House of Coco and Victorious Festival go way back; it’s been a love affair for years!
Each summer, this festival just gets bigger, bolder, and better, and now it’s celebrating its thirteenth year of seaside magic.
Set in the beautiful coastal town of Southsea, this year’s edition brought the heat with a knockout lineup featuring legends like Kings of Leon, Madness, Nelly Furtado, Bloc Party, The Zutons, Travis, and loads more.
It was sunshine, good vibes, and music memories all the way, and it’s one that our Music Editor Emma Harrison won’t be forgetting anytime soon!
The Victorious Festival line–up
Sadly, we weren’t able to make the first day of the festival, and we definitely felt it thanks to standout sets from the likes of The Charlatans, Madness, Kaiser Chiefs (who had magnificently replaced Michael Kiwanuka in the line-up), Ash, and more. Luckily, they were all bands I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live before, which included some highly memorable sets from previous Victorious festivals of yore!
Undeterred by the serious FOMO I was experiencing, it was onwards and upwards for the rest of the weekend, which was held on a slightly dusty and sun-dappled Southsea Common – just a few minutes’ walk from the charming seafront.
Why the Victorious Festival is so important for emerging artists
The beauty of Victorious Festival is always its diverse line-up and its commitment to showcasing emerging artists such as Alex and the Wonderland, and Marley Blandford, who had a VERY busy weekend performance-wise, playing on both the main stages as well as smaller stages.
It was great to see acts that had been on my radar for a couple of years such as Luvcat, Jamie Lawson, and more appear at this year’s Victorious Festival. Intriguingly, this year was the first year to host comedians on the main stage such as Joel Dommett, Jarrod Christmas, and comedy stalwart – Jasper Carrott.
Saturday’s comedy headliner, Chris McCausland, was unable to make it, but Portsmouth’s own Crystal Tides stepped in at the last minute, bringing fresh energy to the slot and keeping the crowd entertained.
Cancellations and controversies
The cancellation of a few of the scheduled acts, such as The Last Dinner Party, meant that there were some last-minute set-time adjustments. This meant that two of my favourite bands, Travis and Shed Seven, both were allocated longer set times and added even more anticipation around the line-up.
The Last Dinner Party was definitely a band I was looking forward to seeing, and their set was one of the most eagerly awaited performances. They withdrew from the line-up due to the controversy of the previous evening (which I did not attend) pertaining to the Irish folk band, The Mary Wallopers, whose performance was curtailed shortly after it began, following a Free Palestine chant and the appearance of a flag on stage.
Shed Seven
Shed Seven are always a class act, and as expected, they attracted a vast crowd to the Common Stage, delivering their signature vibrant energy, creating one of the weekend’s standout sets. The Sheds are unequivocally indie rock royalty, and this was a fun-filled career-spanning set which also included a couple of brilliant covers such as ‘Suspicious Minds’ and a crowd-pleasing, luminous rendition of ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’ by The Smiths.
Despite an impressive and jam-packed back catalogue, Shed Seven have always been candid about their musical influences, and released a brilliant ‘covers’ album for Record Store Day 25 earlier this year which included ‘Cemetery Gates’ by The Smiths and a stirring version of U2’s ‘I Will Follow,’ which was one of my personal RSD highlights.
True professionals throughout, Rick Witter and the band overcame some sound issues during their opening track, “Let’s Go,” and went on to deliver outstanding performances of ‘Talk of the Town, ’Getting Better,’ ‘Disco Down,’ ‘Going for Gold,’ and perhaps Shed Seven’s most beloved song, ‘Chasing Rainbows’ which sparked an enthusiastic crowd sing-along.
Travis
One act I never tire of seeing is Travis, who thrilled the Victorious Festival crowd with a spine-tingling set. Always a fantastic addition to any music festival line-up, the Scottish alt rockers were in fine form. Led by the ever-endearing Fran Healy, whose bleach blond locks were reminiscent of Doc from Back to the Future, immersed himself into the delighted crowd whilst singing ‘Gaslight’.
He spoke of adding their version of Justin Bieber’s new track ‘Daisies’ to their thirteen-track set list, explaining that the band had ‘worked it out’ only a few hours before. A surprising choice for the amiable Scottish band, but similarly to Shed Seven, their set was full of fan favourites such as ‘Sing’, the stirring ‘Love Will Come Through,’ and the ever-emotive ‘Closer’.
