinciding with Women’s History Month and bearing the subtitle “Powered by HER,” the performers were a multi-genre lineup of local female musicians and artists. 

The festival has a deep and storied legacy on Beloit’s campus, known as Mayfest for decades before rebranding to Vortex in 2024. The change was inspired by a 1970s countercultural festival in Oregon called “Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life,” and Beloit College’s Vortex aimed to capture a similar carefree vibe centered on communal expression, providing refreshments and glow sticks to students as the evening sun dipped pink below the Rock River. Other attractions included a 360 photo booth provided by a local women-led business, and lawn games provided by Campus Recreation, as well as bandanas and custom promotional t-shirts designed for the event. 

Adding to the hype surrounding the festival were ornately designed chalk art pieces by Kazuma Miyashita’28 that guided students to Chapin quad, where the event took place. The festival was preceded by an ice cream social, which served as a great way to build up the energy within the student body before the main event. Students were optimistic about the event, with Sam McCullough’27 stating, “I think it could be cool. I’m glad we’re bringing in live music because I heard there was less music than there has been in recent years, but I’m not 100% sure about that. And I love women.” 

Performances kicked off with a dynamic introduction by the lovely MC and Beloit Student Government Vice President, Ella Walters’27, as she ushered in the first band, Girl K. Walters said of the event, “I felt really grateful and honored to be asked again by Programming Board to emcee, and I had a really great experience doing it, and it meant a lot to me because I care about the Beloit College community and events that can bring us together.” She also spoke about the importance of the show’s theme, saying, “I did my best to focus on Women’s History Month when I was speaking, and I was really grateful to Shobhita Bharadwaj’27, who is on the Programming Board, for suggesting the theme, especially because she has been such an amazing woman in my life since freshman year.” 

 Girl K delivered a sensational show, likely due to their synergy with one another as well as the remarkable vocal talent of their frontwoman, Kathy Patino. 

The second group on the schedule can only be described as a force of nature, as Madame Reaper lead singer Kira Leadholm stunned the audience with her vocal range and overwhelming stage presence. 

On their website, Madame Reaper gives themselves an eclectic categorization, saying that they are, “An art pop project based in Chicago, IL. Built on the fictional backstory of a murderous strip club owner, she sets herself apart with a unique blend of synth pop, glam rock, and electronic indie.” The band’s stuttering, guitar-driven sound certainly lives up to this lurid and enticing backstory, reminiscent of seventies and eighties alternative rock and new wave, which the group describes on its BandCamp page as “Vampire synth-pop.” 

When asked about the group’s influences when distributing flyers for the band’s fan page after the show, Leadhom said “I love Sparks,” referring to the American oddball glam rockers turned synth pop pioneers, and citing the group’s television appearances as influential on Madame Reaper’s stage presentation. It’s safe to say that this show was the root of several identity crises amongst onlookers (in the best way). 

Third up to the stage was Lady Omisha, a self-taught DJ from Madison, Wisconsin, whose EDM set fueled the excitement among the students, driving the crowd of Beloiters to get up and dance. The final hour consisted of pizza, glowsticks, and thrashing college students, leaving everyone involved with a fun memory that will hopefully get them through the final months of classes before it’s finally time for that sweet summer freedom.

Vortex was a hit with student attendees, with Deckard Ponce Jacobson’29 saying, “I got sucked into the vortex, it was really good!” “It was fun, I liked seeing people I know,” Quinn Annis’29 added. As temperatures get warmer in the spring, there will be more opportunities for Beloit students to get outside and enjoy live music, with the highly anticipated Peet Fest and WBCRFest coming up in April. 

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