‘Fantasist’ promised music stars for festival that never happened

It boasted a line-up of bands together with The Killers, Pulp, Def Leppard, Moist Leg and The Libertines.

The 45,000 capability three-day occasion was because of be held this August financial institution vacation and was billed because the world’s first hydrogen-powered music competition.

However there was a snag: It was primarily based on lies.

A BBC Information investigation has uncovered how “fantasist” and convicted fraudster James Kenny deliberate a make-believe competition from his aged mum’s kitchen that pulled Glastonbury headliners, Hollywood stars and even a rustic’s authorities into its orbit.

After we tracked Mr Kenny down he insisted he meant for the competition to go forward, including he was “actually sorry” to those that had misplaced cash.

Many we have spoken to say the competition trade is brimming with characters like Mr Kenny, full of massive concepts and grand plans.

So when the bar supervisor who ran inns and a nightclub in Liverpool pitched a multi-million pound competition greater than Latitude, claiming funding from traders such because the co-founder of restaurant chain Leon John Vincent, trade insiders thought he may simply be capable to pull it off.

However as time went on, workers and suppliers who had been “100% satisfied” informed us they then began to query if it was actual.

“It was a competition manufactured from paper,” one former worker stated.

“All the things sort of unravelled and I realised it does not exist for anyone else however him.”

Some now consider Mr Kenny by no means meant for his formidable competition to occur – deposits weren’t paid for bands, licence purposes had been by no means made and traders he claimed to be speaking to say they’ve by no means heard of him.

So how did a competition constructed on lies get to date?

Monmouth Rising was because of be held on a leafy showground outdoors the Welsh border city – an area extra used to internet hosting Saturday morning automotive boot gross sales than festivals with 5 levels.

Competition literature boasted inexpensive tickets, cashless funds and a “dedication to inclusivity” with no VIP areas.

At a packed city corridor assembly in February, the 47-year-old confirmed detailed website maps he claimed had been designed with the identical software program used to plan the Paris Olympics.

BBC Radio Wales would broadcast the competition stay and a cannon would even fireplace bacon butties into the campsite within the mornings, or so he claimed.

He informed potential workers that traders included “one of many founders of Creamfields” and stated an financial impression evaluation from the Welsh authorities confirmed the competition would convey £28.9m into the world.

One trade insider stated: “I’ve labored within the trade for 20 years and it’s actually, actually remarkable to do a competition that massive for the primary time.”

The person, who provided companies for the competition and did not need to be named for concern of lacking out on future jobs, added: “It is embarrassing [that I believed him], however on this trade you need somebody to be a bit loopy.”

Staff and suppliers discuss of a secretive tradition Mr Kenny constructed up: Headline acts weren’t being introduced and no-one knew what number of tickets had been offered.

Music producer Chris Whitehouse was requested to signal a non-disclosure settlement earlier than making a soundtrack for the competition’s advert to be “voiced” by Idris Elba, who – he was informed by Mr Kenny – would additionally DJ on the competition alongside dance headliners Groove Armada and Whigfield.

However Chris stated issues did not add up.

“These guys apparently have an £8m price range to do that music competition and he appears like he is simply walked out of Wetherspoons,” he stated.

Chris hasn’t been paid for his work and has issued court docket proceedings towards Mr Kenny for breach of contract.

Elba’s agent stated there was, “no report of Idris doing something for this man” and Groove Armada and Whigfield stated they had been by no means booked.

Genevieve Barker is among the few individuals Mr Kenny let into these secretive conversations.

“He’d say ‘oh my gosh we have this band, however do not inform anybody’,” she recalled.

Having hung out elevating her 5 kids, the advertising and occasions specialist in Monmouth felt “lovebombed” into leaving her job to be head of partnerships for the competition.

“I would spent the very best a part of 16 years elevating kids,” she stated.

“Should you’ve all the time been working half time or a stay-at-home father or mother, this was the profession transfer of a lifetime.”

