Guest review by Alfie, 13 years
WHEN?: Sunday 28 August 2022
Little Man Tate I have waited years to see this band so we fought our way through the crowd waiting for Becky Hill and got to the front.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
WHEN?: Sunday 28 August 2022
Lean, mean and urging the audience to join in, Suede frontman Brett Anderson seems absolutely on fire during this main Common Stage slot as the sun sinks on a gorgeous day on Southsea seafront.
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
WHEN?: Saturday 27 August 2022
How to fill a field with an atypical festival band and get everyone down really early? Book Sugababes!
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
WHEN?: Friday 26 August 2022
This year’s Victorious Common Stage was opened by Primal Scream, who last featured in 2015’s lineup, but we arrived as the crowds were heading out post-set.
Frontman Neil Hannon celebrates 30 years of his band by performing 10 of his albums in full across this 5-night residency in the Barbican in central London. The run begins on 31 August and continues on successive nights until Sunday 4 September. We last saw the band at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith in 2019 at a show which won our Best Gig monsta that year. Barbican residency review Tickets
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
Live music. That’s what we go to festivals for. But we all love to wander around in between bands, and it’s here that you can find the local independent traders, the heart of the city. In the past, I’ve interviewed Leather Heather, Pie and Vinyl, Fisherman’s Kitchen, Tonic Music For Mental Health Choir, Beats & Swing and many more. This year was the turn of the eco-friendly clothing brand Humble and natural skincare producer Southsea Bathing Hut.
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
WHEN?: Sunday 29 August 2021
I normally soak up the whole day of a festival, mull it over during the night and my review flows the next morning. But this is different. I’ve just come from seeing one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. (I do think I use that superlative too easily sometimes, but not now.)
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
We started the day with possibly my best find of the weekend – Bad Sounds. A recommendation from my more indie-friendly friend, but they were anything but indie. My notes state poppy, geeky, funky. I was going to try to craft something cleverer, more succinct to describe them but actually, in the three-words style, they did sum them up perfectly.
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.
1. Groovejet
I know she attributes an awful lot of her subsequent musical opportunities to this track, with Spiller, and this 2000 summer track must surely sit somewhere in your life soundtrack. Indie kids will have known her from Theaudience and dance lovers will adore what the NME called this “slip of irresistible ice-filtered summer funk”.
