Was it really way back in 2011 that legendary Portsmouth alt-club night Chaos finally called time? Yes, yes it was. Or rather, no it wasn't. Since that last goodbye the chaps have staged the odd hurrah, including in 2017 a rather fab reunion at Coastguard Studio and some spooky shenanigans at Southsea Castle, reminding a percentage of Pompey's population of good times, loud music and suspicious Sangria. The chaps are back for Halloween this year, once again at Southsea Castle, with the classic Chaos line-up of Bob Berridge, Jay Dunstan, Will Chumpand DJ Lemon spinning tunes old and new from 2100 to 0200.
5.4.3.2.1 and we're back in the room or, rather, the field as that's more apt for the festival experience. Following on from part one of my recommended acts to see at Victorious, which served up some afternoon delights, this second helping of covers the evening, from seven o'clock through to the last chord. Are we ready? Eyes down for a full house...
Embrace (Castle Stage, 1900-1945) Arguably the one band on the bill most likely to produce an Elbow-style "get your lighters out and let's have a sing-song" festival moment. Not everyone's bag of chips I'll grant you, but this still holds up...
Hipshaker (Soul CircusTent, 1915-2020) Simon & Dave, aka the famous Hipshaker DJs, bring experience, knowledge and some excellent vinyl to the party. Expect music to move your feet to and, if you like what you hear, be sure to check out the Hipshaker radio show, every Friday night on ExpressFM (or catch up on MixCloud).
Temples of Youth (Beats & Swing Tent, 1930-2015) This Winchester duo produce moody and melodic electronica, consistently beautiful music. Trust me, your ears will love you forever for listening.
Friendly Fires (Common Stage, 1950-2040) A pleasant addition to the bill this, Friendly Fires have been out of the limelight for a few years, so it's good to see them back with a new collection of tunes. Might there be Hawaiian shirts on display? Here's hoping.
Andrew Foster (Strong Island Acoustic Stage, 2010-2100) This highly talented singer-songwriter crafts exquisite indie-folk-pop music and has excellent taste for choosing the right cover version...
Example&DJ Wire (Castle Stage, 2015-2100) I'm sure I saw an interview with Example where, as everything in his life is going so well, he felt he couldn't write the same kind of music as before. First world problems...
Chris Helme (Acoustic Stage, 2045-2130) Late of The Seahouses(not not be confused with The Shirehorses), Chris Helme has been refining his craft as a solo act for several years now, releasing indie-folk that has been compared to the late, great Gram Parsons. Nice.
The Prodigy (Common Stage, 2120-2250) I'm not saying that I find the Keith Flint a scary man, but the sheer power of his stare is enough to make you dance (and that's before the beats, or his spiky hair, work their magic). Reach for the lasers..
The Correspondents (Beats & Swing Tent, 2130-2230) He is Mr Bruce and he is DJ Chucks, together they are The Correspondents. Swing. Your. Pants.
Pete Scathe (Soul Circus Tent, 2140-2255) aka The Legendary Pete Scathe, Portsmouth legend and host/DJ of the Connection indie night since I don't know when. Ah, Scandals, now there was a place... *sigh* expect a blend of new and retro, Indie and Electro..
Years & Years (Castle Stage, 2145-2245) Frontman Olly was in Gulliver's Travels, a definite low-water mark in Jack Black's movie career, but such knowledge should not be used as an excuse not to see Years & Years. Expect the crowd to go royally nuts when this is played...
Lucy Spraggan (Acoustic Stage, 2200-2245) An X Factor alum who, since moving on from her Cowell experience, has released several albums of delightfully crafted folk-pop.
Flowvers (Seaside Stage, 2215-2300) Pompey indie outfit Flowvers want to be the best thing you've ever heard... are they?
Put a fork in me, I'm done. Those are my selections for what to see on Sunday night at Victorious (although, if I'm honest, I'll probably be so transfixed by Keith Flint's hair that I'll miss out on the remaining delights on offer). When the last chord fades, with myself and several thousand happy punters making our way out into the night, no doubt we'll all be thinking the same thing; that was fun, shall we do it again next year?
If Friday night at Victoriousserves up an amuse-bouche for the festival experience, Saturday delivers more filling fare with the opening up of the rest of the stages, providing us punters with a wider selection of auditory morsels to be sampled.
