Photo Credit: Kevin O’Sullivan
On the August bank holiday weekend, we and thousands of others made our way to Southsea Common for this years edition of Victorious Festival. Set on the seafront, it truly was great to be beside the seaside as we planned out our day and got our steps in early! With a line-up spanning pretty much every genre you can imagine, we went armed with a plan to make the most of our weekend.
Opening our weekend on the Common Stage was Aussie outfit Pacific Avenue with their funky track Spin Me Like Your Records. The quartet released their debut album Flowers last year via BMG and this show was part of a co-headline run across the UK with The Rions. Their summery, upbeat tracks were just what we needed to enjoy in the sunshine and their cover of ABBA’s Dancing Queen with their friend Ryan from Australia was a winning move. By the end of their set, the band had a crowd of fans and new listeners which is part of the fun of Victorious. (NC)
As we went for a little explore across the festival site, we remembered how vast the site is but it still feels surprisingly walkable. You have the World Music Stage showcasing music from afar, comedy tent, a party in the castle and even a chilled area for kids to enjoy at this family friendly festival. One part of Victorious that we always love is their afternoon special guests where big names play an early in the day slot to encourage people to head down early, with Friday’s being Razorlight. Bounding onto stage and into classic track In The Morning, it felt like the previous vibrant energy the band had been known for was slightly dulled. Maybe it was the fact they were playing just after 1pm, maybe it was the festival environment but the lack of onstage energy in turn led to an underwhelming response from the crowd. Johnny Borrell was a man of few words, except to explain how the band play real music and therefore fuck up compared to other ‘karaoke’ bands on the stage that day… With an extensive back catalogue, we were taken on a trip down memory lane but the fan favourites of Before I Fall To Pieces and political closer America, felt a chore for the band to perform but the crowd singalong lifted it up perfectly. (NC)
Our first visit to the Castle stage was for singer-songwriter Nieve Ella, having seen plenty about her online thanks to her loyal following we were excited to see what the hype is about. As The Things We Say took hold and her stunning vocals flowed through our ears, we completely understood the hype. The vocalist has sincere, onstage presence reaching out to those fans down front singing along each word passionately. With new EP Watch It Ache and Bleed set for release in October, Sweet Nothings and Ganni Top (She Gets What She Needs) were the taste of what’s to come; gritty pop-rock anthems with singalong choruses and plenty of crowd participation. As the set progressed it truly felt like Nieve Ella and her band came alive, this was the perfect warm up for their forthcoming support slot with Girl In Red. (NC)
The Royston Club have been continuing to make a name for themselves as one of the best live bands on the scene and the Wrexham quartet lived up to this today on the Common Stage. Latest single The Patch Where Nothing Grows set the scene with a slick live show, singalong chorus and pockets of dedicated fans throughout the crowd singing back every word. Every once in a while you stumble across a band who should be so much bigger than they are and The Royston Club are one of those. Following the release of their debut album Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars last year, their indie anthems have spread far and wide with many realising they actually already knew a handful of their tracks already such as sunshine anthem Mrs Narcissistic. The band led by Tom Faithfull are visibly having the time of their lives on stage, closing off with I’m A Liar this didn’t feel like a 3pm set but rather a full blown headline show by some of the finest on the scene. There may have been a blip or two with some guitar issues but as they said it’s the joy of live music and the fans on shoulders definitely didn’t mind! (NC)
Anyone paying attention to Victorious’ various social media feeds on the Friday was greeted with both good news and bad. Unfortunately, Glasgow favourites The Snuts regretfully had to pull out at the last minute due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’. Fortunately though, this meant that the Portsmouth punters were instead greeted with South Yorkshire standouts, The Sherlocks. Reportedly receiving a call the night before, while on the lash no less, a triumphant mid-afternoon main stage set must have been a no brainer for Kiaran and his crew. Having burst onto the scene back with 2017’s Live For The Moment, and with now four albums in their back pockets, The Sherlocks are always a good time, and Victorious was no different; who doesn’t love an indie standout, particularly one with an anthem like Chasing Shadows? (JOS)
