Ahhh the final festival weekend of the season has come round so quickly it feels! Don't be fooled into thinking that because it's the last festival weekend of the season, that it'll be a chilled one! Victorious is always one of my highlights of the festival calendar and such a fitting end on a high!
The festival always pulls in both big headliners and fantastic special guests for afternoon slots over the weekend! This year the festival was headlined by Jamaraquai, Kasabian and Mumford and Sons! Although the weather was a little all over the show this year, we still headed down to the Seaside to check out the whole weekend!
First up on Friday was Mae Muller on the main stage! Her placement on Eurovision earlier in the year was so undeserving for such an incredibly talented singer songwriter! Her vocals are absolutely beautiful and she can hold a note! Definitely check her out if you get a chance!
We also caught Friendly fires and Jake Bugg across the afternoon and early evening on the Friday! The irony of Circa Waves playing t shirt weather was not lost on anyone! It was most definitely not t shirt weather Friday!
The main headliner Friday night was Jamaraquai! There had been so much buzz on social media leading to this set! This was indeed the return of the Space Cowboy! His vocals were flawless and a stage presence which could not be matched!
Saturday was a lot better weather wise! The first band of the day for us was so incredibly special! Mcfly! These guys weren't announced till the day before, and even then... It was only a clue with the set being officially announced the day of! The castle field was absolutely packed, and the set was a flawless run of classics which simultaneously made me feel incredibly old and like a teenager all at the same time! - I'm very hopeful they get these guys back for a headline slot soon!
This was followed by Crystal Tides! These guys are an incredible band from the local area, who won the Road to Victorious competition! They played 3 sets over the weekend, with this being their 3rd and final set over on Beats and Swings! If you've never seen these guys, you're missing out! They bring a huge energy to the stage and their songs are so catchy you can't help but dance and sing along! We also caught The Divine Comedy, Kate Nash and Pale Waves across the day.
Saturday night was all about Kaiser Chiefs and Kasabian! Kaiser chiefs bought the energy and the party vibes with Ricky Wilson climbing the stage at one point! A big crowd singing along to hits such as I predict a riot and Ruby! The final Saturday night band was Kasabian! I've wanted to see Kasabian for YEARS! Kasabian were the band of the weekend! The power of Serjs voice and the showmanship was incredible!
Sunday rolled round and so did the final day of the festival! Sunday started with Hard fi as the special afternoon guests and was swiftly followed by Sea Girls and Sigrid!
We spent some time Sunday afternoon exploring the different parts of the festival! The beauty of Victorious is found in the attention to detail from areas such as the comedy stage, to the piano tree! A great example of why you shouldn't just stick to the main stage at festivals!
Sunday evening was all about one band for us. Mumford and Sons! Last time we saw these guys was an acoustic show for Banquet Records a good few years ago, pre Covid! They absolutely blew everyone away. By far the biggest crowd of the weekend and the atmosphere was just incredible! Nothing quite says a great festival headliner like the entire crowd singing along whilst fireworks are going off behind the stage!
If you've never been to Victorious, it's not a festival you can explain. You need to experience it for yourself. It's a metropolitan mecca, for all generations and covers vast genres of music. All right on the seafront! Easily accessible from across the country and definitely one to have in your diary! Next year marks 10 years of the festival, so I cannot wait to see who they announce!
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