The proposed festival touted a remarkable lineup, featuring acclaimed bands such as The Killers, Pulp, Def Leppard, Wet Leg, and The Libertines.
The three-day event, with a capacity of 45,000, was scheduled for the August bank holiday and ambitiously promoted as the world’s first hydrogen-powered music festival.
However, a critical flaw existed: the entire premise was allegedly built on falsehoods.
A BBC News investigation has revealed how James Kenny, described as a “fantasist” and a convicted fraudster, purportedly orchestrated a fictitious festival from his mother’s kitchen, drawing in Glastonbury headliners, Hollywood celebrities, and even a national government.
After being confronted by the BBC, Mr. Kenny maintained that he intended for the festival to proceed and expressed “sincere regret” to those who incurred financial losses.
Numerous individuals within the festival industry have suggested that it attracts figures like Mr. Kenny, characterized by grandiose ideas and ambitious plans.
When a bar manager with experience running hotels and a nightclub in Liverpool proposed a multi-million pound festival, larger than Latitude, and claimed backing from investors such as John Vincent, co-founder of the Leon restaurant chain, some industry insiders believed he might succeed.
However, as time progressed, employees and suppliers who were initially “completely convinced” began to question the legitimacy of the project.
“It was a festival constructed on paper,” a former employee stated.
“Everything began to fall apart, and I realized that it only existed for him.”
Some now suspect that Mr. Kenny never intended for the ambitious festival to materialize, citing the absence of band deposits, license applications, and confirmation from purported investors.
This raises the question: How did a festival founded on alleged deception progress so far?
Monmouth Rising was planned to take place on a verdant showground outside a Welsh border town, a venue typically used for car boot sales rather than a multi-stage music festival.
Promotional materials emphasized affordable tickets, cashless transactions, and a “commitment to inclusivity” with the absence of VIP areas.
During a town hall meeting in February, the 47-year-old presented detailed site maps, asserting they were designed using the same software used for planning the Paris Olympics.
He also claimed that BBC Radio Wales would broadcast the festival live and that a cannon would launch bacon sandwiches into the campsite each morning.
He informed prospective employees that investors included “one of the founders of Creamfields” and stated that an economic impact assessment from the Welsh government projected the festival would generate £28.9 million for the region.
One industry insider noted: “In my 20 years in the industry, it’s extremely rare to see a festival of that magnitude launched as a first-time event.”
The individual, who provided services for the festival and requested anonymity due to concerns about future employment opportunities, added: “It’s embarrassing [that I believed him], but in this industry, you want someone to be a bit eccentric.”
Employees and suppliers described a secretive atmosphere fostered by Mr. Kenny, characterized by a lack of headline act announcements and uncertainty about ticket sales.
Music producer Chris Whitehouse was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before creating a soundtrack for the festival’s advertisement, which Mr. Kenny claimed would be “voiced” by Idris Elba, who would also DJ at the festival alongside Groove Armada and Whigfield.
However, Chris observed inconsistencies.
“These people supposedly have an £8 million budget for this music festival, and he looks like he’s just come from Wetherspoons,” he remarked.
Chris has not received payment for his work and has initiated legal proceedings against Mr. Kenny for breach of contract.
Idris Elba’s agent stated that there was “no record of Idris doing anything for this man,” while Groove Armada and Whigfield confirmed they were never booked.
Genevieve Barker was among the few individuals Mr. Kenny included in these confidential discussions.
“He would say, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve got this band, but don’t tell anyone,'” she recounted.
Having dedicated time to raising her five children, the marketing and events specialist from Monmouth felt “lovebombed” into resigning from her position to become the festival’s head of partnerships.
“I had spent the majority of the past 16 years raising children,” she explained.
“If you’ve always worked part-time or been a stay-at-home parent, this was a career opportunity of a lifetime.”
She stated that the “larger than life” businessman offered her a higher salary than she had ever earned, along with a pension and private dental and healthcare coverage for her family.
However, after commencing work for the festival, she described it as being “like a toxic relationship.”
She added: “He made us feel very special, offered a few incentives, but then isolated us. He never encouraged us to communicate as a group unless he was present.”
Another Monmouth Rising employee, who typically works at festivals during the summer, seized the opportunity for a more permanent, work-from-home position, given her responsibilities as a part-time caregiver.
She requested anonymity due to concerns about securing employment in a struggling industry that is “already challenging for older women.”
She recounted that, during a brief 10-minute interview, Mr. Kenny “quickly mentioned numerous bands he was in discussions with, so rapidly that I couldn’t take notes. Then, he agreed to everything I asked for.”
Various suppliers also reported providing thousands of pounds worth of services and being promised significantly more in the future.
The BBC has reviewed WhatsApp conversations in which Monmouth Rising employees expressed enthusiasm about the plans.
However, in late February, an unexpected message appeared.
“Where is our pay?”
Employees discovered that they had not received their initial payment.
The festival’s website was inaccessible, and they were unable to access their work emails. Adam Purslow, founder of The Loyalty Co, stated that his company developed the website at a reduced rate for his “serial entrepreneur” friend, Mr. Kenny.
Following multiple requests for payment, Adam removed the website when his team received a “suspicious” document as proof of incoming funding.
“All the suppliers started to question the legitimacy of the entire situation,” he stated.
Employees, including Genevieve, had mortgages, rent, and childcare expenses to cover.
In response to her urgent appeals, Mr. Kenny sent her videos recorded at his mother’s residence, where he was residing, asserting that he was “literally just waiting” for the funds to arrive.
