Grimsthorpe Castle, Bourne
Thursday, 3 September 2026
Before I set off to the Nene Valley Rock Festival I began to think of all the music festivals that there are held each year, be they Prog, tribute acts or pop. So, curious, I did a bit of lazy research. At first, I asked Alexa how many music festival there were in Britain in 2026 and she came up with the eye watering figure of 6,300, which seemed a bit steep but I had no intention of spending days in an attempt to verify that number. However, I did ask the same question of Google and it came up with 12 and listed them. Thanks, Google but I suspect that you might not be correct either. Therefore, in a last-ditch attempt to answer my own question with an acceptable answer I asked AI. Being suspicious of that source, I expected it to tell me that it wanted to wipe out the human race but it behaved, for now, and came up with an approximate figure of 3,200 and qualified the answer so I decided to go with that.
Of course, many of the festivals will be one day events where a hand full of bands perform in small venues which hopefully have enough bums on seats to make it viable and repeatable in subsequent years. Others might be festivals full of the ever popular, but bewildering to me, tribute act events which, from the ones I have attended, have been in a field with the acts performing from the back of a curtain sided lorry. I find them hit and miss affairs, but the punters love them and they must turn a profit as they keep coming back, year after year. Nothing of course could be further away from the picturesque back drop to NVRF…
All this, at last brings me to my early thoughts of Nene Valley and all the hard work that is required to create a four day festival full of so many great bands. Yes, it has volunteers which grease the running of the machine, but the logistics must be mind boggling and makes me wonder how anyone can do it, year after year, so that it makes money and is viable. I might not have the answers to that question but hopefully after you have read the reviews of all four days it will give you a better picture of all the hard work put into it and how that returns a profit, of pure pleasure, to those that attend. (DW)
Having kept a constant check on the weather forecast leading up to my arrival I had been expecting rain, rain and more rain and ground that would have made underfoot feel like a sea of mud that would have put the Mary Borden’s WWI poem feel dry and dusty. But thankfully, as is often the case, the Met office had got it wrong and, on arrival it was sunny and the terrain was firm and dry. A good omen for the rest of the event.
As I arrived before the first act, Noddy’s Puncture, came on stage it gave me the chance to mingle with the crowd that were beginning to enter the fenced off audience area and the three stages in two marquees. Some familiar friendly faces along with plenty of newbies. And I also got chance to say hello to a few of the stall holders who I had met the previous year. Everyone I saw seemed to be happy and anticipating a great time.
For reference, and ease of description, I must explain that there were three stages. Kingfisher was the smaller stage and was in a marquee about 150 yards away from the other marquee containing the other stages, Heron and Swan, which faced each other but were separated by a raised sound stage equidistant between the two.
And first up, as previously mentioned, on the Heron stage, was Noddy’s Puncture. An ELP tribute act who are more than just swooning wannabees. This trio takes the job seriously and went out of their way to be the original band, only with a different name. I admit to being too late on the ELP appreciation train, although I have seen Carl Palmer numerous times and will be seeing him again next year, I never saw them live and had to be satisfied with YouTube videos and live albums. I had my own expectations but was open to being educated and entertained.
Having two sets I thought that it would allow me to catch as much of the first part as I could and then dip in and out of the later set, allowing me to see other acts. And, with this in mind I leaned back and let the show begin. They were good, and more accurately, they were damned good, but I soon realised that the sound of the giant Moog and Hammond organ has not aged well and some of the instrumental wizardry of the 1970’s might have been innovative and thrilling then, but time has made it sound passé now. It seems that the crowd were seeing them as a ‘Marmite’ act as well. Some loved them and watched entranced with obvious joy on their faces, a magical experience of either nostalgia or discovering a hidden gem for the first time, while others showed their disinterest by going to the bar and then off to the other marquee. Don’t get me wrong, there were many songs that I loved but on the whole it eventually began to become too much and I had to join the rest of the Marmite crowd and skive off to the Kingfisher stage. (DW)
Fellow TPA scribe Graham Thomas takes up the ELP trail:
The opening evening of the wonderful Nene Valley Rock Festival often features quality tribute acts, and this year saw the return of the only ELP tribute band I’ve seen, the curiously named Noddy’s Puncture. Since they had a lot of lengthy pieces to get through, they played two sets of expertly crafted covers. Their technical ability and attention to detail was impressive right from the start, as they tore through Hoedown, then the majestic ELP arrangement of Jerusalem. Toccata was the first real surprise, featuring some amazing electronic percussion from Frank Askew as the piece builds to its cacophonous conclusion. Tarkus was the centrepiece of the first set, and was near faultless as each of the three players proved that they are at the top of their game. The vocals from Mike Ian (from ELP Tribute band Tarkus) who had just flown over from the US for the gig, were fabulous. Lucky Man allowed Tom Szakaly to recreate Keith’s famous Moog solo perfectly, and the set concluded with the epic Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression). (GT)
Meanwhile over on the Kingfisher stage were Fearless Scoundrels, a new band to me but the quartet of musicians, who have a cartoon image of Terry Thomas as their logo image, were good old-fashioned boogie, rock ‘n’ roll and blues which offered a contrasting change from the intensity of Noddy’s Puncture.
