Chloe : 2017

I'm starting to write this post in July. By the time this is posted it will be Christmas time so needless to say I've come prepared on this post as I'm writing this earlier than normal. This post has changed a lot since July with adding and removing songs just so I can get this post perfect. I started writing the same I posted last year about my favourite songs for 2016 and my albums of 2016 posts around about October time. Once again this year has been pretty strong for song and album releases seeing some great artists and bands return with new music. In no particular order , here are my top 15 favourite songs from this year.

Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life (Featuring The Weeknd)

With a hint of the 60s and a cinematic feel , Lana Del Rey and The Weeknd teamed up again to create one of the most insane songs I've heard this year. Lana released her 4th album this year and honestly this might be my favourite song off of it. This was the 2nd song to be released from "Lust For Life" and I really think that Lana and The Weeknd's voices together just work so perfectly.

2. BTS - Come Back Home

I've never really listened to K-Pop until this year and I think I've been missing out. BTS have really had a huge year and have become one of the most popular K-Pop bands around at the moment. I wanted to mention come back home because its a great song and again I haven't stopped listening to it. This is also the song that made me realise that BTS are a proper good K-Pop group.

3. Harry Styles - Kiwi

When Harry announced his debut solo album this year I was unsure what it was going to be like. Sign of the Times was pretty incredible and I was totally shocked when I heard the song as I wasn't expecting it at all. Harry's self titled album is pretty good and I even wrote a review about it because I liked it so much. Kiwi has instantly become one of my favourite songs from the album and probably the one song I've listened to the most from the self titled album. It's a bit rockier than some of the other songs but I think that's why I like it so much.

4. The Amazons - Black Magic

What a surprise that this made it on here. I listened to this song on a constant loop when it came out because bloody hell its great. I'm so happy that The Amazons have received a lot of attention this year as they obviously really deserve it. Black Magic was the first song the released before announcing their debut album that came out in May. I feel like this song to me is exactly the same thing that happened when Glass Animals released Life Itself last year. I still cannot stop listening to Black Magic.

5. Paramore - Hard Times

After Laughter was an album I wasn't to sure on when I first heard it but after listening to it a lot more I actually like the album a lot. Hard Times was the first single to be released from the 5th Paramore album. The sound change from Paramore was something I was pleasantly surprised by it was a pretty big shock but I remember sitting on a bench outside Highclere Castle using my 4G on my phone to hear Hard Times. I lost my shit and people were looking at me weird ... i can't count how many times I've heard this song but it's probably a lot.

6. Wolf Alice - Don't Delete The Kisses

Out of the all the songs on a vision of a life , Don't Delete The Kisses is my favourite song. I received a postcard with the single artwork on as they were sending postcards out to people in the lead up to the announcement and the debut of Yuk Foo. I think this song really showcases Ellie's vocals in a way we've not heard them before. Its a mellow and drowsy song that isn't too slow or too upbeat which makes it the perfect chill out song.

7. Bad Sounds - Meat on My Bones

I have probably mentioned this song before on my blog but its too good not to share again. One of my favourite discoveries this year has to be Bad Sounds. This was another song I couldn't stop listening to when I first heard it because after one listening it got lodged inside my brain and remained there for a good few weeks. If you've not heard of Bad Sounds before then their sound is a mixture of funk , hip hop , pop and a tiny bit of rnb thrown into the mix to create the colourful creation that is Meat on My Bones.

8. Arcade Fire - Everything Now

This is the song that happened to gain Arcade Fire their first number 1 single on billboard which is absolutely huge ! When I first heard this song I wasn't to sure and then I went back to it again just to see if it had grown on me. I found myself returning to the song a lot and I still listen to it now. A lot of people were comparing everything now to an ABBA song and I can totally see what people mean but it just makes you want to throw glitter around , dance like an idiot and scream along.

9. Dua Lipa - New Rules
I'm pretty sure Dua Lipa is now the prime minister after releasing this song. Its like a handbook for relationships in a song. The video for this is probably one of the best videos of this year too.This an excellent pop song that has everyone talking about Dua Lipa. I've known about Dua's music for a while now so to see her become super successful is pretty exciting. Also I think Dua has won the title of best pop music because every single song from her album is just so good , which made it hard to choose just one of her songs.