Now this was the fun part of the day, where you went from one musical extreme to another. The first of which being the fun pop sounds of One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, the hype around this set was truly something as he walked onto stage to the biggest scream we heard across the weekend. Beginning with The Greatest, it wasn’t the greatest sound mixing as the bass became uncomfortable but Tomlinson’s shaky vocals soon found their way. It was a shame some of the tracks saw the backing track overpower Tomlinson’s vocal as he also appeared visibly nervous. Explaining to the crowd this was his first festival in the UK, ‘festivals are a new thing for me. It’s incredible to play a festival in the UK’; he began to relax and also got further fans on board with some throwback One Direction tracks in the form of Drag Me Down and Where Do Broken Hearts Go; as a 1D fan in the past this took us back to some of our favourite days and we looked around seeing the crowd also having a party on the common with smiles on the faces of those who’d spent their day at barrier to get the best spots. (NC)
Something very different was to follow over on the Common Stage with IDLES bringing some rowdy rock to the seaside. Firstly, shout out to drummer Jon Beavis who’d clearly been exploring the festival as he rocked a ‘Southsea Record Club’ tee! Throwing everyone in at the deep end with Colossus, Joe Talbot’s rough, raw vocals were showcased during the ‘Forgive me father, I have sinned’ bridge as the pits were open and the crowd were bouncing along. Every time we see IDLES live we’re reminded why we enjoy seeing them so much, there’s an unfiltered energy of pure rock goodness and Talbot domineers the crowd. From a wall of death to Mark Bowen getting in the crowd and up close and personal everywhere we looked those who were left over from Tomlinson’s set and those who’d came just for IDLES were having a brilliant time. A standout moment came with Mother, with the swirling guitar lines, hectic drums and Talbot’s angsty vocals it was impossible to not be singing along by the end of the track. Lyrically strong Samaritans talks about toxic masculinity and the importance of sharing your feelings, dedicated to David and Greg Shaw this was a powerful part of the set in particular during the guitar section. IDLES had played by far the set of the day for us, unphased by who was on before them, whether the crowd would be on board but instead focussing on offering up a solid live show. We do however have to say their short but sweet take on Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You came a little bit too early even if we were belting it along with the band! Closing with anti-fascist anthem Rottweiler, the band declared ‘this is dedicated to the beautiful immigrants that built this country. You’ve been Victorious, We’ve been IDLES’. (NC)
Surrounded on all sides by wholesome, colourful cabins showcasing their artsy wares, from glass sculptures or unique clothing to dog collars and a free ‘decorate a heart’ station, you couldn’t find a calmer oasis than the one created by the melodious harmonies of acoustic-guitar-driven travelling duo The Gleaves over on the Portsmouth Creates stage. With the likes of End Of The Line, Black Mirror and the unreleased Waiting For You helping to lull the crowd into a peaceful, tranquil calm — even as snatches of Joe Talbot’s IDLES’ main stage set tore through the air — the beautiful husband and wife pair were the perfect introduction to the early evening. (JOS)
Opening their set with You’re All I Have and Take Back The City, Snow Patrol made sure everyone at Victorious knew they’d arrived. With their latest album The Forest Is The Path around the corner, a number of tracks including The Beginning and All were played giving a taste of what’s to come with these dedicated to album producer Fraser T Smith who was at the festival. Gary Lightbody’s gorgeous vocals as easy to listen to, with tracks such as Run and Chasing Cars providing a reminder of the classics in their back catalogue. Run offered up the biggest singalong of the day by a mile, as we looked around to see smiles on faces and the wind carrying the sound across the common. This was the band’s first time at Victorious but the crowd provided them with the sought after Shut Your Eyes singalong they had requested from the crowd. Dedicating part of their set to ‘one of the best rock bands of the last ten years’ IDLES and Fatboy Slim, it was clear they were enjoying it as much as those lucky enough to be witnessing a masterclass in live performance. (NC)
With six band members crammed into the conch-esque stage of the Seaside, it was time for the eclectic, effervescent, and explosively excellent Tankus The Henge. Both a blindingly powerful light show and blisteringly energetic live show accompanied lead singer Jaz Delorean’s rich, velvety smooth vocals; and, as the psychedelic-tinged, jazz rock outfit tore through a set comprised of fan favourites and unreleased gems alike, swapping roles and instruments at will, the secluded standout of a set only grew and grew. The likes of You Can Do Anything, Livin’ Like A Pilgrim or City Of Angels might not have been the best known songs of the day, but there’s no chance that, for anyone present to watch, they weren’t put straight on repeat on the way home. (JOS)
Closing night one of Victorious was Fatboy Slim, words are never going to do the iconic DJs set justice. But everywhere we looked were faces of pure joy, dancing, raving and reliving their youth as hits including Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat and Praise You were being played. With mind bending visuals, confetti and a closing wish of ‘may you all be Victorious’ our first night on the common was complete. Roll on day two!
Photo gallery features Razorlight, Nieve Ella, The Royston Club, The Sherlocks, Louis Tomlinson and Maximo Park.
Written By: Nicola Craig and James O’Sullivan
