Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival, typically a highlight of the UK’s summer music calendar, has found itself at the center of a heated controversy after several prominent bands withdrew in protest over the treatment of Irish folk band The Mary Wallopers. The incident, which unfolded over the festival’s closing weekend in August 2025, has sparked a wider debate about censorship, artistic expression, and solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The trouble began on Friday, August 22, when The Mary Wallopers took to the stage at the festival. The group, known for their outspoken political views, entered brandishing a Palestinian flag—a move that immediately drew attention from both the crowd and festival organizers. According to BBC and Daily Mail reporting, the band’s set included a chant of “Free Palestine and f*** Israel,” followed by a rousing “Free free Palestine!” that the audience joined in on. Moments later, a festival crew member intervened, removing the flag from the stage. Shortly after, the band’s microphones were abruptly turned off, effectively cutting their sound and halting the performance.
The Mary Wallopers quickly took to social media to share footage of the event and to challenge the festival’s official explanation. The band claimed, “Our video clearly shows a Victorious crew member coming on stage, interfering with our show, removing the flag from the stage and then the sound being cut following a chant of 'Free Palestine.'” They further alleged that the same crew member told them, “you aren’t playing until the flag is removed,” directly contradicting the festival’s initial statement that the band had chosen to end the set themselves after a warning about a “discriminatory” chant.
Festival organizers initially insisted that their actions were in line with a long-standing policy prohibiting flags of any kind at the event, citing safety and event management concerns. “We spoke to the artist before the performance regarding the festival's long-standing policy of not allowing flags of any kind at the event, but that we respect their right to express their views during the show,” a spokesperson said. “Although a flag was displayed on stage contrary to our policy, and this was raised with the artist's crew, the show was not ended at this point, and it was the artist's decision to stop the song.”
But The Mary Wallopers rejected this account as misleading. In a statement, they said, “The festival have released a misleading statement to the press claiming they cut our sound because of a discriminatory chant, and not the band's call to Free Palestine. We completely reject Victorious' portrayal of today's events and request that they retract their statement immediately.”
The situation escalated rapidly. On Saturday, August 23, three other acts—The Last Dinner Party, Cliffords, and The Academic—announced they would no longer perform at Victorious Festival in solidarity with The Mary Wallopers. The Last Dinner Party, in a statement on Instagram, declared, “We are outraged by the decision made to silence The Mary Wallopers yesterday at Victorious. As a band we cannot cosign political censorship and will therefore be boycotting the festival today.” The group also urged fans to donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians, stating, “As Gazans are deliberately plunged into catastrophic famine after two years of escalating violence it is urgent and obvious that artists use their platform to draw attention to the cause. To see an attempt to direct attention away from the genocide in order to maintain an apolitical image is immensely disappointing.”
The Academic echoed this sentiment, saying they could not “in good conscience” perform at “a festival that silences free speech.” Cliffords likewise stated, “We refuse to play if we are to be censored for showing our support to the people of Palestine.” The wave of withdrawals drew praise from Irish rap trio Kneecap, who posted online, “Speak up against genocide in England and you're treated like a criminal. Up the Mary Wallopers.”
With the festival’s reputation on the line and the story gaining traction across social media and news outlets, Victorious organizers issued a second, more contrite statement. “The Mary Wallopers are a fantastic band and we were very much looking forward to their performance at Victorious on Friday,” the statement read. “We didn't handle the explanation of our policies sensitively or far enough in advance to allow a sensible conclusion to be reached. This put the band and our own team in a difficult situation which never should have arisen. We would like to sincerely apologise to all concerned.” The organizers acknowledged that, “although mics remained live for longer, sound for The Mary Wallopers' audience was cut as described in the band's video and that comments after that were not audible to the public.”
Crucially, the festival also pledged to make “a substantial donation to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people,” in an apparent effort to address the broader concerns raised by the artists and the public. The apology, while welcomed by some, did little to quell the larger debate about the boundaries of artistic expression at public events and the responsibilities of festival organizers to balance safety, neutrality, and free speech.
The fallout continued to ripple across the festival grounds. On Saturday night, during Vampire Weekend’s headline set, lead singer Ezra Koenig addressed the controversy directly. “If someone was censored for flying a flag then that's wrong and they deserve an apology,” he told the crowd, adding that the people of Palestine “deserve our sympathies.” The moment was met with applause and underscored the depth of feeling among both artists and attendees.
The controversy comes at a time when the intersection of music, politics, and protest is increasingly visible on the world stage. The Mary Wallopers’ protest and the subsequent artist boycotts echo similar incidents at other festivals, such as punk rap duo Bob Vylan’s divisive set at Glastonbury earlier in the summer, which also resulted in a public apology from the BBC. The debate over the role of musicians in political activism—and the limits of acceptable protest in live performance—shows no sign of abating.
Despite the withdrawals, the festival pressed ahead with its closing day, featuring headline acts Kings of Leon, Bloc Party, Gabrielle, and The Reytons. Yet, for many, the events of the weekend will be remembered less for the music and more for the questions raised about censorship, solidarity, and the power of the stage as a platform for political expression.
As the dust settles on Victorious Festival 2025, the reverberations of this controversy continue to be felt far beyond Portsmouth. The episode stands as a stark reminder that, even in spaces designed for celebration and escape, the world’s most pressing issues—and the passions they ignite—are never far from the surface.