10. Waterparks - Blonde

I mean this only came out a few months ago and I've been listening to it constantly since its release. Blonde is taken from the pop punk trios 2nd album "Entertainment" , that is due to be released early next year. Its catchy and I reckon it will sound great live. Waterparks are also going on a big tour next year around the UK too. What I like about this song is how much energy the song has plus it makes me feel a bit more awake when I'm sleepy.

11. Creeper - Black Rain
My favourite Southampton goth punks released their debut album this year and wow it's good. Black Rain is the opening track on "Eternity , In Your Arms" and I couldn't think of a better song to open such a strong album. It's theatrical , like most of the songs on the album but what makes this my favourite song is just how dramatic it is and I love anything that sounds very dramatic.

12. The Killers - The Man
Before their surprise appearance on the John Peel stage at this years Glastonbury, The Killers released The Man which is taken from their newest album " Wonderful Wonderful". Just like the arcade fire song this also makes you want to sing , dance and throw glitter around. It makes you want to strut around like a super confident peacock if that makes any sense. I also love the video for this one too.

13. Oh Wonder - High On Humans
For some reason this song makes me super happy. It's all about making conversations with strangers when your out and about. It was written after Josephine had a chat with a few people on the tube and instantly recored a voice memo of the song on her phone which then became High On Humans. I absolutely love this song and this album a lot. I was even lucky enough to get a signed copy of the vinyl of Ultralife on my birthday this year.

14. Black Honey - Somebody Better
I adore Black Honey and Izzy's style. Izzy (singer/guitar) literally wears the best clothes ever and I want to steal her wardrobe because its amazing. Black Honey have released a few songs this year but I think Somebody Better might be my favourite song they've released this year so far. I believe I have mentioned Black Honey on my blog before but they are just too good not to mention again ! They've had a big year touring and have recently finished up supporting Royal Blood on their huge tour around the UK and Europe.

15. The Kooks - Be Who You Are
The Kooks released a best of album this year with a few acoustic versions of some old songs and a new song. This new song happened to be Be Who You are which became the soundtrack to my summer this year. I got to hear this live too as I saw them at the IOW Festival and it made all my childhood dreams come true because I used to love listening to the kooks and they went a bit quiet for a bit and then came back with new music. They are set to release a new album next year too so I'm excited to hear that.

I am so happy to finally get to share a post that I've had in the works for so long ! It's always bloody difficult to choose who to include as theres so many songs to choose from and if I included them all we'd be here forever and a day. I can't wait to see what 2018 brings in the way of new songs and albums especially with announcements from bands I like who are releasing their debut albums next year too so I can't wait !

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, by chloeamies123

2018 Will Sound Like ...

I've discovered some new bands and artists this year that I think are ones to watch in 2018. I've come up with a list of different bands and artists that I think are worth checking out and who to keep an eye on in the new year. From pop to rock , theres a bit of everything for everyone to listen to in this post. I've done one of these posts every year now and I'm always pretty excited writing these posts because I love sharing fresh talent on my blog. In no particular order here are the names that I think are going to do have a great 2018.

YONAKA
Hailing from Brighton , YONAKA are possibly one of the most exciting bands around at the moment. They released their debut E.P this year after signing to Asylum Records. Their mix of rock that makes you want to head bang with hip hop beats and elements of metal thrown into the mix creates this explosive sound that will have you hooked. I think I may have mentioned these on here once but their E.P "Heavy" has been on repeat because every single song is so different , yet equally just as good. Song worth checking out - Bubblegum.

Billie Eilish
At just the age of 15 , Billie has already established her own unique and cool sound which is an airy and fresh take on electro pop. Billie grew up in a home in Los Angeles where the majority of her family are either actors or musicians. Billie broke through with her track ocean eyes which has had over 23 million plays on spotify. She has also been named as one of VEVO DSCVRS ones to watch for 2018 too. Billie began writing her own songs at the age of just 11 years old and also now writes with her brother who is also a musician and plays in a band. Song worth checking out - Bellyache .

Emma Blackery
Emma is one of my favourite people ever. Her E.P "Magnetised" is some of her best music yet and I cannot wait to see where it takes her next. Emma is most commonly known for her YouTube channel and has millions of subscribers. Emma is a very likeable person and I think thats why I love her music so much. Over the years its improved and developed into a more mature sound since the release of the Magnetised E.P. This year saw Emma featured in the Apple keynote conference where her E.P cover was featured. Emma pretty much went viral over night and had a proper crazy few weeks after. Her sound has gone from punk pop to purely pop and I think it sounds pretty cool. Song to listen to - Nothing Without You .

