I'm running a game for all new players and one really wants to be a Valor bard and I pitched the typical war drum bard and he didn't want to play it so since I'm uncreative I wanted to see some other takes on a Valor bard that are more unusual to get an idea for the player

Viking storyteller (skald)?

I have a Viking themed Goliath bard (sailor background) who has 14's in STR and DEX and proficiency in Athletics, which allows decent shove attacks and a fair AC with medium armour and shield. He hails from Tuern (more info if you have SKT), but had to flee when others suspected him of possessing magic.

Well, what sets Valor bards apart from other bards?  What makes them special?

• Only bard proficient in shields and all martial weapons. 
  • Note that spellcasting per se is intrinsically slightly friendlier to two-handed weapons than sword and board, because you can cast a spell without dropping a two-handed weapon, but if you're sword and board, you have to drop, cast, then pick up.  It's not the biggest difference in the world, but we'll revisit this point later - the net sum of a Valor bard's rules is that they'd prefer a two-hander to a sword and board.
• Only bard whose inspiration dice can raise the AC of the inspired - Lore bards debuff the attack roll instead, meaning Valor bards would rather be farther back and Lore bards would rather be closer to the front.
• There are only two bards whose inspiration dice can be spent by inspired people on weapon damage; by coincidence, these are the only two bards who at level 3 don't learn a way to spend their inspiration dice themselves: Valor and Creation.  The key difference is that Creation's damage buff also buffs accuracy but is resistable by a save but also an AOE that can only hit targets the bard (not the attacker) can see, while Valor bards offer no save and no AOE, so Valor would rather be farther back and Creation would rather be closer to the front.
• Eventually gets the Eldritch Knight ability, War Magic, only better, allowing a weapon attack as a bonus action after casting any spell, de-emphasizing Booming Blade and emphasizing other excellent spell options which will routinely be better at range.

So what Valor bards are really good at, compared to other bards, is staying all the way in the back with a longbow (that two-hander I mentioned above) and offering support with inspiration dice to their friends and arrows to their enemies.  That suggests someone with a more oral instrument - storytelling, as Buxton suggested, or singing, or stand-up comedy (Bards telling jokes in combat is a d&d staple). 

For example, you could play one whose career prior to joining the adventuring crew was the sergeant of a mangonel or trebuchet squad who supported with barked orders and longbow shots - that's a more credible role for a Valor bard than anyone else (a Creation bard is their primary rival here, and the Creation bard would be better supporting a ballista or cannon squad).  Bardic inspiration can always be roleplayed as a commander issuing orders rather than entertainment.  Or those orders could be witty banter, or whatever.

My valour bards used to be a mercenary who also had a large interest in illusions and music (fighting was more of a way to bring in income), while the other one (that I plan on playing) is a knight, wearing heavy armour, singing while swinging a sword and a shield, and using clever illusions and wordplay to win fights, charm the crowds and keep his teamates alive.

You don't have to go the "bannerman/war musician" route.