Fran spoke of a trilogy of songs about a breakup which included the bouncy yet forthright ‘Selfish Jean’ from ‘The Boy with No Name’ – a track that has become a live staple in the Travis playbook.
Every track in their set was simply sublime, but ‘Turn’, ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me,’ and the delightful ‘Flowers in the Window,’ which was performed acoustically, showcased how special the band’s camaraderie is with this particular performance having the enraptured crowd in the palm of their hands.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend attracted one of the smaller headliner crowds, but the audience that did go see the American rockers were treated to an impassioned performance from them which includes tracks from their 2024 album ‘Only God Was Above Us’ as well as fan favourites like ‘Holiday’ and some audience-curated covers such as Pulp’s ‘Common People’.
The Waeve
Sunday’s line-up didn’t disappoint, with The Waeve featuring Blur’s Graham Coxon who, along with wife and musical partner in crime Rose Elinor Dougall, took the Castle Stage by storm. Despite a few issues with the sound, the duo put on an exemplary display with their unique blend of art rock which proved to be one of the most compelling sets of the entire weekend.
The duo could have easily played a longer set, and I personally would have loved to hear even more from them, thanks to their hypnotic sound.
Starsailor
Starsailor pulled in a strong crowd at the Castle Stage, serving up a compelling set filled with some of the band’s most loved songs such as the emotive ‘Alcoholic’.
This was a timeless, elegant, and deeply heartfelt performance, rich in musicality and emotional depth, once again highlighting both the band’s brilliance and the exceptional songwriting talent of James Walsh and the band as a whole.
From the passionate ‘Tell Me It’s Not Over’ to the heartfelt ‘Poor Misguided Fool’, every song in Starsailor’s set was outstanding, showcasing the band’s remarkable musicianship. They closed with a stirring rendition of ‘Good Souls,’ making it a special moment to see one of Britain’s finest bands of the past 25 years return to a main stage at Victorious, having last performed there in 2019.
The Zutons
Bringing the party vibes was the ever-popular The Zutons who served up an effervescent set that got the sold-out crowd dancing. From the perennially charming ‘Creeping on the Dancefloor’ from 2024,’ ‘The Big Decider’ to ‘You Will You Won’t’ – one of The Zuton’s earlier tracks from their impressive debut ‘Who Killed The Zutons’.
Throughout their joyful and commanding set, the band delivered standout renditions, which included a lovely cover of ‘Back to Black’ sung by the brilliantly talented Abi Harding. Abi breathed new life into the song with a mesmerising performance, weaving her own soul into every note and making it unmistakably hers.
The Reytons
The Reytons tore through a relentless, high-octane set dripping with swagger and unapologetic rock ’n’ roll attitude. In a rare pause between tracks, they took a moment to reflect on their rapid rise – a well-earned nod to how far they’ve come from their grassroots beginnings to commanding one of the festival’s biggest stages. From the opening notes of the propulsive ‘Red Smoke’ to the blistering ‘Low Life,’ there’s no doubt that the Rotherham indie rockers gained an abundance of new fans from their atmospheric set.
Bloc Party
Similarly to Starsailor, it was a return to the Victorious Festival for the ever-compelling Bloc Party. Exhilarating, captivating, and full of energy, the band were in formidable form and frontman and guitarist Kele Okereke was mesmerising and charming in equal measure (especially when he said ‘bye bye’ to the photographers in the pit!)
Encouraging the crowd to have fun, the band performed tracks from their stunning debut album – 2005’s ‘Silent Alarm’ which, scarily enough, has just turned 20 years old. From ‘Helicopter’ to the intoxicating ‘Banquet’, the energy of Bloc Party’s set was undeniable. With every track delivered with conviction and intensity, their set was a fully-charged and hypnotic experience.
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon brought the weekend to a powerful and stylish end, once again proving why they are one of the biggest bands on the planet. Whilst they dropped tracks from their ‘Only By The Night’ such as ‘Use Somebody’, the Victorious Festival crowd were also treated to tracks like ‘Molly’s Chambers’ from Kings of Leon’s 2003 debut album ‘Youth and Young Manhood’, ‘Radioactive’ from 2010’s ‘Come Around Sundown,’ and one of their most recent tracks ‘Mustang’ from their latest offering ‘Can We Please Have Fun’ – and unequivocally, the Victorious Festival crowd certainly did!
What a great few days of live music – we can’t wait to do it all again next year! Until next time Victorious Festival!
Photo Credit: Victorious Festival/Strong Island
