“I'm a kid of the '80s, so The Smiths were right there for me. That might explain the Radiohead phenomenon – if we’re going to exorcise this darkness we’re going to go really dark”: Ed O’Brien explores the relationship between music and mental well-being

Ed O'Brien.

At this year’s Great Escape conference in Brighton, one of the most intriguing - and certainly most important - sessions on our agenda was a discussion on the power of music to positively affect those suffering with mental health issues. It also spotlighted the horrendously disproportionate rates of suicide among musicians.

The talk addressed the topic of suicide head-on (which will be referenced throughout this feature) making for quite an emotive hour.