By Sally Churchward. Additional reporting: Lewis Macean. Images: Victorious Festival/Strong Island.
Hats off to the booking team at Southsea’s Victorious Festival – they pulled an absolute blinder with Friday’s line up.
Until last year, Friday was more of a mini-preview of the main weekend event – yes there were some great bands to be seen on the main, Common, stage, but many of the smaller stages/zones weren’t even open.
But yesterday was full on festival on Southsea Common, with brilliant sunshine, massive crowds and memorable music.
Razorlight had a matinee outing on the Common stage to draw the crowds in early and it certainly worked. Ahead of their afternoon slot thousands of people streamed towards the main arena from all corners of the festival site, to hear the band open with In the Morning. From the outset there were members of the crowd on each other’s shoulders for a better view and just three songs in the band were able to fall silent while the crowd sang the words to Girl with the Golden Touch.
For many, the big event of day – possibly of the whole weekend, if not their entire lifetimes – was former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson (pictured top), strutting around the Common stage like an absolute rock god, to the sound of screams and the sight of fans crying on the barrier.
Elsewhere in the arena daytime draws included Bellah Mae and Lottery Winners on the Castle Stage, the Seaside Stage, complete with a a stiff sea breeze, featuring, Southampton’s Grant Sharkey and Tankus The Henge, who gathered a keen loyal crowd with their energetic funk, and tens of other bands across the remaining stage, some playing to a handful of people and passers by, some drawing good sized crowds, despite the attractions of whatever was happening on the 2 main stages and in the comedy tent – featuring headliner Russell Howard -at the time. There were some treats not to be missed on smaller stages, such as RATS who drew a large audience to the Under the Trees stage, followed by the frantic energy of BBY.
Meanwhile those with children may have accepted their fate and spent the daytime in the Kids’ Arena, boasting its own stage and a host of free activities, including a huge bouncy castle, circus skills and an amazing retro gaming tent – the zone closes at 6pm giving parents a fighting chance of heading elsewhere to catch some of the bands.
The World Music Arena also feels like a mini festival in itself with a welcoming family-friendly vibe and music you often can’t help dancing too, such as the afternoon’s Emz All Stars.
The Castle Stage held its own with the top three acts of Maximo Park, Baby Queen and Jess Glynne keeping the crowd partying.
The Common stage saw a last minute change with The Snuts being swapped out for The Sherlocks.
Back on the Common Stage for the evening, there were back to back crowd pleasers. From the slogans on t-shirts many were there to see Idles, who can count second from the top of the bill Snow Patrol amongst their fans.
Snow Patrol frontman Garry Lightbody dedicated the song of the evening, Chasing Cars, to Idles and the evening’s headliner Fatboy Slim, who he said had brought him so much pleasure over their years.
Snow Patrol once again proved themselves to be an awesome festival band, with a set mingling anthemic classics such as Light Up, which saw the crowd transformed to a sea of mobile phones held aloft while they sung along, with new material.
The grand finale was Fatboy Slim, whose set combined well loved tracks that are have long since become a staple of contemporary culture with unexpected treats such as a remix of ‘Burning Down the House and the classic from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Relax. Fat Boy Slim was a one-man party, ending the first day on a high.
Saturday’s line up includes Jamie T, Pixies (featuring Southampton’s Emma Richardson), Courteeners, Sugababes, and a secret set, which is widely believed to be Busted.
Sunday features Isle of Wight band Wet Leg, Arlo Parks, Becky Hill. Biffy Clyro Natasha Bedingfield and more.
For more information, visit: victoriousfestival.co.uk
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton