Electric Picnic coverage is brought to you in association with Ramsbottom’s Portlaoise
The hits – and the gigs – just keep on coming.
After last year’s stunning performances in Trailer Park and Hazelwood, it has been confirmed that the Timahoe Male Choir will perform on the Main Stage at this year’s Electric Picnic.
Festival organisers are in the process of finalising the schedules on all the various stages and tents and the Timeahoe Male Choir will be on the Main Stage on the Sunday at 1.30pm.
Up to 70 members of the choir will be on stage for the one-hour performance, which is just the latest scrap-book memory for a group that have scaled all sorts of heights across the past two years.
Though their setlist hasn’t been made public yet, you can be guaranteed it will once again include some of their sing-along classics that have proven so popular in their various gigs so far.
At their recent warm-up performance at the 2 Johnnies ‘Pints in a Field’ concert in St Anne’s Park in Dublin, they belted out the likes of Burning Love/Proud Mary, the Irish Medley, The Way I Am and the ultimate crowd pleaser Freed from Desire into Maniac 2000.
The Sunday Main Stage time slot means that they won’t be doing any other gigs on that day, though there could well be another appearance at some stage over the weekend.
“It’s just incredible,” says the choir’s founding member Damien Bowe. “It’s very exciting to be on the Main Stage that has hosted so many national and international acts over the years.
“It’s a huge leap forward, it’s a huge accolade and everyone should be very proud. Last year was absolutely memorable and this will be an entirely new experience for us all.”
It has already been a very busy year for the group, which launched a CD in February, marched in the St Patrick’s Day parade in New York in March on what was a five-day trip and performed with the 2 Johnnies in June.
Last weekend they sang at the Rosenallis Festival of the Mountain and then they represented Laois in this year’s Pride of Place awards with a big judging day and performance in Timahoe on Friday, August 22.
Beyond that there will be a selection of gigs between now and Christmas while there are tentative plans for another overseas trip next year.
Also expected to make a debut appearance at this year’s Electric Picnic are the Stradbally Community Choir.
Founded last autumn, they have up to 100 members – men and women – and are also set to be included, though details have yet to be confirmed.
