Victorious Festival 2025 Day 1 starring The Charlatans, Madness, Ash, Hot Wax and The Mary Wallopers

By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: Friday 22 August 2025 (press ticket)

There was a different feeling about this 12th annual south coast festival (the two years previous to this, it was held in the Dockyard).

  • Read on for reasons including Charlatans, Hot Wax, Ash, The Mary Wallopers and Madness
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GIG REVIEW: Madness & Lightning Seeds at Uptown Festival, Blackheath

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Lightning Seeds setlist: Change; Sugar Coated Iceberg; Sense; Perfect; Whole Wide World; You Showed Me; Lucky You; Pure; The Life Of Riley

Madness setlist: One Step Beyond; Embarrassment; The Prince; C’est La Vie; NW5; My Girl; The Sun And The Rain; Hour Of Need; Wings Of A Dove; Lovestruck; Run For Your Life; Bed And Breakfast Man; Shut Up; Round We Go; Mr Apples; House Of Fun; Baggy Trousers; Our House; It Must Be Love; Madness; Night Boat To Cairo

The Uptown Festival returned for its 2nd outing on Blackheath in south-east London and Camden’s ska/pop band Madness were the suitably raucous headliners.

  • Read on for reasons including how this was a hugely enjoyable event on our doorstep in beautiful weather that we would like to see return to this brilliant venue year after year
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for July starring Dame Imelda Staunton in Hello Dolly!

  1. Dame Imelda Staunton in Hello Dolly! at the Palladium

Staunton won our Best Theatre Actress monsta for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2017 and here stars at the London Palladium in the titular role in this classic 1964 musical about a matchmaker who travels to New York. The starry cast includes Jenna Russell (STEVE, Seven Dials Playhouse), Tyrone Huntley (The View UpStairs, Soho Theatre) and Harry Hepple (Boy Meets Girl Q&A, BFI). Runs 6 July through 14 September 2024. Tickets Our 1st preview review

  • Read on for reasons including Suede and Manic St Preachers at Ally Pally, Cherry Jones at the National & Madness on Blackheath
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GIG REVIEW: Victorious Festival, Southsea Common, starring Madness, Terrorvision, Peter Hook and the Light (day 1)

By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: Friday 27 August 2021

It’s said you get all sorts at festivals. Whilst that is true, we found that you get all sorts en route to a festival here. Walking alongside an elderly man in a mobility scooter, who was blasting out Jim Reeves (or some other crooner) from a ghetto blaster in his basket, turned out to set the scene for our return to festival-land on the south coast.

  • Read on for reasons including reviews of Madness, Terrorvision, Feeder, Peter Hook and the Light
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GIG REVIEW: Victorious Festival, Southsea

By Carron Stacey

WHEN?: 25-27/8

WHERE: Southsea Common

Don’t read that, read this. This is the heavy, heavy Victorious sound. The Southsea-est sound around. So if you’ve come in off the street, and you’re beginning to feel the heat, well listen buster, you’d better start to move your feet, to the rockin-est, rocksteady beat of Victorious. One Step Beyond!

  • Read on for reasons including a review of the highlights from all 3 days

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