Victorious Festival had something for everyone and didn't disappoint in any area

Victorious Festival 2015 review

By Michelle and Trish Owen-Williams | Published: Thu 3rd Sep 2015

around the festival site

Saturday 29th to Sunday 30th August 2015
Southsea Seafront, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO5 3PA, England MAP
£25 per day, £6 kids, under 5s free
Last updated: Wed 1st Jul 2015

After day one and getting soaked and muddy we knew what to expect, especially what a hop, skip and a jump the stages were apart from each other. Muddy walking boots at the ready, picnic packed and raincoat ready.

Sunday was actually lovely and warm first thing, no jacket required, not even a hoody. It was nice to have the warm sun on your face and arms, AND not actually get your camera gear wet.

We were actually delayed getting to the festival today due to all the dimwits trying to get to the shopping centre in Portsmouth, even though it had said on entry to the A27 use the park and ride, no car parking spaces??!!

After a 45 minute journey due to traffic we arrived. We were both excited about today's festivities as there were particular acts we wanted to see.

Texas, oh yeah, it was all about Sharleen Spiteri, of course it was, was she gonna be wearing that stripy jumper she's worn forever and a day, the last four times I've seen her now, she must have boxes of the things!?

I digress lol, Why were Texas on so early, such a crowd pleaser to be put on the bill at 1.30ish, the first big act on all day, too many hits too mention and Sharleen is so easy on the eye (My wife will agree lol), she always has passion and vitality on stage and today was no different.

A 45 minute set was too short for me, I would've liked them further up the bill so they could've played longer, maybe replacing Super Furry Animals who were on for just under an hour.

A set full of hits including 'The Conversation', 'Halo', 'Summer Sun', 'Black Eyed Boy', 'Inner Smile', 'Say What You Want' and 'I Don't Want A Lover',it was over too quick for both of us but had set the day up nicely for the other bands we wanted to see.

Dave McCabe of ex-Zutons fame was next on the bill, it was the weirdest set of the day, all electronic and gooky, very strange, they couldn't get the sound right. His voice is still the same and has that slight gravelly tone, unfortunately not my cup of tea, and all the crowd that had gathered to see the Hotness that was Sharleen Spiteri had dispersed to the other stage, I've never seen people move so fast.

One of the hidden gems of the festival for me were The Sunshine Underground. An EPIC band, I had forgotten about them and had actually thought they had disappeared in to obscurity, you know like many bands do. I had interviewed this band years ago at the 'Sugarmill' in Stoke and rushed out and bought their first album as quick as it was released. I hadn't even realised they had new material out, I must buy their new album. I remember Craig the lead vocalist being rather feisty at the interview and nothing's changed. I felt like I'd stepped back in time to when I saw them at the Sugarmill or the Little Civic, bloody hell, I remember dragging my sister to one of the gigs lol.

Only 30 minutes to savour of their set, they were as good as I remember, if not better, music to my ears, I even danced in the field with my gear I was that impressed.

I need to check out they're new album and see if they're playing live soon.

I missed an opportunity having a selfie with Craig later on in the day but I did manage to mention that they were epic and that'd I'd been a fan for a long time.

American Band Hayseed Dixie were the maddest band over the two days, playing up to all the cameras at every opportunity. A definite crowd pleaser for sure, their covers were amazing and a pleasure to hear, I just wanted to dosy-do it was that anthemic and catchy, definitely a foot tapper and a bum shaker lol.

Another band on the running order was We Are Scientists, I seriously love this band, it was my sister's influence having their debut album on constant shuffle for hours on end and me thinking they were good, who are these then?? That was it, history was made I became a big fan, even much so going over to Germany to see them support Kaiser Chiefs, I went to two shows and managed to bump into Keith in the audience, lovely guy.

Made my day seeing these guys, also managed to catch them backstage for a quick photo which seriously made my day, another one for the memory bank.

A totally epic set with all their old classics, I was in awe at them, they haven't lost any of their stage presence or spunk I remember from the old days., what a day I was having.

One of the highlights of the day after seeing The Sunshine Underground and We Are Scientists was actually seeing Ella Eyre. I've been wanting to see her live to see if she can cut the mustard and duplicate her amazing voice on all her tracks.

By god this girl can sing, what a pair of lungs she's got on her, her stage show is amazing, flinging herself from one end of the stage to another, she's like Zebedee on crack. Looking stunning in an all in one and sunglasses, with her big sideshow Bob hair. I loved her passion and zest on stage, loved every minute, shame it had to end.

The last two acts we saw were Welsh legends Super Furry Animals, and Ex Kinks lead singer Ray Davies.

The Super Furry Animals set was surreal, they came out to dry ice and all dressed in white boiler suits, very strange and off the wall, just like they're set. The funniest bit was when the lead singer donned what looked like an inflatable power rangers mask, he actually sang through it, just made me titter to myself. There were some die-hard fans in the crowd chanting 'SFA OK', even donning SFA bobble hats, pure quality.

The audience seemed to enjoy SFA's set, it made me think #WTF, but I'm not a fan so I haven't a clue what was going on lol. It was entertaining full stop.

Ray Davies, the Ex-Faces Lead Singer was one of the headline acts tonight, up against 'Basement Jaxx', the crowd wasn't as big as Tinie Tempah the night before, or even Texas earlier in the day, you've gotta be of a certain age to know who Ray Davies is. The front row had maturer people on it, I saw one lady who I would say was in her late 60's she went mental when he came on stage and mouthed every word of each song.

Not my choice of a headliner, but as I said previously this festival had something for everyone and didn't disappoint in any area. The music was epic and catered for everyone, the food was scrumptious, the drink was so nice it was so hard to resist, the staff were only too glad to help or advise, the weather was typical festival weather, this festival is definitely a must, it's chilled and everyone is easy going, it's not like V Festival and full of kids and people weeing everywhere, it's a family orientated festival, so if you're looking for something to entertain you next year, book up now, its highly recommended.


review by: Michelle and Trish Owen-Williams

photos by: Michelle and Trish Owen-Williams


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