Sigrid
After her song "Don't Kill My Vibe' blew up this year , Sigrid is set for an even bigger 2018. Sigrid is from Norway and has followed the footsteps of her two older siblings who both work in the music industry in bands or by being classically trained. The 20 year old signed a pretty huge record deal with Island and has released an E.P and I'm guessing we can expect an album thats bursting with pop goodness in 2018. She's another one that has been added to the BBC Sound Of 2018 long list too. Song worth checking out - Strangers.

Bad Sounds
Other than creating one of my favourite songs of the year , Bad Sounds have already got a big 2018 in store. I feel like I've spent half of this year talking about how great Bad Sounds are and I think they might become one of my favourite bands at this rate. The band consists of Callum and Ewan who are both brothers and the rest of their band consists of Olivia on the drums , Sam on bass and Charlie on guitar. There is just something about their blend of hip hop , funk and pop that is just so refreshing and cool to hear. Especially in an time where all music sounds the same , Bad Sounds are being original and unique when it comes to their sound. Song worth checking out - Living Alone.

Pale Waves
Often compared to The 1975 , Pale Waves have also released just only 3 songs and seem to have a lot of people listening to their music already. Fronted by Heather Baron - Gracie , Pale Waves have already made a name for themselves and they haven't even released an E.P yet ! This year saw Pale Waves sign to Dirty Hit which is the label that the likes of The 1975 and Wolf Alice are signed to. Influenced by 80s bands such as The Cure , Pale Waves really bring their own version of dark 80s inspired pop. Song worth checking out - Television Romance

Rex Orange County
From the outside of London , Rex has caused quite the stir already in the world of music. He has also been long listed on this years BBC Sound of 2018. His sound reminds me of orange juice being squeezed as its smooth and a bit refreshing. Its very cool and you can see why his music has caused such the buzz in the music world at the moment. I absolutely love the song Sunflower as it just reminds of something you'd possibly hear in the 70s or early 80s. He has also collaborated with Tyler the Creator and has also performed with Skepta. A song worth listening to - Loving Is Easy.

Stereo Honey
This is a band that I've heard a lot about but I've actually never listened to them until recently and why didn't I listen to them sooner ?! The four piece from London have only released a few songs and an E.P but are set for great things in 2018. They write sad songs that have a real haunting feel about them , especially with singer Pete , who has the most incredible voice I've ever heard. Angel and The Bay are both songs that have a really dark feel to them but are both excellent songs. Song worth checking out - The Bay.

Who knows what any of these bands and artists have in store for us next year ! You'll probably be seeing a lot of these names floating around the internet for a while and I'm so excited to see what they bring to 2018 , wether it be albums or just brand new songs for us all to listen to.

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, by chloeamies123

A Day At Longleat Safari Park

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The Songs I Like Right Now

I've not shared songs that I've been listening to for a while so heres a post with some songs I like in it. Normally i'd care about when the song has been released as I only like to include songs that have been released this month but as I'm a late comer to one or two of the songs this post I just decided to chuck everything and anything in.

Bastille - World Gone Mad
When one of my favourite bands ever release new music its just like christmas. I sort of had a feeling Bastille had done a song for the film Bright that comes to Netflix next month. The build up in this song is just perfect and I like how it gradually becomes a bit more cinematic towards the end of the song. The acoustic guitar at the start is something that made me pretty happy as I'm pretty sure its the first time Bastille have started a song with just an acoustic guitar. I also dread to think how many more times i'll be listening to this because its amazing.

YONAKA - Bubblegum
I have listened to YONAKA a few times but I didn't really think that they were for me until they released the Heavy E.P last month. Bubblegum is the first track on the E.P that you hear and well it kinda blows your brains apart with how big the song is. I mean the rest of the E.P is absolutely huge and I can't wait to hear more music from YONAKA soon. Bubblegum is my favourite song that the band have released as its loud , a bit manic and is just great in general.

N.E.R.D - Lemon (Featuring Rihanna)
This was the last song I was expecting myself to really like because I've never really listened to N.E.R.D other than the one time I saw Pharrell play a festival in 2014. I never knew I needed a song with Rihanna rapping but clearly I did because her rapping is great and she needs to release a full song with her rapping by herself on it. I'm probably not cool enough to be listening to this song but eh I don't care because its a cool song.

