A Victorious time for City of Portsmouth College!

City of Portsmouth College had a Victorious weekend in Southsea, as a partner of Victorious Festival!

As well as the hugely popular Tech+Tour truck, where kids of all ages got to experience the latest technology including VR and AR headsets, and the endlessly busy Hair & Beauty station where our students got to showcase their skills with festival styles for glamorous festivalgoers, a group of journalism students and photographers were on site capturing the action.

Here's what they discovered.

My Victorious Festival Debut

Portsmouth has been buzzing for months in anticipation for Victorious Festival 2025, and honestly, it didn’t disappoint. The headliners this year were Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend, and Kings of Leon. The whole city came together for a weekend of music, food, and celebration! Growing up here, I’d always heard people rave about how amazing it was, so finally being there myself was a great opportunity. The acts I was initially most excited for were The Last Dinner Party, Caity Baser and Bradley Simpson. But I ended up also loving the time I spent at the Showcase Stage; the acts I saw were really talented! 'Reverie' and 'Lily and the Lost Its' opened the festival on Friday, 'The Sans' on Saturday, and 'Caffeine Low' the on Sunday – and three of those four bands were from COPC! It honestly felt like there was something happening everywhere, with a variety of entertainment which catered for all age groups. I found the festival really impressive and was so glad to be a part of this year’s events.

I kicked off my weekend with the incredible Reverie, a seven-piece band blending soul, punk, and a jazzy twist that immediately grabbed the crowd’s attention. Their sound was very textured, with trumpets and mixed instrumentation adding so much strength and energy to each song. What really stood out to me, though, were the vocals, the singers had such powerful voices that completely blew me away. Their setlist was amazing as well, with a good proportion of covers including their rendition of Psycho Killer, which stood out to me as one of the most memorable. It was the perfect way to open the festival – fresh, bold, and unforgettable.

After Reverie’s set, I decided to stick around to catch Lily and the Lost Its, a lively four-piece made up of vocals, guitars, and drums. I had the chance to chat with their drummer, Lily Foster, who described the performance as ‘fun, experimental, and dance-worthy’, and it came across that way on stage. When I asked her which song was her favourite from the set, she picked their cover of All Around the World by Oasis. We also talked about why it’s important for younger musicians to have opportunities to play at festivals like Victorious. Lily explained that it gives emerging artists the chance to build confidence in both their playing and their vocals, adding that the supportive crowds make all the difference.

On the Saturday, I watched The Sans, a four-piece alternative band who brought a feel of originality to the stage. In contrast to a couple of the acts earlier in the weekend who were dependent on a few skilfully chosen covers, The Sans played an amazing set of originals music, which was a pleasant surprise. Their music had a raw yet polished quality, with intricate guitar work that really showcased the band’s chemistry. What stood out most to me was how confident they were in presenting completely new material to the audience, it takes courage to rely solely on your own songs, especially at a busy festival, but they pulled it off brilliantly. The Sans have made a new fan in me.

To round off the weekend, I headed back to the Showcase Stage for one final set. I unfortunately missed the very start, but I managed to catch most of the performance from Caffeine Low, an alt-rock group with a punk-leaning edge. Their setlist included standout covers such as Zombie by The Cranberries and Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure, both of which went down brilliantly with the crowd. Although this genre isn’t usually my go-to, I found myself really enjoying their energy on stage. The band’s instrumental skill was impressive: bold and full of life. It felt like a fitting way to close out my weekend.

If there is one piece of advice I can give from my first time at Victorious Festival, make sure to check out the smaller stages, there is real talent there. Every act I saw brought something unique and memorable and I give them huge credit for performing such amazing sets.

(Words by Dan Holmes, photography by Antonio Pascale)