She stated the “bigger than life” businessman supplied her more cash than she’d ever made, in addition to a pension and personal dental and healthcare cowl for her household.

However after she began working for the competition, she stated it was, “like a poisonous relationship”.

She added: “He made us really feel actually particular, dangled a few carrots, however then remoted us. He by no means inspired us to speak as a bunch except he was there.”

One other Monmouth Rising worker works for festivals over the summer time. As a part-time carer she stated she jumped on the probability for a longer-term gig working from residence.

She doesn’t need to be named for concern of not getting work in a struggling trade that’s “already troublesome for older girls”.

She says {that a} 10-minute job interview noticed Mr Kenny run by “a great deal of bands that he was in talks with, so quick that I could not write them down. Then he stated sure to every part I requested for”.

Numerous suppliers additionally informed us they offered hundreds of kilos price of labor and had been promised hundreds extra in future.

The BBC has seen WhatsApp chats the place Monmouth Rising’s workers spoke excitedly in regards to the plans.

However, out of the blue in late February, a brand new message appeared.

“The place is our pay?”

Staff had woken as much as discover that they had not obtained their first pay packet.

The competition’s web site was down and so they could not entry work emails. The Loyalty Co founder Adam Purslow stated his agency constructed the web site at a cut-price price for his “serial entrepreneur” buddy Mr Kenny.

After quite a few requests for cost, Adam pulled the web site when his crew had been offered with a “fishy” trying doc as proof of incoming funding.

“All of the suppliers began to query how real that entire factor was,” he stated.

Staff like Genevieve had mortgages, lease and nursery payments to pay.

In response to her determined appeals, Mr Kenny despatched her movies, filmed in his mum’s residence the place he was dwelling, claiming he was “actually simply ready” for cash to come back in.

BBC Wales has found this cash Mr Kenny was promising was a £90,000 money advance, often called bill funding. But it surely was turned down as a result of it failed due diligence checks.

This was as a result of an bill from practice firm GWR, which Mr Kenny handed over as proof of incoming funds, was flagged as a possible forgery.

GWR stated it was unable to match the bill to its data and “instantly reported” its suspicions to British Transport Police.

It isn’t the one alleged cast doc Mr Kenny seems to have relied upon.

Mr Kenny beforehand tried and did not ship a city-wide cocktail competition and an analogous sample of guarantees and alleged forgeries adopted in its wake.

In 2021 he began working for Kate and James, a pair who ran a cocktail bar in Chester and did backstage catering for celebrity-packed occasions such because the Nationwide Tv Awards (NTAs).

The couple, who now stay in Morocco, stated Mr Kenny “all the time preferred shiny issues” and was excited once they invited him to work on the NTAs, though “the fact is, it is exhausting work and also you’re simply clearing up after well-known individuals, somewhat than atypical individuals”.

Kate stated Mr Kenny additionally informed them he had dated a well-known actress and TV presenter after assembly her at a resort bar he ran in Liverpool, regardless of there being no suggestion he had.

“We then came upon he had been telling individuals he runs the NTA celebration,” stated Kate.

“We felt sorry for him.”

Kate stated Mr Kenny all the time knew the “proper title to drop” and persuaded the couple to speculate with him in a brand new Liverpool Cocktail Week.

However his cash he promised wasn’t forthcoming and the occasion by no means occurred, leaving the couple £20,000 out of pocket.

In an try to clarify the delay in paying up, Mr Kenny offered the couple with a £40,000 mortgage settlement from Metro Financial institution.

A month later when that cash did not materialise, he shared a letter from the identical financial institution saying his account had been erroneously suspended for potential fraudulent exercise.

The mortgage supply had inexplicably risen to £75,000 and it referenced one other £35,000 from an investor in Malta.

The couple confronted Mr Kenny in a cellphone name, however stated he by no means paid them.

It wasn’t the final time Mr Kenny claimed funds had been coming from somebody in Malta.