Niall Horan - On The Loose
Niall recently released his rather anticipated debut album and I wasn't sure if i'd like his album or his music at all because I was never a huge fan of 1D at all but I can get onboard with the solo stuff for sure. On The Loose is the opening track to Niall's album "Flicker" and is probably one of the more up beat songs on the album and I think thats why I like this song so much compared to any other song he'd released before his debut album.

Waterparks - Blonde
I thought I'd gotten past the pop punk phase but clearly I hadn't because Waterparks announced that they are releasing a new album next year and also released the first single from the album. It's very catchy and i've listened to this song a lot since it came out but thats because its so good. I feel like I mentioned them in a post before a while ago but I can't remember. If your a fan of songs that make you want to bounce around then give this a listen if you haven't already.

Busted - Without It
Busted released their latest album last year and tortious over here only listened to the album a few weeks ago. If you like things that sound like the 80s then thats exactly what Busted's album sounds like. I wasn't a fan of the new stuff at all because it just wasn't old Busted. Without It is a love song about heartbreak that literally screams the 80s with all the synths and just everything about it. Its a big song that you can imagine being used in a film or something.

To Kill A King - The Unspeakable Crimes of Peter Popoff
To Kill A King have been a band I've liked for a very long time now so I am a very happy person whenever they release something new. They have a new album out in January so I cannot wait to hear that. It might be a heavyish sounding song with some big riffs and stuff but his song is dark and about a man that basically conned people into believing he could cure them by summoning god.

Dan The Man - Flowerpot Men
Dan is the drummer from The Wombats who also happens to release his own music under the name Dan The Man. I'd been meaning to listen to his music since the summer when he released his 2nd album "Circadian Circus" back in August this year. Flowerpot Men reminds me of Bill and Ben and the crappy theme park on the island that is Blackgang Chine. There is something about that song that instantly reminds me of being in a children's book thats dark and messed up.

Fickle Friends - Hard To Be Myself
Another helping of pop goodness has been served by Fickle Friends again. If this song doesn't make you feel like you want to dance around like an idiot then I think your listening to the wrong song. Hard to be myself is about being socially awkward in social situations which is basically me in a song. Its a song that makes the colder months still feel like summer. I also want to throw a party and have this song constantly on repeat the whole time.

Rudimental , James Arthur - Sun Comes Up
I don't really like James Arthur that much but the combination of him and Rudimental just works so well. It's that perfect summer pop song that once again Rudimental have created. Rudimental always create good songs that are perfect for the summer and I don't really know why its taken me this long to give it a proper listen and to actually give it a chance just because James Arthur is on the song. Its incredibly catchy too and I really like songs that are catchy.

Anteros - Bonnie
If you like Fickle Friends then you'll probably like these too. Bonnie is the latest release from Anteros who haven't released anything for some time now so its nice to hear something new from them. Its very pop and for some reason that makes me very happy. Anteros are another band that I've probably mentioned before on here but I really like them and I think they are great. Bonnie is the sort of song that would be great live because of how much energy goes into this song.

Billie Eilish - Ocean Eyes
Billie is only 15 and is creating the most incredible music at such a young age already. She released her debut E.P back in August and its the most beautiful piece of music I've ever heard. Ocean Eyes sounds almost magical , combined with Billies light and airy voice its a match made in heaven. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Billie as her music is incredible.

I really enjoyed writing this post and it really reminded me of how much I like writing about music. I've been massively confused with what I want to write about for a long time and I thought that stopping writing about music for a bit would work and believe it or not but it's worked wonders. You can expect a few more music posts to make an appearance at some point along with a post about a gig coming soon.

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, by chloeamies123

Beautiful : The Carole King Musical

After recently leaving the West End , Beautiful has gone on its first UK tour that started off in Bradford at the start of September. Beautiful is a Jukebox musical and I love musicals that combine 'normal' music and the theatre so it creates a story. Jersey Boys and Sunny Afternoon are just two of my favourite musicals that both tell the stories of how the bands career. Beautiful tells the story of Carole King and how her career took off. Carole is played by Bronté Barbé who was a finalist in Over The Rainbow , which was the Andrew Lloyd Webber TV show to find the next Dorothy.

From when the show started and Bronté walked onstage as Carole tears started to form in my eyes. The show starts with Carole at Carnaby Hall singing a song. We are then taken back to when Carole was 16 and sold her first song. The show also goes into her relationship with Gerry Goffin who was also her writing partner. We are also introduced to Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann who were good friends of King and Goffin and also song writing rivals. It was interesting to see what would have happened in Carole's life all the way up to the recording of Tapestry.