They made me think of ZZ Top, only without such luxuriant beards, mixed with Steve Earl and Mississippi blues. There was even banter with the audience. Jokes so terrible that people couldn’t help but laugh.
Next on my ‘Must see’ list was the Nene Valley favourites, Square Wild. A band who seem to have become an annual event.
As always, they were wild by name and wild by nature. Lucy was the centrepiece of the craziness, but the bassist looked like he was not going to give in without a fight, and he added to the tomfoolery. Well crafted songs full of energy, but it was like a massive party full of music that was designed to make you move. This was especially the case for one song that had the feel of a ska conga. If you weren’t dancing, then the only excuse should have been a medical one. Also, when Lucy wasn’t on keyboards she was running about the stage like a mad pixie only with a voice, at times, like a growling tiger and at others a delicate, almost warbling tone.
I am sure a music teacher could give it a proper name, but I just call it brilliant. Then, when I thought they couldn’t up their game, she turned into puppet master, having the crowd punching the air in time to her songs. (DW)
Graham Thomas was suitably impressed:
Anyone who has ever attended NVRF will be familiar with Square Wild, and their unique brand of genre bending rock. Fronted and led by Lucy Shevchuk, their energetic and full blooded stage show is memorable to say the least. Lucy struts the stage like she owns it, and her excellent band are tight and hard hitting.
Most of their set for this performance comes from their imminent debut album Otherling. Shadow Puppets kicks things off in theatrical style, and Pins and Mould keeps the momentum going. Lucy handles the vocals and plays guitar, but she’s equally at home on keyboards, and literally can’t stand still. The band rock like a beast, but there are subtle moments of quiet beauty.
It’s hard to think of a more dynamic live band, and they fully justify their fourth consecutive appearance here. Watch for that album, it’s awesome. (GT)
After Square Wild had wowed the crowd with their superb show, Noddy’s Puncture returned for set 2, which was almost as epic as the first. It centred around a performance of Pictures at an Exhibition, again faithfully recreated, and also included a couple of Greg Lake gems, C’est La Vie and Still… You Turn Me On, before concluding the night with Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and finally Karn Evil 9 (3rd Impression).
Totally over the top, and excellent entertainment. (GT)
Before I could even rest it was time for Noddy’s Puncture’s second set. Thanks to the echoing buzz from Square Wild, they didn’t need to do much to get the already pumped-up crowd on their side and the rendition of Peter Gunn was well received, and quite rightly so as it had all the magical nuances of the original ELP cover. Plus, as the sun was starting to disappear and the light fade, the stage lights added to the atmosphere.
However the audience were split and other than beautiful and moving renditions of C’est La Vie, Still… You Turn Me On and Lend Your Love To Me Tonight, from Works Volume 1, the set once again moved into seriously faithful versions of the originals which was perhaps far to self-indulgent for many of the audience, including myself…
And with that in mind it seemed like the perfect opportunity to wander across to the other marquee to catch Gypsy’s Kiss.
Once there I was able to hear a band that has been going for decades and can justly claim to have been co-founded by two people that subsequently left to form an obscure band called Iron Maiden, I wonder if they regret that move? But that didn’t mean that Gypsy’s Kiss were NWOBHM cast offs; far from it. With the name being a cheeky bit of rhyming slang, it was hint enough to tell me that they would be fun and I was right. There were like a musical cake made from many other great bands.
One minute you get a whiff of Ram Jam, another there are hints of AC/DC but with their thumping high energy sound they still managed to make their music their own. The buzz saw guitars were fun and it was like a rock party where nobody was allowed to ignore them. They were a new band to me which meant I had to buy their CDs after the show so that I could hear more. They were definitely the best band of the day for me. (DW)
Finally, last up, and ending the night, was A Foreigners Journey. A covers band and, I am sure you can guess which bands and sets of songs they were playing. With such massive back catalogues from both Foreigner and Journey it is hard not to please the Nene Valley audience. It is unlikely that I will ever get to see the originals on stage, and with so many replacement members I don’t think I’d want to, so this was a good memento of two great bands delivered so that, if disbelief was suspended, it could have been the real thing.
Unfortunately, the ‘before the crack of dawn’ start and a gruelling 10 hour journey to the festival meant exhaustion had set in, so we departed to our beds. As we were now located at the back of the marquee we left with the band and audience in full voice, revelling in the the music of those two iconic bands. (DW/GT)
A great day of music, setting me up for three more days of pleasure… (DW)
[Ed note: A Foreigners Journey have made an superb video ‘Life On The Road For A Rock Tribute Band’ charting their day to and at NVRF (Nene Valley Rock Festival)…
[We are only able to include a fraction of the photos taken by Chris Simmons at NVRF 2026. If any of the bands would like high-resolution (high-res) images you can get in touch with Chris: HERE]
LINKS
Nene Valley Rock Festival [NVRF] – Website | Facebook Group | Facebook Page | Trevor NVRF | Trevor NVRF YouTube