There's something for just about everyone here, even to a somewhat jaded and cynical gig monkey such as myself. Therefore, with a larger menu to pick from and with distances between stages taken into consideration, I've tried to be slightly more selective with my recommendations. Are we sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...
Happy Mondays (Common Stage, 1315-1400) The boisterous bunch of Madchestersurvivors have an early afternoon slot on the big stage and, whilst this might reduce the possibility of a shambolic performance, it does rather increase the chances of random incidents of Dad dancing amongst the crowd (and I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be at least one person present sporting some sort of melon-related paraphernalia).
Pins (Castle Stage, 1450-1520) Pins are rockers. They rock out. They hail from Manchester, they've featured on the soundtrack of Lucifer and some scenes of their recent their visual EP (below) were filmed in a public convenience. And yes, they're really rather good.
Sleeper (Common Stage, 1620-1650) Louise Wener and chums have dusted off their Britpopcredentials, acquired a new bass player, and hit the road. Having quite liked Sleeper back in the day, yet having heard indifferent reports of their live prowess from some of my chums who've seen them, I'm somewhat intrigued to see what they bring to the stage.
Coasts(Castle Stage, 1650-1720) If you've not seen Bristol's Coasts play live before then, sadly, their Victorious appearance will be one of your last chances to do so; after several years, a couple of albums and a soundtrack appearance on Made In Chelsea, this five-piece are calling it quits. If you are lucky enough to catch them on the Castle Stage, and like what you hear, tickets for their Farewell Tour in October are on sale now.
Neneh Cherry [DJ set] (World Music Stage, 1700-1800) It's Neneh Cherry. Spinning tunes. Honestly, I shouldn't really need to sell it to you.
Gaz Coombes (Common Stage, 1720-1805) The former Supergrass frontman has released consistently interesting material since going solo; Matadorwas an excellent long player and this year's follow up, World's Strongest Man, has received critical praise. Plus he sports a natty pair of sideburns, and that's a thumbs up in my book.
Trampolene (Seaside Stage, 1800-1830) Once upon a Southsea Fest I found myself, standing in a packed Fat Fox, watching a three-piece blow minds and unhinge the projector screen. They were Trampolene. And they still are, mostly.
Shoot The Duke (Beats & Swing Tent, 1815-1900) Portsmouth's very own alt-skiffle band, Shoot The Duke have been entertaining punters at various venues and events across the city for a few years now; expect an infectious blend of roots, rhythm and blues. Which is nice.
ChaosDJs (Soul Circus, 1915-2020) Chaos was/is a Pompey institution, a regular indie-alternative night that took over one of the bars (and occasionally both) on South Parade Pier, providing their target demographic with loud music (see below), a bouncy dance floor and (for those on a budget) access to some suspect looking (but reasonably priced) Sangria. Ahh, memories...
Barry Hyde (Acoustic Stage, 1945-2015) Formerly of the sadly defunct and much missed Futureheads, since going it alone Barry Hyde has released an EP of Ivor Cutler covers and an LP that features a suite of songs reflecting his own experiences with mental illness. Whilst some might be hoping for an airing of the 'heads' Kate Bush cover I'd rather hear some of his solo material (OK, and maybe his Prince cover too).
Everything Everything (Castle Stage, 2020-2110) You know, that band that aren't Alt-J or Django Django. Yes, I have been known to get the three of them mixed up too. No, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Honest.
China Bears (Real Ale Stage, 2045-2115) Direct from Somerset, via Guildford, indie rockers China Bears have won praise from Steve Lamacq and Frank Turner, information which, depending on your viewpoint, has already informed your decision on whether you'll like them or not. It's a festival, there's beer adjacent, go check them out.
Paul Weller (Common Stage, 2120-2250) The Modfather himself. If you're expecting him to dredge some Jam classics out of his considerable back catalogue then you may be disappointed. Or not, he's mercurial like that.
And if that wasn't enough to keep you entertained then Simon & Dave ofHipshaker will be at the Common Stage all day, spinning some righteous tunes between the acts playing there. Well my lovelies, that's my selection for Saturday, tune in next time for my Sundayrecommendations.