The set design was spot on. Im a bit of a sucker for a good set design ok as I was really interested in that sort of thing when I was a kid. What I liked about this set design was how the piano really played a key part in the show and it hardly left the stage. It really showed how important the piano was for the growth of Kings career. I also loved the use of set change overs. They were pretty constant but they were smoothly done. The ensemble were also another key part to the show. They were playing different roles from office workers to singers that King , Goffin , Weil and Mann wrote for.

Bronté really stole the show as Carole for sure. It was great to finally get to see her in something since I watched Over The Rainbow all those years ago. I was definitely the youngest in the theatre again but thats what happens when you go to a matinee show on a Wednesday. Its not a musical for older people though it really is for everyone and I really enjoyed it. Its one of those musicals that you also learn something from that you probably didn't know too. I had no idea that Carole and Gerry had written some huge songs that I've listened to countless times so that was pretty cool.

I believe the show has only just started touring at the start of September which means you can catch the show if its coming to a theatre near you. I highly recommend seeing the show if your a fan of musicals like this , really like Carole's work or a big music fan then this is definitely the show for you !

Speak soon ,

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, by chloeamies123

Craig David

Venue : Mayflower Theatre , Southampton
Support : Bobii Lewis

When Craig David announced that he would be doing some shows in his hometown of Southampton I wasn't too fussed as it was at the Agaes Bowl but then his gigs got moved to The Mayflower. The only tickets left were crap ones until a few weeks later they put some better seats up for sale. I decided to see if I could try for tickets and don't ask me how but we managed to get front row seats. This was my first gig at the theatre as they always have musicals , dance productions and plays on but hardly anything music related. I know I said I didn't like Craig David when I saw him at Bestival but seeing him in a different environment made the night a lot more exciting.

Craig's support was Bobii Lewis. I had never heard of Bobii before so I was intrigued to hear his music for the first time. Bobii has a very hip hop influenced sound and I think he's worked with Wretch 32 before. He wasn't my sort of thing but he was very much the perfect fit for a Craig David gig.

As soon as Craig walked onstage the whole of the theatre exploded into a massive cheer of excitement. His set started off with his band that perform with him when he's not doing his TS5 sets. I hadn't seen him with his band before so I was excited to see what that was like. His band were great and you could really tell that they were having as much fun onstage as Craig. The audience was dancing along and I don't think anyone stopped dancing. I've never seen a theatre become so lively before and I think that was pretty great to see.

Craig played a mixture of songs from his latest album and his older albums that he released when he was first starting out. The whole theatre was singing along , it was like being at a giant party. Craig's band came to a stop when the change over for his TS5 set to begin. If you don't know what TS5 is , it's basically a DJ set but with a twist. Craig basically sings his songs over the top of backing tracks that aren't his songs and also throws in a few of his actual songs in the mix too. It was like being at some sort of Ibiza party , it was a weird experience. This was my 2nd TS5 set I had seen so I knew what to expect and wowee I'd forgotten how crazy they get.

So I've mentioned about how excited the crowd got and I may have made a few observations because I'm nosey and I like to see what's happening around me. There was a man stood next to me having the time of his life. He was properly going for the dad dancing and it was wonderful. A woman that was probably 4ft couldn't see so she stepped out into the isle to take a photo and as she went to take the photo , a security guard literally bounded towards her and plonked her back into her designated area. There was people of all ages there which is always nice to see.

Having a gig in a theatre sounds a bit weird but I actually rather liked it. It felt a lot safer than your usual venue because no one was rammed into a giant crowd , plus it made it a lot easier to see as I had no tall people in the way as we had front row seats. I mean you couldn't have a heavy metal band in their as the theatre would probably be trashed. We did leave a bit early again so we could catch the ferry home but other than that we saw most of the gig.

I actually had a great evening and I can't wait to head back to The Mayflower in a few weeks as I'm seeing Beautiful: The Carole King Story with my grandparents which I'm very excited about as I love Carole's first album , Tapestry. My next gig is Lady Gaga which is going to be a huge deal for me as Gaga got me through some crap stuff when I was at school when I was younger. If you ever get the chance to see Craig David and if you like to party then definitely go and see him if you can because he's great live.

