We got serious on our single "Night Skies", tackling the very important subject of mental health.
The track was taken from their forthcoming seventh studio album Earth To Grace - set for release on November 8 via Earache Records - and prompted an outpouring of stories online under the #Itsokaytalk hashtag. The song also quickly became Planet Rock's #1 Most Played over the following month.
Now we are going one step further, taking charity Andy's Man Club on the road with them for their UK headline tour in November. Andy's Man Club are a men's suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups, for men over 18 going through storms in their lives, with approximately 225 clubs meeting weekly across the UK and online. Clubs are free to attend with no registration required. Andrew Roberts, for whom the club is named, was only 23 years old when he took his own life. On average one man every two hours takes his life in the UK.
Guitarist Adam Thistlethwaite states, "We couldn’t be more onboard with what Andy’s Man Club stand for and their message. Their team are lovely people and it’s a real bonus for us to spread their word along with our music. It can be hard for anyone to admit they are having a difficult time, but focusing on breaking down the social and mental blocks that make it especially difficult for some men to come forward, that has been sorely needed and is highly commendable. I just hope that our involvement with Andy’s Man Club further spreads this message and encourages more people to take that first step, and speaking from personal experience it really does help."
The charity will have a stall in the foyer of each venue, with 4-6 facilitators from local Andy's Man Clubs at each UK tour date, roaming as welcoming "sweepers" amongst attendees, handing out wristbands, and sharing details of their local club meetings for more support. There will also be on stage talks during band changeovers and an interactive installation posing the five questions each meeting is structured around, for gig goers to answer.
Luke, the charity's North West Area Lead, comments, "Myself and everyone here at ANDYSMANCLUB would like to thank Massive Wagons for collaborating with us and are kind enough to invite us on their UK tour, helping us raise awareness and spread the message that #ITSOKAYTOTALK. We can’t wait to meet you all on all 7 of the UK tour dates. Please make sure you stop by our stall for a chat."
UK DATES - including Andy's Man Club, with special guests Florence Black and Cam Cole:
22 Nov – Rock City, Nottingham
23 Nov – SWX, Bristol
24 Nov – Engine Rooms, Southampton
26 Nov – O2 Institute, Birmingham
27 Nov – SWG3, Glasgow
29 Nov – O2 Ritz, Manchester
30 Nov – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
The group also have two shows lined up in Dublin and Belfast in December:
6 Dec – Grand Social, Dublin
7 Dec – Limelight 2, Belfast
To see all dates and get tickets, visit massivewagons.com/live.
Frontman Baz Mills adds, "I really never expected the reaction we got from people for ‘Night Skies’, I mean there is the reaction about the song, which was great!!!…. but then there is the reaction to the message, which was proper overwhelming! The inbox messages we have had, while on one hand are a tough read, on the other hand are people talking, which is the goal isn't it, to open up, people are opening up, and that really warms my heart, knowing the song and its message have potentially contributed to people's decision to talk about personal issues that are harming their mental health.
While we were pushing all of the mental health lifelines out there, the ones who cater for specific ages, genders, or sexualities, we have had the biggest reaction for the song from men. We have had a lot of personal messages from fellas who are really starting to shake the stigma attached to men speaking about mental health, and that's why we have teamed up with Andy’s Man Club to take their show on the road with us!
There seems to be a real movement in men's mental health at the moment, and Andy’s Man Club are one of those at the very centre, extremely well organised and motivated to help blokes who just don't seem to feel like they have anyone to turn to. Please, if you are reading this, or any of the associated press or have seen the video to ‘Night Skies’ and you are feeling mentally overwhelmed, whether you are a bloke, a woman, a child, teenager, OAP, a veteran, or LGBTQ, and feeling under pressure from your mind and are struggling - please reach out to someone, mental health has no agenda or label discrimination, it doesn't attack people based on age or gender, everyone is susceptible. Don’t suffer in silence… #itsokaytotalk Big love!"
To find out more about Andy's Man Club, email info@andysmanclub.co.uk or head to www.andysmanclub.co.uk.
Here is a small list of some more resources which might be helpful if you're looking for someone to talk to:
MIND: 0300 102 1234
SAMARITANS: 116 123
SANEline: 0300 304 7000
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HELPLINE: 0800 689652
CALM: 0800 58 58 58
NHS MENTAL HEALTH: 111
CHILDLINE: 0800 11 11
WWW.MINDOUT.ORG.UK (specifically for the LGBTQ community)
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