The August Bank Holiday weekend is looming large on the horizon, strange metal structures are growing on Southsea Common and (no doubt) angry people are writing to the local newspaper to complain about access and/or noise. Yes, it's Victorious time again and, as the set-times have been released, here are my personal picks of acts and bands to look out for; first up, Friday night...
The addition of a Friday session, extending the fun over three nights and two days, was a welcome expansion to Victorious last year (even if the line-up for the inaugural Friday evening didn't really tickle my fancy). This year there's a bit more selection, though only limited parts of the site will be open for business (similar to the Thursday night at Bestival) and. After the nutty boys of Madnessheadlined last year it appears that the organisers have again opted mostly for crowd-friendly sing-a-long action, booking Shed Seven, Kaiser Chiefs and a tribute act performing The Beatles' Abbey Road album in full. It struck me as bizarre then (especially giving one of their numbers' shambolic solo set at last year's festival) to read that The Libertines are headinling. I know, right? What, of the offerings makeing up the bill on the two open stages, would I go see? Well..
Marley Blandford (Common Stage, 1300-1400) Unfortunately for Marley he's drawn the opening slot on The Big Stage but he's a local lad so I'm sure he'll have an audience ready and waiting.
The Lightning Seeds (Common Stage, 1720-1800) The
glorious jingly-jangly feel-good pop of Ian Broudie, pretty much
guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face and a foot aching from
tapping. I don't know whether they'll play this but, as it's one of my Seeds favourites (the Susanna Hoffs cover it rather good too).
Dutch Criminal Record(Beats & Swing Tent, 1900-1945) Purveyors of bouncy indie-pop, Chichester's Dutch Criminal Record have the early evening slot in the Beats & Swing Tent.
Minque(Beats & Swing Tent, 2045-2130) Lush electronica from Southsea, again in the Beats & Swing Tent, Mique's set should finish just in time for the short wander back to the Common Stage to wait for Pete Doherty to show up.
The Libertines (Common Stage, 2140-2255) And finally, yes, The Libertines. Now I know that you may have, quite rightly, assumed from my musings earlier in this post I'm not the world's biggest fan of Mr Doherty and chums (possibly due to the NMEhaving an ongoing love-fest with them most weeks). Believe me, I've tried and, yes, have been told by several people considerably younger than myself that Mr Doherty is a genius. Whether he is or isn't is moot but, on their day, The Libs can turn out a punchy indie anthem equal to or better than some of their fellow alt acts below them on the bill. Like this one..
...after which you could just toddle along to the Meat & Barrel, have a cheeky pint, and wait for the rest of their set to be over.
Good news everyone! Dials Festival has returned, bringing a day of music to Albert Road, filling the hole made when Southsea Fest headed into the sunset. The Dials organisers have been hard at work behind the scenes since they tweeted their 'save the date' message, conjuring up the first wave of acts that has now been announced.
That's hell of a line-up and, if that wasn't incentive enough to get aboard, Dials have partnered with Solent Mind, a registered charity that provides a wide range of high quality services, across the South, which support people with mental health problems. I can, from personal experience, vouch for the good work organisations like Minddo.
Super Early Bird tickets are on sale now for just £12 [sorry, all gone!], with regular advance tickets still a bargain at £16, available now from the festival website. For more information and updates check the Dials Twitter feed.
Fightback: Grassroots Promoter is aimed at young women, passionate about live music, who want to learn the skills required to be an independent promoter. This new initiative will provide £100,000 in subsidy guarantees, underwriting 100 gigs at grassroots venues, all promoted by the next generation of independent female promoters.
Encouraging new promoters is vital for the survival grassroots music venues and, given the lack of diversity present in the music industry, it is important to remove barriers and encourage young women to bring their unique voice to the grassroots scene.
The festival returned, in a smaller form, in 2016 asDials Days(where
the photo above was taken) before it again disappeared into the shadows
much like Homer Simpson stepping backwards into a hedge.
Time moves on and, as Southsea Fest has also stepped back into the shrubbery, the sight of this tweet piqued my interest. Is Dials returning? Is there a new(ish) festival to fill the SSF hole in my gig calendar? Apparently so as, according to this tweet, we should keep Saturday 6th October free. Woo, and furthermore, hoo. Here's looking forward to the first announcement of acts playing, and cue happy dance...