Speak soon ,

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, by chloeamies123

Will Joseph Cook - Interview

photo of Will taken by myself

Last weekend I went to check out Victorious Festival over in Southsea , Portsmouth and I had a great time. Whilst there I got to chat to Will Joseph Cook about his debut album , this years festival season , his performance that he was doing on Saturday and the Premier Inn.

C - Hows the festival circuit been this year because I can imagine its been quite crazy since the release of your album ?

WJC - It's been good , it's been the busiest one yet for sure. This weekend is probably going to top it I reckon because we've done leeds yesterday (Friday) , Victorious (Saturday) and then Reading tomorrow (Sunday).

C- How was Leeds Yesterday (Friday) ?

WJC - It was good I love that place. Leeds is always a good vibe. It's the 2nd biggest amount of fans in the UK for me so its a good town.

C - So how has it been since the release of Sweet Dreamer

WJC - The whole process of the album was pretty creatively satisfying. I got to put it out exactly after I made it which was great as I know a lot of bands have to hang on for a while. I mean it's always been a music first project , I'm a songwriter so I need for it to come out and it just feels right.

C - Your going on tour in October , how you feeling about going on Tour ?

WJC - We're doing a bunch of places we've never been to before. It's like Bedford , Edninbrough and bath , places like smaller cities we didn't do on the last tour. The London show is going to be mad , Its like the biggest show we've ever done.

C - I saw a tweet your wrote about staying in the Premier Inn and the Travel Lodge , which is better the Travel Lodge or the Premier Inn ?

WJC - We had a great nights sleep. the Premier inn is just the upgrade so we've just stayed in a premier inn not to far because all the hotels are booked up for victorious festival. That is the high life , its way better.

C - Are you recording any new music or demo-ing anything ?

WJC - Like I said , I'm always writing and I have a home set up now so I'm doing lots of demos. Theres 40 demos at the moment , I took one into a proper studio just this week so there is a new track about. There is a bunch of stuff that I put online and I put little clips of stuff so people are aware of some shit that I'm doing. I want to hopefully get it out before next tour , I think that would be sweet , I just want to keep hitting up with new music pretty soon and thats pretty exciting.

WJC - How do you feel about playing the castle stage later ?

It's a pretty obnoxiously big stage for us. For a second stage I think so but the whole festival is bigger than I remember it. It's going to be sick.

C - Have you got a favourite song off of Sweet Dreamer or do you like them all equally ?

WJC - I guess theres certain songs for certain reasons but I quite like Hands as its rather cool plus its in the middle of the album. It's the only one thats not like a pop song so I guess it was a nice breathing space for the rest of the tunes. It was quite a personal process with my production on it as well so it felt good.

Thank you to Will for letting me chat to him at Victorious Festival last weekend. If you want to get tickets to see Will on tour in October they are on sale now and Will's debut album Sweet Dreamer is out now too so if you want to listen to that you can !

Speak soon ,

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, by chloeamies123

Victorious Festival 2017

On the Saturday of the bank holiday weekend I went to Victorious Festival for the first time. I've wanted to go to Victorious for a long time so it was great to finally go and see what the atmosphere was like over there. It was also my first ever mainland festival as I'm lucky to live on an island where we've had festivals happen for a long time. Victorious Festival is a great family festival that no matter what age you are there's something for everyone and anyone. I went on the Saturday where the headliner on the main stage was Stereophonics and the castle stage headliner was Rita Ora.

When we picked our tickets up it was pretty easy and then we went into the VIP area. I've never been into a VIP area at a festival before so for me it was like when a 4 year old goes to Disneyland for the first time. As we arrived pretty early we had a wonder before it started filling up. We found some giant sunglasses, lots of food and all the other stages. There's a lot of stages at victorious festival ranging from world music to some of the biggest names in music right now.

The day started off with an interview with Will Joseph Cook which is going live this week so keep an eye out for that one. Once that was over Frank Turner started his acoustic set. Frank was doing a special guest appearance on the Saturday.This was my first time seeing Frank and I had no idea what to expect , especially from an acoustic set. He really got the crowd going and singing a long. I'm not the biggest Frank Tuner fan , however I think his music is pretty great. I wouldn't rush over in a hurry to see him again but I think I'd like to see him with a full band just so I can get the idea of what he's like with a full band as well as being acoustic.

