Victorious Festival 2025 Day One: Queens of the Stone Age, Kaiser Chiefs, Wunderhorse and more

Day one of Victorious Festival 2025 in the heart of Portsmouth promised the world – the sunny forecast held true, for once, and an impressive lineup of artists packed into one day is never not exciting. Although blessed by Mother Nature, the start of the festival ended up being tainted with controversy.
The Mary Wallopers’ set was scheduled to run from 5pm to 5.45pm on the Common stage, which is one of the festival’s main focal points. Unfortunately, the show was cut after the first song, Bould O’Donoghue, because the band unfurled a Palestinian flag and began to speak their truth – something that they are known for and have done for years. Victorious cut the cameras that provided live footage to the attendees as well as the band’s microphones, thus effectively silencing them. This censorship not only caused a malfunction in the seemingly well-oiled machine, but also left fans in the dark. The Mary Wallopers may have physically been silenced, but they quickly took to social media to expose the festival beyond what the audience had seen. With this, the energy of opening day went from easy-going, summertime fun to extremely awkward in less than 30 minutes.
Cornish rock band Wunderhorse followed on the same stage as originally planned, and their sound felt more intense than ever. The first track of their show was Midas, and it stood out for its ability to get folks moving again – between Jacob Slater’s gripping vocals and the power of Jamie Staples’ superb drum skills, Wunderhorse put in work to regulate the atmosphere. A new wave of festival-goers funnelled into the Common stage, and a sense of a fresh start seemed to be underway for not only Wunderhorse, but also the acts that followed.
Next on the lineup was Kaiser Chiefs, and it is almost impossible for the quintet to fumble under pressure. The iconic rock band showed they were beloved for a reason – Everyday I Love You Less And Less succeeded in carrying on the momentum created by Wunderhorse, and its fast-paced production naturally excited the crowd. In pure Kaiser Chiefs fashion, no hits were left behind: Modern Way, I Predict a Riot, and, of course, Ruby had the audience singing louder than lead vocalist, Ricky Wilson. As the sun set beautifully behind the Common stage, Kaiser Chiefs rounded out their performance with an extended cut of Oh My God, thus leaving viewers still energised and eagerly awaiting the headline event: Queens of the Stone Age.
The band delivered a deep performance filled with organised chaos – from the scream-style rock of You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire to the dreamy, vintage sound of The Vampyre of Time and Memory, Queens of the Stone Age ensured they served each member of the audience. No One Knows is arguably their biggest hit, and Victorious attendees showed it as they chanted along to its legendary guitar riff. As a treat, fans were allowed to have a say in the set – with this, Little Sister had its time to shine and had the same warm reception as No One Knows. When Song for the Dead wrapped up the evening, the festival was still packed as if the night was still young.
Although Wunderhorse, Kaiser Chiefs and Queens of the Stone Age worked their magic to recover from the festival’s earlier fault, and many were none the wiser, there was a slight uncertainty lingering in the air as to how day two would unfold.
Taryn Crowley
Photos: Virginie Viche
For further information and future events, visit Queens of the Stone Age’s website here.
Watch the video for No One Knows here:
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