Declan McKenna, Bradley Simpson, Caity Baser and more have been announced to play some exclusive phone-free gigs in Scotland for suicide prevention charity CALM.
In the run up to this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12-18), Scotland will host three phone-free gigs to raise money for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). Yondr phone pouches will be used to store phones and other recording equipment at each gig.
The first concert will feature Tom Walker and Nina Nesbitt playing at Edinburgh Assembly Rooms on Friday May 2, with Declan McKenna and Bradley Simpson performing the following Tuesday (May 6) at Stirling Albert Halls. Nathan Evans & Saint PHNX and Caity Baser will round out the gigs with a show at Glasgow Old Fruit Market on May 10.
Tickets will cost £12.20 each – the amount needed to fund one call to CALM’s free suicide prevention helpline. The helpline, which is free to access, is run by trained professionals. 30 per cent of ticket sales from these concerts will also be donated to CALM.
General sale will commence at 10am April 17, and you can register here for tickets.
On the anniversary of Ian Curtis‘ death, New Order’s Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris spoke to Parliament about suicide prevention in 2022.
According to CALM, 75 per cent of all suicides are male, and it is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. Reflecting on these statistics, Morris commented: “The problem with Ian and with young men with depression is that you’re gradually boxing yourself in and you don’t know who you can talk to.
“[Back then] it came from your parents: they came up in an age where you don’t bother people and you just carry on. At least nowadays, there’s more of an awareness that you can talk to people.”
Sumner then went on to advocate for more provisions to care for those experiencing suicidal thoughts, saying of the NHS: “You hear tales of the 18-month waiting list. You can’t go on a waiting list if you’re thinking of killing yourself. That’s ludicrous.”
Meanwhile, Papa Roach recently presented a £20,000 cheque to CALM at their sold-out London show last February. They’ve previously spoken to NME about why the topic remains so close to their heart, with frontman Jacoby Shaddix sharing: “ We’ve been singing about it since the beginning.
“Our first song, ‘Last Resort’ was about a cry for help. It’s always been part of our story and a part of my life. I’ve had my own highs and lows and I’ve come to an understanding of how to grapple with it. I know the darkness, and by putting it into my music it’s connected me with so many thousands upon thousands of people.
In other news, Universal Music Group has launched a new mental health fund with Music Health Alliance following Chappell Roan‘s Grammys speech advocating for labels to provide developing artists with health care and a liveable wage.