When he had finished we headed over to the Castle Stage to wait for Jerry Williams to come on stage. Jerry is from Portsmouth so there is nothing better than seeing a local artist playing the festivals 2nd biggest stage. I think Jerry's music is fab and if you've not listened to her before I really suggest you do. She absolutely killed her set ! She was absolutely great and you could tell that lots of the locals that live in Portsmouth were there in support of Jerry. She looked like she was having a great time performing with her band. Jerry is also on tour in October and she's playing dates in London , Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

After Jerry performed we waited for Will Joseph Cook. My favourite bit about Will's performance was the two nana's that were stood in front of me , lapping up the atmosphere and soaking up the sun with a pint in hand. I want to be those people when I get older. Will started a mosh pit and got lots of people dancing and it was great. I really enjoyed his set and it was also great talking to him before his set.

I can't remember what we did afterwards , I think we went to be nosey at the Busterfest stage to see what was happening over there. Not much was happening but a band that sounded pretty cool from the split second of a song I heard had just finished a song when they announced that someones guitar strap had just broke. We plodded to get some sweets from a pic n mix stand , whilst on the way over I witnessed a man nearly get thrown into the bin. We headed back to the VIP area to chill for a bit in time to catch the next performance on the common stage.

Yes the photo above is actually The Hunna ... If you don't know , I don't actually like The Hunna that much. I have tried listening to their music plenty of times but it's just a bit pants in my opinion. I decided to stick around for 3 of their songs and they actually didn't sound awful , they are actually very good live. The crowd absolutely loved them and looked like they were enjoying themselves a lot. The band also said that this was probably the biggest stage they have ever played at a festival.

Feeder were the next band on and I have seen them before back at Isle of Wight Festival in 2012 and they were pretty good. This time around I wasn't so sure , I think they appeal to a more older generation a lot more than people my age although Buck Rodgers was a song I grew up with as it used to be played a lot in car journeys. Also shout out to the guy with the sooty puppets that kept popping up every two minutes.

Maximo Park were after Feeder and I feel like this is a band I should have known about but I literally had no idea who they were. I liked Maximo Park and the singer had a great outfit on too. After their performance on Saturday I think I'm definitely going to listen to them a bit more.

In 2012 I started listening to Jake Bugg. The first time I heard lightning bolt I needed to hear more music from Jake. His voice is so unique and I wasn't sure what he would be like live. Jake was absolutely amazing and I'm so glad I got to see him live. He did a good variety of songs from all of his albums and a lot of them were songs I really liked which was great. Someone also lit a flare during his set towards the end and there was also some toilet roll and a cup of pee flung around as everyone basically lost it to lightning bolt.

After Jake finished his set we had a rather long wait for the common stage headliners , Stereophonics ! This was my 2nd time seeing them as I saw them at Isle of Wight last year and they were pretty good. As soon as the walked onto the stage I was very excited to see what they bring to their set this time round. I got to hear all the songs that I liked which is a great start. They also did a mash up of all these different rock songs and that was pretty cool.

My mind was blown when they played Sunny , which is a track off of their last album Keep The Village Alive which was released in 2015. Honestly the guitar solos and just everything about that song live was just incredible. If you ever get the chance to see Stereophonics then your in for something incredible because wow they are absolutely insane live. They are definitely up there with some of the other incredible bands I've seen live. We did have to leave early so we didn't get to see their entire set but what I saw was incredible.

I think Victorious Festival might possibly be the best festival I've been to in a while. Normally when I go to a big festival like this my anxiety tends to make me feel on edge constantly meaning I can't enjoy myself as much but with Victorious Festival it was a very great experience. It's a very big festival but its very well spaced out not like some festivals I've been to before which is perfect.
I think its a very family festival for sure. I saw a lot of younger kids there and they looked like they were loving it.

Victorious Festival is possibly been the most enjoyable festival I've been to in a long time and I'm so excited to see what the line up for next years festival is like ! You can already buy tickets for next year at the price of just £20 per day which is an absolute bargain considering how expensive a whole weekend ticket for these bigger festivals are. My highlights for this year had to be Will Joseph Cook , Jerry Williams and Jake Bugg for sure as they were all fab live.

I can't believe that was my last festival of the season ! What a great way to end a summer of great music. If you have never been to Victorious and you live near by you have to go next year for sure as your missing out on such a great festival ! Also there are some more photos I took that I wanted to share at the bottom of the post if you want to check those. Also a massive thank you to Victorious Festival for having me !

Speak soon ,