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'Mobbed' Electric Picnic MD was in the packed audience for Timahoe Male Choir
ELECTRIC PICNIC: Two Laois acts are festival highlights for Melvin Benn
Melvin Benn attending Timahoe Male Choir, and Just Alice on Croí stage. Photo: Alf Harvey
Reporter:
lynda.kiernan
18 Aug 2024 6:10 PM
Email:
lynda.kiernan@leinsterexpress.ie
A Laois choir and a young local singer songwriter have both hit the high notes for Electric Picnic MD Melvin Benn.
Mr Benn warmly praised Timahoe Male Choir and Just Alice, having seen both perform over the weekend.
He was pictured among the packed audience for Timahoe Male Choir at Hazelwood stage on Sunday, August 18, the first picnic appearance for the recently formed 45 strong band.
"I've just left the Timahoe Male Choir in full voice a few minutes ago," he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live and national media at his Sunday press conference.
"It's the first time ever that we had to have 'one in, one out' at the Hazelwood stage, it was mobbed. For the local community it's fantastic.
Timahoe Male Choir in full voice on the Hazelwood stage. Photo: Alf Harvey
"But for the men on stage, you know this is transformational in their lives I think. They're getting together, they're singing, some of them will be farmers on their tractors out on their own most of the day. It gives them a real sense of community I think. You can feel that in the energy that they were giving out. It was unbelievable actually.
"The queue outside Hazelwood was phenomenal, so what we'll do with them next year... I wasn't entirely certain about the Hawaiian-style plastic flowers around them but apart from that I thought they were fantastic," Mr Benn said at his press conference at the festival.
He says that the mystery big act that the festival was set back a fortnight for this year, is a "little lass" from Laois, Alice Laffan, 23 known as Just Alice.
Just Alice. Photo: Alf Harvey
"I never said it was a headline act. I said it was an act. And it did pay off. She opened the Croi stage, Just Alice, a little lass from Stradbally. Absolutely fantastic. She's local and good, makes a huge difference," he said.
Mr Benn is considering expanding Electric Picnic further.
"I'll certainly talk to the council about whether there's a bit more room, I think there's demand. But for the moment I'm happy with where we are," he said.
Reaching 20 years of the festival in Laois "feels great".
"I'm not entirely amazed it's got this far. We met Thomas outside Ramsbottoms pub, I guess it would have been in 2003 to have a look at the site. We were blown away by it straight away.
"We knew exactly what we wanted to do and to create, and we've been able to do that. One of the great things is we involve a lot of local people, in the making of it.
"Even to the level of the Timahoe Male Choir, people that contribute with helping out with tractors, with good will, they're now contributing on stage as well. It is amazing but just as importantly it's become a major festival in Europe. You're in a little town, Stradbally in Ireland and the artists can't wait to get here," the Festival Republic MD said.
He said some of the major acts for Electric Picnic 2025 are informally agreed already, with one "very special to me, I've a long relationship with them".
Unlike Glastonbury which is taking a fallow year farming break, Electric Picnic will plough on.
"Apart from Covid we haven't had a fallow year and we don't intend to. I think the fans would go bananas," Melvin Benn said.
Initial 2025 Festival Republic Three tickets are going on sale on Monday and general ticket sales at 9am on Wednesday.
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