Star act pulls out of Picnic festival
US dance-soul stars, Gnarls Barkley, who topped the British singles chart with Crazy for 11 weeks earlier this year, were forced to withdraw after lead singer Cee-Lo strained vocal chords during three months of intensive touring.
The man with the distinctive voice was advised to cancel the band’s next five shows or risk having more extensive problems.
Promoters of the three-day boutique festival at Stradbally Estate, in Co Laois, which starts on Friday, September 1, have insisted they are trying to find a replacement act.
A statement said: “The promoters of Electric Picnic are hugely disappointed and are working to find a replacement but due to touring schedules and the short time scale it is proving difficult.”
‘Crazy’ became the first song to top the British singles chart purely on download sales when it was made available online a week before it was released as a CD in April.
It was also the first single to top the chart for nine consecutive weeks since 1994 when Wet Wet Wet’s ‘Love Is All Around’ was number one for 14 weeks.
The band, which is due to return to Europe in November for a series of radio and television appearances, has apologised for any inconvenience.
