By Sally Churchward and Lewis Maclean. Images: Victorious Festival/Strong Island.
Thousands of people singing the lyrics “when we collide we come together” in unison along with Biffy Clyro on the Common Stage, so loudly it could easily be heard a mile or more away, to the backdrop of fireworks was the perfect end to another Victorious Festival.
Many of Horror from the Scottish band was the ideal, bittersweet ending to the festival, with the crowd sing along capturing the sense of coming together but also the sadness that this was all about to end again for another year.
Biffy Clyro were an inspired choice for the mainstage finale. Full of energy, pathos, at times heavy rock, at others, a delicate lightness of touch. The band formed almost 30 years ago, giving them a rich and varied back catalogue to mine and also meaning they’ve had decades to hone their craft.
There was a sense of warmth and friendliness in the crowd, as longtime fans mingled with newcomers to the band, and the crowd stretched far back across the common ground.
This was not just a gig, it was a full on show, with an incredible and mesmerising light display, played out across the stage itself and separately on the screens – just as well as many of the thousands present wouldn’t have been able to see the band themselves.
Elsewhere, on the Castle Stage, Isle of Wight guitar band Wet Leg played to a decent sized crowd. There was a respectful silence amongst the audience making the atmosphere a little bit more special.
The other band members seemed to happily dissolve into the background, as singer Rhian stood sternly up front with a commanding stare that gave her an electrifying stage presence.
Her Navy-style hat gave her an air of being a descendent of the pirate Blackbeard. Her sheer confidence and unique style in meeting such large expectations, considering the heights of success they have enjoyed almost overnight, is so impressive.
When Rhian announced working on a new album to a roar of excitement, the shock and gratitude in her voice oozed modesty as she replied; ‘calm down guys, it will be a while yet.’
It’s great to hear Wet Leg live because the raw guitar and loud fuzz effects seemed more prominent in the mix than on the singles.
Whichever band music fans chose to watch for their final gig – there were also those on the smaller stages to pick from – they deserved a badge for tenacity after a day of challenging weather. Friday was all sunshine – perfect for the ubiquitous floral headbands and offensive language bucket hats that were de rigueur at Victorious this year.
Then Saturday was a day for the waterproofs – unsurprisingly, noticeably much quieter than the other two days – Biffy Clyro’s crowd appeared to be at least twice the size of Jamie T’s.
And on Sunday it was the turn of the wind – headgear was blown off, hammocks were taken down and trade wheelie bin lids were opened and used as impromptu shelters as it was also wet at times.
The Kooks were Sunday’s early afternoon big ticket. Lead singer Luke Pritchard looked in danger of having his gorgeous cream silky suit blown off of him but still appeared to be having a great time as the band belted out hits such as Ooh La, She Moves in Her Own Way, and, of course finale Naive to a large and appreciative audience.
The Futureheads rocked the Castle Stage during mid-afternoon and carried all the way through their set despite a broken string. They had enough banter to fill the Albert Hall and whilst having decent songs of their own, a particular highlight was getting the crowd involved in some group acapella backing vocal choir work, on their legendary cover of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love.
Natasha Bedingfield provided an uplifting afternoon set on the Common Stage, joking about writing songs about wind and them being taken the wrong way. She performed her own hits such as Pocketful of Sunshine, These Words and Single alongside a rousing cover of Purple Rain, ending with a huge and joyful singalong to Unwritten.
The friendly, laid back vibe on the main stage was echoed by James Bay, who seemed as happy that he was there as the audience was. He led the crowd in a number of soulful singalongs, shared new material and ended, with a huge cheer coming from the crowd as the first bars struck up to Hold Back the River.
Full respect goes out to James Bay and Paddy Taylor on Portsmouth Present as they played heartfelt, delicately written acoustic guitar compositions whilst fending off the overwhelming fallout of ‘Barrioke’ in the Comedy Big Top. Essentially this was the inexplicably loud sound of Barry from Eastenders screaming out covers of Chesney Hawke’s The One and Only and Robbie William’s Angels.
As the sun went down, the beats picked up. Dance diva Becky Hill engagingly chatted with the crowd and photographers, asking the latter to only sell good photos of her, commenting on how nice it was to be on a big stage, asking the audience how they felt about call and response (they were definitely up for it) and instructing them to put their phone lights in the air, which they obligingly did. She also shared her excitement about working with Andy C on new song Indestructible, before belting it out to the appreciative audience.
Meanwhile Arlo Parks was providing a very different vibe over on the Castle Stage. She was the ultimate chill, comfortably grooving with her voice, savouring the mood with regular pauses as she performed at her own pace.
A late treat was the chance to hear CAST frontman Justin Power play an intimate solo gig at the Under the Trees stage, featuring acoustic renditions of Guiding Star and Alright. Justin is as down to earth as they come, considering he is not just a former member of cult indie band The LAs but also singer songwriter of CAST.
With Victorious done for another year, the team behind the festival can chalk it up as another success. Challenging weather didn’t wipe the smiles off faces at the feel-good, family festival.
As festival goers wash off the remains of their face paints, brush glitter out of their hair, pack away their inflatable pig or plush Pokemon outfits and wonder if they can get away with wearing a bucket hat printed all over with the c-word to work (no, they can’t), hopefully some of the joy and good spirits of the festival will live on, as we collide and come together in daily life.
.* Early bird tickets are now on sale for next year’s Victorious Festival: victoriousfestival.co.uk/buy-tickets-2025
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See our reviews of Friday and Saturday at Victorious:
Review: Victorious Festival, Friday – Loius Tomlinson, Fatboy Slim, Snow Patrol and more
Review: Victorious, Saturday – Pixies, Sugababes, Crystal Tides, Lightning Seeds and more