Diarmuid Pepper Reporting from Electric Picnic

A “SECRET” GIG by Electric Picnic headliner Fatboy Slim at a smaller festival stage had to be cancelled as too many people found out about it.

Fatboy Slim, whose real name is Norman Cook, headlined the festival last night – but he was also due to perform a “secret” slot at the much smaller late-night Salty Dog venue.

The DJ played a well-received and energetic 90-minute set on the main stage and was due to perform a different 90-minute set at the Salty Dog stage.

.@FatboySlim was due to perform a “secret gig” at @EPfestival last night. It was going to be a new 90-minute set, but was cancelled for safety reasons as too many people turned up. “I don’t know why I thought I could keep a secret in Ireland,” says festival promoter Melvin Benn. pic.twitter.com/Qc1x4HYRao

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) August 31, 2025

“Unfortunately, it was supposed to be a secret,” said Electric Picnic promoter Melvin Benn today.

“I don’t know why I keep believing that I could keep a secret in Ireland,” he quipped.

He told reporters it was “impossible” for the secret set to go ahead as there were “far too many people for it to go ahead safely”.

“It would have been amazing, he was going to play a different set for 90 minutes,” said Benn.

“He was hugely disappointed and in all honesty, I think I’ve let him down, but I’ve let all the fans down as well.

“But we have to keep safe, and ultimately the decision was taken on safety grounds and that was the right decision, as disappointing as it was for me and for him.”

Meanwhile, Benn told The Journal that he was “not aware” of a TikTok video from a festival-goer documenting the prices at the Londis campsite shop, such as a can of Coke costing €3.35.

@sarahotuama first look at electric picnic Londis !!! & prices 😅😅 what do we think? #ep2025 #electricpicnic ♬ original sound - SARAH Ó TUAMA | UGC

Last year, the campsite shop was run by Aldi but this has switched to Londis this year.

“I don’t know how to get on TikTok, you may not be surprised to know, so I haven’t seen it,” said Benn.

However, he said he is aware that “people are complaining about it”.

“I’m told that what Londis is selling at, and this was certainly the legal agreement that I’ve got with them, is that they would retail at exactly the same price that they retail in their stores.”

He added: “To be honest, I don’t know what the price of a can of Coke is.

“You may or may not be surprised, I’ve never had a can of Coke, so I actually don’t know what a can of Coke costs, in the same way that I don’t know what a box of cigarettes costs, because I don’t use them.”

Elsewhere, Benn said the Kneecap set at the mainstage yesterday afternoon was a “very special moment for Electric Picnic”.

.@KNEECAPCEOL remark that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal during their @EPfestival set, and also call out both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for their role in the housing crisis. Also say they’ll use every opportunity they have to speak out on Gaza. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/pQFtoQaaiV

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) August 30, 2025

“I think it was a special moment for them as a band, of course, it was easily the largest audience they’ve ever performed to.

“I don’t think there was anybody anywhere else at the Picnic except watching Kneecap, almost the entire audience seemed to be there, which was a fairly big statement of intent.”

He also said he was taken aback by the fact that Kneecap thanked him from the mainstage.

During a press day earlier in the week, Benn said there was no circumstances under which Kneecap’s mics would be cut, as happened with Irish band The Mary Wallopers for displaying a Palestinian flag on stage while performing at the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth earlier this month.

“There’s some festivals who are trying to cancel us,” said Móglaí Bap from Kneecap on stage yesterday after he thanked Benn.

.@KNEECAPCEOL thank @EPfestival promoter Melvin Benn for booking them on the main stage. They add that some other festivals won’t have them, and have some choice words for Hungarian PM Viktor Orban after the band were banned from a festival in Hungary. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/h5NzVD0aTJ

— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) August 30, 2025

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“I was a little surprised that Kneecap made a reference to me actually,” Benn told reporters today.

“It’s different in the UK; I’ve had to spend time in their dressing room reading them the riot act about what they can and can’t say in England.

“But of course, those restrictions are not here in Ireland.”

Meanwhile, the clean-up will begin tomorrow and Benn acknowledged that the “reality” is that many people will leave their tents behind.

“I can talk until I’m blue in the face and say they shouldn’t leave anything behind, but they take their own responsibility,” said Benn.

“We’ll have some salvagers in to make good of some of the stuff and the rest will unfortunately go into waste.

“But there is a limit to what I can do, I can’t go around and pack everybody’s bag for them.

“I’m sort of almost an in loco parent to them in some respects, but there is a limit, and I’m not going to go around and pack everybody’s bloody tent up.”

And as for next year, Benn said that headliners are already booked in for two of the three nights.

“We’re in a really strong place with headliners and we’re very happy with two of the three nights – on the third night, we’re not under pressure.

“I’m not going to tell you who they are, so don’t bother asking.”