Celebrating its ninth year with a bigger and bolder line-up than ever before, organisers also attempted to keep progressing with the addition of a comedy tent and earlier opening times. The three-day extravaganza was noticeably busier than ever before, with Sunday a sell-out that saw 70,000 people flock to the sunny south coast – a situation that bodes well for the festival’s future but also brings its own set of challenges.

 

As part of the changes for this year, Friday begins at the much earlier time of 11am, with a special guest slot from 1980s rockers Primal Scream at the early time of 1pm on the main Common Stage meaning visitors are into the swing of things swiftly. The Friday always feels a much gentler day at any festival, particularly Victorious, and Self Esteem kept the energy high as crowds gradually built throughout the early evening. Veteran performers James felt like a natural fit for the early evening slot, holding enough anthems in their back pocket to keep the swelling crowd entertained, building to the eternal classic 'Sit Down'.

 

 

After a short break came Bombay Bicycle Club for the sundowner slot, their dreamy electro-pop continuing the relaxed vibe that permeates the festival. Such erudite and accomplished performers having formed in 2005 before splitting in 2016, since reforming in 2019 the band seem much more comfortable in their musical skin and whistle through a fairly outstanding back catalogue with the help of Saint Clair, whose vocals elevate the live show to a higher level.

 

Headlining the opening night were modern-day touring behemoths Stereophonics; everything about them appears perfectly refined for the big stage and they are a canny choice to kickstart any festival. Kelly Jones, owning the stage in his trademark leather jacket, rifles through the packed set list with precision.Saturday brought with it another special guest in the form of early 00s pop sensations the Sugababes, who easily induced a full dance-along on the main stage in their 1pm slot. They also helped showcase the uniqueness of this festival, with aircraft carrier Prince Of Wales sailing through Portsmouth Harbour in the background while the original 1998 trio of Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy whirled away. So numerous have their line-up changes been over the past 22 years they appear to be the musical representation of Trigger’s Broom, but the swelling crowd were enjoying themselves way too much to be bothered by such musings.

 

The Castle Stage provided ripe pickings on the Saturday, with Baby Queen proving an unexpected delight with their carefree, in-your-face punk schtick, while White Lies were riotous and energetic and everything you could hope for to get the evening started. While the two main music stages naturally host the big names, the festival now has 15 stages and areas sprawled out across the common, with each containing plenty of delights if you look hard enough - from the permanent D-Day museum that remained open throughout the festival to the Beats and Swing stage in the adjacent carpark.

 

The Acoustic Stage, over the years, has produced plenty of these gems and the enchanting Maya Delilah induced a stunned hush to the generous crowd with her delicate instrumentals and ethereal ambience. What Victorious continues to do well is bring local engagement to the fore, with a variety of local organisations represented, such as the inspiring Portsmouth Creates hub showcasing local art and the Kids Arena which felt as if genuine time and thought had been put into making it as engaging for younger attendees as possible.

 

Saturday night’s headline slots posed perhaps the weekend’s trickiest decision - Paolo Nutini on the main stage, or Bastille on the Castle Stage. Nutini delivered a strange set, omitting a number of well-known songs including New Shoes, while others, such as Pencil Full of Lead, received somewhat unwelcome makeovers. However, Bastille, as is now customary, raced through their extensive repertoire of anthems to bring the second stage to life. Rhythm of the Night and Flaws in particular drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

 

Onto the festival’s flagship addition for this year, the comedy tent. Having seen one-liner wizard Milton jones and the ubiquitous Joel Dommett headline on Saturday, closing day saw Russell Kane and Katherine Ryan take the helm. Kane fizzed around with his trademark visceral energy - or at least I assume he did, as there was a throng of around 7,000 spilling out of the under-sized tent. The snatches I could hear suggested Ryan delivered her usual bold, confrontational and hilarious routine. Comedy is a bold and positive addition to the festival, but organisers perhaps underestimated the size of interest in the headliners. A small issue that can be easily corrected in future.

 

Veteran festival outfit Editors were perhaps undersold by their early afternoon slot, but had the thousands losing their minds as they tore through a ripe back catalogue of stone-cold hits, delivering 'Papillion' exquisitely and proving they know how to end a set with the ever-rousing 'Munich' to close.

 

Next up was a slightly different twist, with early-2000s pop-rock curiosities Little Man Tate on the Castle Stage. It’s not complicated, but it’s full-throated and fun and brilliant. At one point, frontman Jon Windle asks ‘Am I in tune?’ Before swiftly correcting himself with ‘It doesn’t matter - it’s a festival!’ And thus goes their philosophy.

 

If there is one major issue concerning the festival, it is its rapidly increasing popularity. At times it felt as if the place was bursting at the seams; bins were overflowing by mid-morning each day, food vendors were quickly out of stock, and on Sunday the Castle Stage was so crowded for Becky Hill and Sophie Ellis-Bextor it felt unsafe to be there. Of course, these are issues borne of Victorious becoming such a popular attraction, but nonetheless they must be addressed swiftly by the organisers to ensure the event can continue to prosper. These issues also tie into problems from previous festivals around lack of toilets and bar access, although the latter seems somewhat improved.

 

Again, the closing slots posed a tricky conundrum, with Newcastle’s finest Sam Fender earning the Common Stage headline spot for a meteoric rise, and delivered with a set of typically anthemic tracks alongside some well-received banter with his band. Anne Marie, on the Castle Stage, has also developed a fine line in on-stage patter and has the character and charisma – as well as the setlist – to pull off headlining much larger stages than this

 

In all, Victorious proved once again what a pedigree festival it is in terms of audience, artists and attractions – next year will prove whether it’s learned the lessons needed to truly join the ranks of the biggest and the best.