By Sally Churchward.
It would be impossible to talk meaningfully about this year’s Victorious Festival and not address the silencing of The Mary Wallopers and the fall out of this decision – we’ve put this into a separate article that you can read here:
FRIDAY
The Charlatans were an early draw to the main stage – the Common Stage, with a sea of arms in the air for The Only One I Know.
A few hours later, fellow 90s indie band Ash played a storming set on the Castle Stage, with hit after hit, including A Life Less Ordinary, Oh Yeah and, of course, Girl From Mars. The crowd was huge and buzzing, and the band could easily have played a longer set higher up the bill on the main stage. The good news is they’ll be back in Southsea later in the year, and undoubtedly their performance at Victorious will help sell tickets for that.
Friday was, of course, overshadowed by The Mary Wallopers’ microphones being cut after less than one song. There were the freedom of speech and political ramifications of this, but also huge disappointment for the many music fans who had come specifically to see them – they’d drawn a huge crowd.
Elsewhere, Tuto Tribe got the audience bouncing at the World Music Stage, distributing shakers amongst the audience, and with members of the band leading an enthusiastic conga line from within the crowd.
Hidden gems can often be found at smaller stages such as The People’s Lounge, and the Word of Mouth take over on Friday evening (pictured below), was a case in point, offering hip hop and drum and bass to an audience which were either down the front dancing or lounging on the many beanbags – Adam Turner was a particular highlight.
It was a shame Michael Kiwanuka had had to pull out due to illness, to be replaced by Kaiser Chiefs, as although they’re a crowd pleasing band, this year’s line up was lacking somewhat in variety, and many missed the opportunity to see the rising star.
Friday’s headliners were Queens of the Stone Age, who put in a solid performance including crowd pleaser No One Knows, which had everyone chanting along.
SATURDAY
The day’s line up was significantly dented by the absence of The Last Dinner Party, one of the few female-fronted bands in a prominent slot at the festival.
Scouting For Girls were clearly having a brilliant time on the main stage and the crowd loved them. It was their biggest gig for a long time, and they took the opportunity to film the crowd for the video of their forthcoming single, Raise a Glass.
Due to works taking place on part of the usual festival site, there was no comedy tent this year, with the comedy taking place on the main stage. Saturday’s comedy headliner, Chris McCausland was unable to attend, and Portsmouth band Crystal Tides were drafted in to fill the slot at the last minute. They were a big hit at the festival last year, and pleased the crowd again, with their upbeat sound. There were doubts about how well comedy worked on the main stage, particularly with some acts using especially colourful language mid afternoon with plenty of children present. Hopefully the comedy tent will be back in place next year.
The VIP area was also moved this year, and broken down into a two tier system, with a smaller ‘Hideaway’ area next to the main stage and a higher price tag for the ‘Garden’ area, which boasted grandstand seating, deckchairs and more. I hope the festival reverts to the previous arrangement next year. The Hideaway area felt quite cramped and had less variety of stalls than before. I felt particularly uncomfortable with the area being opened up at the end of the evening and half the main arena pouring out through a very small exit, which felt like it could have become dangerous if, for example, a fight broke out, which almost did as I was leaving.
At the main stage, there was a sense of some frustration in the crowd when Shed Seven did not take to the stage at their allocated time. This was due to last minute rescheduling due to the absence of the second to top of the bill band, and Marley Blanford took to the stage, with just his guitar, having been drafted in from a smaller stage. He did, however, put in a strong, crowd pleasing performance, making the most of what must have been a nerve wracking opportunity.
Shed Seven were going for gold on the main stage, putting in one of the best performances of the weekend. The band, who have been together for some 35 years, had two number one albums last year and could have relied on their absolutely stunning back catalogue, including the likes of the beautiful Standby and, of course, Chasing Rainbows, but charismatic frontman Rick Witter also worked the crowd, sharing amusing anecdotes and banter with the audience, creating a feelgood set. (We had a chat with Rick Witter – look out for the interview, coming soon).
Southampton’s Caity Baser supported Nelly Furtado on the Castle Stage, whilst the main headliners were Vampire Weekend, who offered an eclectic, bouncy, up beat set, featuring rock, pop, calypso, classical, and jazz influences, combining their own songs, such as This Life, as well as a selection of covers.
SUNDAY
Southampton’s Craig David got a huge party started with his early set on the Common Stage, DJing, singing along to and over popular hits from the likes of House of Pain and Destiny’s Child, before moving into his own numbers, transporting the huge audience to an Ibiza nightclub rather than Southsea seafront.
One of the big names on a smaller stage was The Wellermen, who must have drawn the World Music Stage’s biggest crowd of the weekend. From the first song they had the audience clapping and singing along to a blend of shanties, folk songs and more, even playing their own song, Northern Sky, the title track of their new album, which was, for my money, the best song in the goosebump raising set.
Portsmouth Batala were performing at various locations across the weekend, a Victorious staple, the samba-reggae percussion band has boatloads of the feelgood factor, and are a joy to behold. Especially fascinating and fun is watching their conductor communicate to the band via a series of involved hand gestures and then seeing what that actually means in practice.
The Kids’ Arena is always a major draw for anyone with younger members of their party, and with its laid back fete vibe, offers a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the festival, while allowing for easy forays to the nearby World Music and People’s Lounge stages, which are perhaps more accessible for younger visitors than the hustle bustle and noise of the main stages.
The Sunday Common Stage boasted four big draws one after the other – The Zutons, Reytons, Bloc Party and Kings of Leon – meaning the main area was packed for the whole afternoon. It was an afternoon mostly of rock, although Bloc Party offered more variety. Frontman Kele Okereke was clearly loving being on the stage and gave commentary on the set. Everyone would have had their own favourite – for me, The Prayer was the highlight. As Kele quite rightly said at one point – the songs were bangers.
The atmosphere in the crowd was buzzing but friendly for headliners Kings of Leon. Near the stage, there was some early crowd-surfing. Further back, there was plenty of space for children to enjoy the show without getting jostled. There were clearly plenty of hardcore fans but the band have become part of the cultural fabric, so everyone had plenty of big numbers to sing along to. Of course, the set, and the festival ended with Sex on Fire, which had the whole crowd roaring along.
Then there was a burst of fireworks, and it was over for another year – we wait to see what that may hold for the festival in 2026.
- Main image: Shed Seven, courtesy of Victorious Festival/Strong Island.
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