BBC Wales has learned that the funds Mr. Kenny was promising were a £90,000 cash advance, known as invoice funding, which was rejected due to failing due diligence checks.
This was attributed to an invoice from train operator GWR, which Mr. Kenny presented as proof of incoming funds, being flagged as a potential forgery.
GWR stated that it was unable to match the invoice to its records and “immediately reported” its concerns to British Transport Police.
This is not the only instance of an alleged forged document purportedly used by Mr. Kenny.
Mr. Kenny had previously attempted to organize a city-wide cocktail festival, and a similar pattern of promises and alleged forgeries ensued.
In 2021, he began working for Kate and James, a couple who owned a cocktail bar in Chester and provided backstage catering for high-profile events such as the National Television Awards (NTAs).
The couple, who now reside in Morocco, stated that Mr. Kenny “always gravitated towards glamorous things” and was enthusiastic when invited to work at the NTAs, although “the reality is, it’s demanding work, and you’re essentially cleaning up after famous people.”
Kate stated that Mr. Kenny also claimed to have dated a well-known actress and TV presenter after meeting her at a hotel bar he managed in Liverpool, despite no evidence suggesting this occurred.
“We later discovered that he had been telling people he was in charge of the NTA party,” Kate said.
“We felt sorry for him.”
Kate stated that Mr. Kenny always knew “the right names to mention” and persuaded the couple to invest in a new Liverpool Cocktail Week with him.
However, the promised funds never materialized, and the event was canceled, resulting in the couple losing £20,000.
To explain the payment delay, Mr. Kenny presented the couple with a £40,000 loan agreement from Metro Bank.
A month later, when the funds had not been received, he shared a letter from the same bank stating that his account had been mistakenly suspended due to potential fraudulent activity.
The loan offer had inexplicably increased to £75,000 and referenced an additional £35,000 from an investor in Malta.
The couple confronted Mr. Kenny in a phone call, but stated that he never reimbursed them.
This was not the last time Mr. Kenny claimed funds were originating from someone in Malta.
When Mr. Purslow requested payment this year, Mr. Kenny sent a screenshot, seen by the BBC, of an international money transfer for £200,000 from a bank in Malta, but the name was misspelled.
When the bank was contacted about the document, it stated that it was “not legitimate.”
The individuals Mr. Kenny claimed to have been in discussions with about investing in the festival were also contacted.
Mr. Vincent stated that he had never met him, while two of the original Creamfields founders and current owners stated they had never heard of him.
The Welsh government stated that it had never conducted an economic impact assessment.
The Killers and Def Leppard stated they had never been asked to perform. Responses from The Libertines, Wet Leg, and Pulp are still pending. Other bands stated they had been contacted, but deposits were never paid.
With six months until the festival, Monmouth Rising appeared to be in serious trouble.
Genevieve stated that, with traders demanding their money back, she felt “morally obligated” to confront Mr. Kenny, but he refused to listen.
Then, on March 6, he posted an open letter on social media announcing the festival’s cancellation because, he stated, it was “no longer viable” but hoped it could proceed in 2026.
He stated that all ticket holders and vendors would receive refunds, but BBC Wales has learned that only 24 tickets were sold, and all were refunded because their payments were held by the ticketing company.
Numerous traders stated they had yet to receive their deposits back.
Organizing Monmouth Rising from scratch would have required millions of pounds.
The company responsible for providing hydrogen power to the festival stated that it entered into a commercial supply agreement, but no work had been initiated. BBC Wales stated that it had never been contacted to broadcast from the festival.
Additionally, it was discovered that the site plan was created using an online app offering free trials, rather than software used to plan the Paris Olympics.
Suppliers and employees, including Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Purslow, and Ms. Barker, stated they were thousands of pounds out of pocket, and attempts to initiate legal proceedings against Mr. Kenny were hindered after he canceled his phone number and changed addresses.
The woman who had the 10-minute interview stated that she was left without funds and unable to claim Universal Credit for several months because HMRC believed she had been paid.
Mr. Kenny was tracked down via his new phone number to address these allegations.
He stated that the lineup was legitimate and that he had spent a year working on Monmouth Rising, adding that it was “the only thing I focused on.”
He indicated that he had paid some employees and that those who had incurred losses could contact him directly, adding that he has “never avoided anything.”
He declined to provide his current residence or answer questions regarding the alleged forgeries or the investors he claimed to have secured, requesting that questions be emailed instead.
He did not respond to the questions in detail, but in a statement he said his “sole motivation” was to create something meaningful and that it came at personal cost to his health and finances.
He stated that the plan collapsed when he realized he would be unable to secure permission for an event of that size at Monmouth Showground.
Monmouthshire council stated that, during the 12 months he claimed to have spent planning the festival, he only had one meeting with them.
He added that he was truly remorseful, promising directly to those affected: “I will repay you.”
Questions are now being raised about how this situation was able to progress as far as it did.
James Kenny is listed as a director of numerous small companies under various versions of his name, with £27,000 in unpaid County Court Judgements against him.
In 2008, he was convicted of two counts of fraud for forging his wife’s signature to obtain a mortgage payment to settle £15,000 in debts.
While Mr. Kenny’s motivations for constructing a festival based on deception remain unclear, very few of those interviewed believe that Monmouth Rising would have ever succeeded.
Genevieve, who is still owed £5,000 and has recently secured new employment, described Mr. Kenny as “a fantasist and a narcissist.”
“I mean, this was supposed to be a multi-million pound event, and he established his office at his mother’s kitchen table,” she stated.
“He deceived all of us.”
Additional reporting by Charlie O’Keeffe
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