When Mr Purslow requested for cost this yr, Mr Kenny despatched a screenshot, seen by the BBC, of a global cash switch for £200,000 from a financial institution in Malta, however the title was misspelled.

After we requested the financial institution in regards to the doc, it stated it was “not official”.

We additionally contacted the individuals Mr Kenny stated he had been chatting with about investing within the competition.

Mr Vincent stated he had by no means met him whereas two of the unique Creamfields founders and present homeowners all stated that they had by no means heard of him.

The Welsh authorities stated it had by no means achieved an financial impression evaluation.

The Killers and Def Leppard stated that they had by no means been requested to carry out. We’ve but to listen to again from The Libertines, Moist Leg and Pulp. Different bands stated that they had been requested, however deposits had been by no means paid.

With six months to go till the competition, Monmouth Rising sinking.

Genevieve stated, with merchants asking for his or her a refund, she felt “morally obliged” to problem Mr Kenny however he wouldn’t pay attention.

Then, on 6 March, he posted an open letter on social media cancelling the competition as a result of, he stated, it was “now not viable” however nonetheless hoped it will run in 2026.

He stated all ticket holders and distributors would obtain refunds however BBC Wales has been informed solely 24 individuals had purchased tickets and all had been refunded as a result of their funds had been held by the ticketing firm.

Many merchants we spoke to stated they had been but to get their deposits again.

Monmouth Rising would have value thousands and thousands to tug off from a standing begin.

The corporate due to offer the competition with hydrogen energy stated it entered right into a business provide settlement however no work had been achieved. BBC Wales stated it had by no means been approached to broadcast from the competition.

We’ve additionally discovered – removed from being software program used to plan the Paris Olympics – the positioning plan was drawn up utilizing an internet app providing free trials.

Suppliers and workers, together with Mr Whitehouse, Mr Purslow and Ms Barker stated they had been hundreds of kilos out of pocket and makes an attempt to begin authorized proceedings towards Mr Kenny stalled after he cancelled his cellphone quantity and moved addresses.

The girl who had the 10-minute interview stated she was left penniless and unable to say Common Credit score for months as a result of HMRC thought she had been paid.

We tracked down Mr Kenny on his new cellphone quantity so as to put these allegations to him.

He stated the line-up was actual and he spent a yr engaged on Monmouth Rising, including it was “the one factor I centered on”.

He indicated he did pay some workers and stated those that misplaced cash may contact him instantly, including he has “by no means hidden away from something”.

He would not inform us the place he is now dwelling or reply our questions in regards to the alleged forgeries, or the traders he claimed he had, and requested us to electronic mail him with our questions as a substitute.

He did not reply to these questions intimately, however in a press release he stated his “sole motivation” was to create one thing significant and that it got here at private value to his well being and funds.

He stated it fell aside when he realised he would not be capable to get permission for an occasion of that measurement at Monmouth Showground.

Monmouthshire council informed us, within the 12 months he claimed he spent planning the competition, he solely had one assembly with them.

He added that he was actually repentant, promising on to these affected: “I’ll repay you.”

Questions are actually being requested about how this was capable of progress so far as it did.

James Kenny is a named director of dozens of small firms below completely different variations of his title, leaving £27,000 in unpaid County Court Judgements behind him.

In 2008, he was convicted of two counts of fraud for forging his spouse’s signature to acquire a mortgage cost to clear £15,000 price of money owed.

No-one can know what motivated Mr Kenny to construct a competition primarily based on lies, however only a few of these we’ve spoken to consider Monmouth Rising would ever have labored.

Genevieve, who continues to be owed £5,000 and has solely simply obtained one other job, stated she thinks Mr Kenny is “a fantasist and a narcissist”.

“I imply, this was meant to be a multi-million pound occasion and he arrange his workplace at his mom’s kitchen desk,” she stated.

“He fooled all of us.”

Extra reporting by Charlie O’Keeffe