As festival season draws to a close for another year, there was still time for some fun on the south coast in August.
Victorious Festival returned for its 10th anniversary edition on the August Bank Holiday Weekend in Southsea, Portsmouth.
Headlined by Fatboy Slim, Jamie T, and Biffy Clyro, Victorious provided one of the most impressive lineups of 2024, showcasing the best in rock, indie, post-punk, pop, and dance.
We at Northern Chorus were in attendance down south, so who stood out across a stellar weekend of live music and entertainment?
THE ROYSTON CLUB IMPRESS ON THE CASTLE STAGE
A packed out Castle Stage witnessed one of the breakout indie bands of the last few years on the opening day of the festival, as The Royston Club emerged for a mid-afternoon set of catchy anthems in the sun.
The Wrexham band opened with their statement new single, “The Patch Where Nothing Grows”, and won over plenty of new fans in attendance for the set with their raw musical talent, energy, and showmanship.
Leaving out some of their biggest hits in “Believe It Or Not” and “Cold Sweats” was testament to how far this band has come in a short space of time, with a back catalogue already stacking up ready for the bigger shows that are surely around the corner.
IDLES LIVE UP TO THEIR HYPE
IDLES have rapidly ascended since the release of “Brutalism” in 2017, breaking into the mainstream and becoming a household name on the back of some huge live shows and widespread critical acclaim.
Their live show has progressed significantly, highlighted by their incredible Glastonbury set earlier this year, and the Common Stage at Victorious were treated to the same level of performance.
The crowd was up for this one, and the likes of “Dancer” and “Never Fight A Man With A Perm” brought the energy on the opening day, with post-punk’s rise to the forefront of UK music never more evident than during this set.
COURTEENERS PROVE THEY CAN DO IT DOWN SOUTH
Despite their dominance up north with several large scale stadium shows and sold out Heaton Park dates under their belt, Courteeners have been followed around by a lingering doubt around their ability to appeal to a southern fanbase.
If you were at Victorious Festival, you will find this hard to believe. I have been to many hometown Courteeners shows and this felt like the same experience, despite being on the south coast.
The new track “Solitude Of The Night Bus” stood up in the live set alongside big hitters like “Not Nineteen Forever” and “Are You In Love With A Notion?”, and the only issue was that the Manchester band were one step too low on the lineup – this felt very much like a headline set, and certainly trumped what was to follow later on the Saturday night.
BIFFY CLYRO CLOSE VICTORIOUS IN STYLE
Biffy Clyro are one the best live bands in the UK. But with two years away and just one warm up show in Halifax the night before, would the Kilmarnock trio be on top form or slightly rusty? The answer of course was the former.
The set, opened by Only Revolutions’ stomping opener “The Captain”, spanned the Scottish band’s vast discography and left no hit unturned.
I was initially surprised, yet very excited, at the Biffy booking for Victorious, but it was a risk that paid off in abundance.
If you weren’t a Biffy fan before this headline set, then you surely were afterwards, and it was the perfect closing band as the fireworks accompanied the “Many Of Horror” chorus to end one of the music events of the summer.
AND FINALLY… VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL ITSELF
Last but certainly not least, we need to give a nod to Victorious itself. Situated on the stunning Southsea coastline, the festival interacts with its natural surroundings perfectly, in contrast to the majority of UK festivals that are hidden away from your usual surroundings.
The likes of the Seaside Stage provide a unique live music experience with spectacular views of the sea, and when the sun is shining on Victorious there aren’t many more aesthetically pleasing environments to enjoy live music and the festival experience.
It is family friendly – the locals we spoke to were full of pride at what their city has created, and this comes as no surprise. It is by far one of the best music festivals I have ever attended.
Many may be put off by the campsite being a 15-20 minute drive from the festival at Farlington Fields, but the organisation of the festival ensures a plethora of shuttle buses are available to leave to and from the festival, with very limited queueing and an enjoyable party atmosphere for the journey to and from Victorious.
What a weekend of live music in Portsmouth, and we highly recommend adding Victorious Festival to your festival bucket list.
Weekend tickets for Victorious Festival 2025 are on sale now HERE.
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