#CocoMusic – We went last year, and we loved it so much that we went back for more. Every year the Victorious festival is getting bigger and bigger and is now in its ninth year. Situated on the South Coast in the picturesque seaside location of Southsea, this year’s festival packed a serious punch with a stellar line up of the likes of Tom Grennan, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Rudimental and New Order.

Day 1

Kicking things off on #FestivalFriday was the ska band Orange Street who were swiftly followed by the likes of 90s band Dodgy who pumped up the volume with a psychedelic, sixties feel which really got the party started, they were followed up by The Zutons and indie rock band Doves. One of the highlights of the Friday night had to be The Specials who put on an energetic set with timeless classics such as ‘A Message To You, Rudy’, ‘Too Much Too Young’ and ‘Nite Klub’.

Closing Friday’s line up at Victorious was Two Door Cinema Club who thrilled the crowd with an awesome set including the likes of ‘Something Good Can Work’, ‘Sleep Alone’ and ‘What You Know’.

Day 2

Day 2 saw a surge of additional festival goers flock to Southsea Common eager to see top bands and 2019 saw the launch of a brand-new area – the World Music Village. This new addition provided festival goers with the chance to see, taste and listen their way across the globe, creating a completely different atmosphere from the rest of the festival.

On the Castle Stage, the bustling crowds had the opportunity to see The Twang, The Rifles, Professor Green and The Hives. One of the overall festival highlights was Lewis Capaldi who is storming both the charts and the festival scene. Despite only releasing his first album in May, Lewis has captured the imagination of music fans with a great set which included his breakthrough hit ‘Someone You Loved’ which reached number 1 in the singles chart.

Closing the Castle Stage on Saturday night was Bloc Party who performed hits such as ‘Helicopter’ and ‘This Modern Love’.

There was a real 90s feel to the Common Stage on Saturday afternoon, girl band All Saints took to the stage where they performed some of their classic hits such as ‘Never Ever’ and ‘Bootie Call’, the 90s vibe continued with the ever-awesome Republica led by Saffron who looked fabulous in a brightly-coloured jumpsuit

One of the festival highlights had to be New York’s finest – the Fun Lovin’ Criminals who never disappoint. Huey Morgan and the boys played an energetic set and performed hits like ‘The Fun Lovin’ Criminal’, ‘Love Unlimited’ ‘Smoke ‘Em’ and of course the iconic ‘Scooby Snacks’.

90s indie band Ocean Colour Scene played to a bustling crowd, kicking off their set with ‘The Riverboat Song’. At one point the band left frontman Simon Fowler to entertain the crowds on his own. For legendary guitarist Steve Craddock, it was his second appearance at this year’s festival after he played with The Specials on Friday.

James Bay was another great addition to the Victorious line up and wooed festival goes with hits like ‘Hold Back the River’ and ‘Let It Go’.

Over on the Acoustic stage, 90’s indie band Space performed hits like ‘Me and You Versus The World’, ‘Female of the Species’ and the dark ‘Neighbourhood.

It seems everyone whose anybody wants to work with drum and bass superstars Rudimental who closed Saturday’s proceedings with an absolute bang (and fireworks!) Rudimental played a highly energetic set of 21 songs which included ‘Scared of Love’, a cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bloodstream’ and ‘Sun Comes Up’.

Day 3

From Ziggy Marley to The Sherlocks, the Victorious festival-goers had a cool, laid-back start to their Sunday. One of my personal festival highlights was Starsailor, led by the incredible James Walsh who performed a truly impressive set which included ‘Good Souls’ and ‘Alcoholic’ amongst others.

Also performing on the Common Stage on the Sunday were The Vaccines, Plan B and Razorlight who entertained the crowds with hits like ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Golden Touch’. Over on the Castle Stage, The Futureheads and indie stalwarts Idlewild and Ash performed which included the 90’s classic ‘Girl From Mars’.

One of the most-anticipated performances of the whole festival had to be Tom Grennan who has wowed music fans with his raw passion and gravelly voice on hits such as ‘Something in the Water’, ‘Found What I’ve Been Looking For’ and ‘Sober’

Closing Victorious 2019, festival goers were given the choice of either watching electronic pop cross over band Clean Bandit on the Common Stage or festival big hitters New Order. We chose New Order and the Mancunian icons certainly didn’t disappoint. Bernard Sumner and the band gave absolutely everything and performed an outstanding set which includes four Joy Division Songs. Naturally, the crowd were enthralled, especially with the encore which included ‘Atmosphere’ and ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.

Victorious 2019 – you were amazing, and we can’t wait to return in 2020!

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