Another day in the warm county of Lincolnshire, another gig in the beautiful backdrop of Lincoln Castle – one view that will stay with me for a very long time!
I was really looking forward to this gig, not only is it full of icons, but they all had some significant meaning in some of their music too, plus I’d been told they were fantastic live.
Not that the crowd needed warming up (it was bloody boiling) but to pump up the atmosphere was Welsh DJ Katie Owen…
DJ Katie Owen opens up the stage at Lincoln Castle ahead of Marti Pellow and Billy Ocean.
Photo Credit: Cuffe and Taylor
And what a set it was, from some Britpop bangers, to disco and groove, there was literally something for everyone in her set, and as you can see in the photo above, you can tell she was having the time of her life.
She ended her set mixing into Tom Jones’ “Delilah” – which of course saw a huge sing-a-long (always does seem to be a crowd pleaser that one!) and then we awaited Marti Pellow.
CHECK OUT WHAT DJ KATIE OWEN IS UP TO HERE
Now for the lead support and something I genuinely think that 75% of the audience were already there for, it was of course frontman of Wet, Wet, Wet, Marti Pellow.
Marti Pellow on stage at Lincoln Castle – Summer 2026 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
I was expecting a good show from Marti, but he genuinely blew me away, nothing but smiles, some funky dance moves and just looking like he loved every second of it.
His stage presence is fantastic, he interacted with fans both individually and together as a crowd, lapping up all the attention, as you would, his outfit was a sequined suit and red floral shirt, it shouldn’t work, but it did and it only added to the set.
He dropped “Sweet Little Mystery” as the third song in the set and it went down an absolute storm, but other highlights included a cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and of course, “I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends” ensured a big singalong.
But naturally, the big finale, which he did joke he wasn’t going to do, was “Love Is All Around” which was famously number one for 15 weeks back in 1994 (and was also number one when I was born, so a full circle moment for me!)
Marti fully exceeded my expectations and well, if you have opportunity to see him, I absolutely would – a bloody brilliant set!
CHECK OUT WHAT MARTI PELLOW IS UP TO HERE
Now of course it was time for the main event, an artist I’ve been wanting to see for a very long time, it was only Billy Ocean!
Billy Ocean on stage at Lincoln Castle in 2026 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
Billy came onto the stage, with a huge smile on his face, clearly ready to entertain, starting the set with “One World” which saw some enthusiastic fans singing along at the front instantly.
I was surprised to hear “Love Really Hurts Without You” second on the setlist, but that said, it’s a banger and I’m not complaining, I feel the crowd really came to life and settled in then, settling into Billy’s set.
Billy was chatty with the crowd, bigging up Marti Pellow, asking the crowd how they were doing, and responding gratefully to the shouts of “I love you!!” (not from me, before you pipe up!).
What continued was a set of big hits and crowd pleasers, highlights for me included of course “Red Light Spells Danger” which turned the space into a huge disco and another one was “Suddenly”, which slowed everything right down, people were in arms with family, friends, even strangers, just singing along together and feeling it all – it also felt special since Billy recently celebrated 40 years of the track, and it has clearly stood the test of time!
The big finale ended with “When The Going Get’s Tough, The Tough Get Going” which made for a brilliant atmosphere and I saw the most incredible dance efforts from one gent next to me, wearing a t-shirt that says “When The Going Gets Tough” on the front and then “The Tough Get Going” on the back and jumping back and forth, having the time of his life, it was brilliant!
Billy then finished off with “Daylight” and of course fan favourite “Carribean Queen”, it was simply phenomonal – his set was everything and more, I was blown away.
FIND ALL THINGS BILLY OCEAN HERE
A view of a packed out Lincoln Castle as Billy Ocean performs – 2026 – Photo Credit: Hayley Grice
And so ends an evening of fantastic music, Cuffe and Taylor have really smashed it with their lineup of gigs at Lincoln Castle this year, I left the castle grounds hearing other members from the crowd singing different songs of the evening to themselves, with huge smiles on their faces, a fun night had for all!
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