PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA'S No.1 for ARTS, CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
READING

News: Victorious Festival Reveals Second Wave Of L...

The Victorious Festival Crowd

News: Victorious Festival Reveals Second Wave Of Line-Up

I’ve heard a few mutterings from people moaning that they haven’t heard much about the Victorious Festival‘s line up. Hopefully I can put a smile on their faces by revealing the second wave of artists set to perform over the weekend. The biggest news for many is likely to be Rudimental headlining on Saturday night but for me, it’s the exciting news that Doves are back on the south coast!

For years I’ve been saying how much I’d love to see the return of the Doves. For me they are the most underrated acts of the early 2000s, their reputation as a committed and consistent albums band is gilded by timeless singles including There Goes The Fear, Pounding and Black And White Town. The Manchester band’s four albums to date, the Mercury Prize-nominated brace of Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast, followed by Some Cities and Kingdom Of Rust stand as monuments of refined songwriting craft. Each recalls the band’s broad span of musical reference points, from the glinting riches of golden age soul and gritty garage to the woody rhythms of folk. Beyond their dancefloor-friendly singles, Doves’ universe moved around emotive soundscapes and gently sparkling love letters. Demand for their sell-out live performances saw them routinely headlining festival stages, from repeated Glastonbury appearances to 2003’s Teenage Cancer Trust concerts and the BBC Electric Proms.

Doves stepped off stage in 2010 and Jimi Goodwin, Andy and Jez Williams went their separate ways for an indefinite period. Yet the lines between them remained connected and their three-decade-long friendship persisted as the hiatus drew on. In the absence of a plan, the next chapter began to fall into place and in 2018 they announced their long-awaited return. The deafening response to the news that Doves would play their cherished songs again has set the optimistic course for what lies ahead.

The Doves PR photo.

Doves

Rudimental

Another recently reunited band performing over the weekend are The Zutons. Their frontman Dave McCabe said; “We’ve all been off doing our own thing for a little while, and it’s only with hindsight and a bit of space that you see how special something really is. It’s easy to take things for granted when you’re younger, but now it’s just amazing to think of those songs still having a place in the world, and for people to come and hear us play them again.”

Bloc Party who will be performing their debut platinum-selling album Silent Alarm. This album would be one of the first picks for my Desert Island Discs selection and could be my highlight of the weekend.

After two years of worldwide touring, critically acclaimed, three-piece Two Door Cinema Club, known for their infectious indie-pop anthems, will be co-headlining alongside The Specials on the Friday night, and with recognitions still pouring in for hit album Gameshow their show is definitely not to be missed! I’m still not quite sure how co-headlining works but I’m not going to waste too much time thinking about that.

The festival’s special afternoon slots are full of surprises yet again with Sunday welcoming reggae artist Ziggy Marley to the stage.

Other confirmed acts across the weekend include the welcome return of Britpop stars Ocean Colour Scene, who performed at Victorious back in 2014, Plus New York hip-hop, funk, punk band Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Mercury music prize-winner Badly Drawn BoyProfessor GreenLewis Capaldi, Starsailor, The Futureheads, Republica as well as up and coming acts like Fatherson and The Vaccines.

Zutons PR photo

The Zutons

Fatherson PR photo

Fatherson

With Friday tickets available from £30 and Saturday and Sunday at £35 a day Victorious Festival continues to be one of the best value festivals in the UK, let alone the south coast.

Victorious Festival Line up poster

Photos from Dean Chalkley or press provided


RELATED POST

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

INSTAGRAM
FOLLOW STRONG ISLAND ON INSTAGRAM
Please Add Widget from here