Music
Victorious Festival continues to grow year on year, set to the stunning backdrop of Southsea Common, overlooking the Isle of Wight it is certainly one of the most picturesque festivals in the UK. The 2024 saw another eclectic mix of indie, pop, and so much more. Perhaps the biggest concern for this year’s edition was how the weather would hold up with other August bank holiday festivals plagued by strong winds and rain. The Friday saw the site drenched in a warm glow as special afternoon guests Razorlight brought some mid 00s nostalgia racing through hits including ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Before I Fall To Pieces’ before rounding off with a rousing rendition of America. The set drew one of the largest crowds of the afternoon, the perfect way to kick off the festival.
The Murder Capital, Sherlocks and Louis Tomlinson followed delivering a winning mix of indie and pop that worked well with the glorious sunshine. IDLES kicked things up another gear tearing through a highly energetic, typically tongue-in-cheek performance. The decision to have them on before Snow Patrol resulted in a bizarre mood shift from the crowd but it is perhaps reflective of the festival’s growing appeal and the broadness of the acts featured.
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Snow Patrol delivered a stellar set with a strong reception for many of their best loved tracks, especially from 2006’s ‘Eye’s Open’ with the likes of ‘Shut Your Eyes’, ‘Open Your Eyes’ and ‘You’re All I Have’. ‘Take Back The City’ and ‘Called Out In The Dark’ were particular highlights before an anthemic rendition of ‘Chasing Cars’, closing with ‘Just Say Yes’. Fatboy Slim followed, billed as a co-headliner with Snow Patrol delivering a hugely varied and entertaining set that mashed up many of his best-loved tracks and collaborations with a mix of house, disco, funk and soul. The high energy set was the perfect way to close the festival’s first night with barely a moment for the crowd to catch its breath amongst the noise and pyrotechnics.
Saturday saw a battle against the elements with torrential rain and strong winds battering the coast early in the day and afternoon guest Tom Walker powering through to deliver his set while Busted tore through a surprise set on the Castle Stage. Gradually however the weather cleared and the site held up well, not too muddy underfoot. The Castle Stage saw Britpop legends Echobelly draw a sizable crowd followed by Australia’s Royel Otis, a rising force on the Indie scene delivering a stellar set containing tracks from their debut LP rounding off with their cover of The Cranberries’ ‘Linger’ and an energetic version of ‘Oysters in The Pocket’.
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Once again it was another eclectic set of acts Ireland’s CMAT delivered a fun-filled and energetic set followed by Holly Humberstone fresh off supporting Taylor Swift delivering some moody indie pop showing why she is held in such high regard. There were glimpses at the past and present of the UK indie scene with The Lathums racing through their set with a sizable crowd before Courteeners had the crowd in the palm of their hand tracks like ‘Cavorting’ and ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ going down a storm with a cover of Labi Siffre’s ‘It Must Be Love’ an added bonus.
Sugababes drew a huge crowd on the Castle Stage with the crowd loving every second of it. Jamie T headlined the Common Stage while alt rock titans PIXIES tore through their set on the Castle Stage opening with the one two punch of ‘Gouge Away’ and ‘Wave of Mutilation’ from ‘Doolittle’. The set showcased the group at their best, closing with a rousing rendition of ‘Where Is My Mind’ and ‘Here Comes Your Man’.
Sunday saw more sunshine but strong winds for the crowds to contend with afternoon guests The Kooks delivered a hit-filled set to a sizable crowd helping set the tone for the day, closing with ‘Naïve’. Red Rum Club delivered an energetic and enthusiastic set accompanied by their horn section showing their distinct take on Indie.
Natasha Bedingfield drew a large crowd for her mid-afternoon set, closing with a huge singalong to ‘Unwritten’. Leeds’s Yard Act brought their witty brand of indie to the South Coast. ‘We Make Hits’, ‘Dream Job’ and ‘The Overload’ particular highlights. James Bay proved a perfect warmup for the evening headliners delivering hits including ‘Hold Back The River’ and ‘Let It Go’, nestled in amongst new material including his recent Lumineers and Noah Kahan collaboration ‘Up All Night’. Despite some slight sound difficulties, it was a solid set.
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Arlo Parks brought her unique blend of songwriting to the Castle Stage with her band bringing tracks to life with plenty of energy giving them an added sheen. Becky Hill meanwhile drew a huge crowd on the Common Stage before Biffy Clyro, one of the weekend’s hot tickets rounded off the weekend’s action. This just their second show in the past two years the Scottish rockers opened with a pyrotechnic-heavy version of ‘The Captain’. The set fought against heavy winds and the threat of rain but kept spirits high. The set was built around ‘Only Revolutions’ and ‘Puzzle’, closing the main set with Mountains before an encore, including ‘Bubbles’. It closed with a huge version of ‘Many Of Horror’, with a fireworks display to accompany it. This was a fitting way to close another successful weekend of music on the south coast.
If the weather was not quite as strong as previous editions of the festival the eclectic lineup and array of options treated the huge crowds to plenty of variety across the three days proving once again why the festival is growing year on year.
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Words: Christopher Connor
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