With every passing day, it feels like life outside of the four walls of your house is drifting further and further away. Festivals are being postponed until next year, tours simply arenât happening and we arenât even allowed to go see our friends down the pub. Thereâs a really good reason for it â you know: to help squash the spread of coronavirus and to stop people dying â but that doesnât make it any easier.
In the week since the lockdown started, mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) has seen a 37% increase in their daily calls. Thatâs 37% more people struggling with the anxiety, uncertainty and chaos of times like these. And as everyone keeps promising us, itâs going to get worse before it gets better.
Thatâs why CALM have thrown a festival on Instagram (with a loose promise of shindigs to come). From 5pm to midnight â the same hours that their helpline is open, 365 days a year â their Friday night (April 3) live Lock In is comprised of a chaotic pub quiz hosted by Love Islandâs Chris and Kem, a cosy book reading from actor Jamie Campbell Bower and a surprisingly informative cook-along with comedians Ed Gamble & Phil Wang (egg fried rice this time but fresh pasta and beef wellington next, they promise). There are also party starting, late-night living room DJ sets from Kurupt FM and DJ Yoda. Throughout the evening, the emphasis is on positive distraction, offering a real sense of joyful escapism.
Itâs the two hours of live music in the centre of it all that really provides the heart, though. Coming live and direct from their own homes, each artist has a 15-minute slot (aka the perfect set length). Breaching the distance between us, it feels intimate despite the circumstances as the likes of Joy Crookes, Arlo Parks, Years & Years, Oh Wonder, Kodaline and Declan McKenna got vulnerable with their front-facing phone camera.
Years & Years spent last summer touring the communal power of latest album âPalo Santoâ, their live show a real shared celebration, so it feels unusual to see singer Olly Alexander alone at his keyboard. But it doesnât take long for his warm persona and a jazz lounge jingle to welcome you in to his front room. His soaring rendition of âWorshipâ is captivating and fearless, while a cover of Joni Mitchellâs âBoth Sides Nowâ â chosen, he says, because âher music makes me feel better when I feel alone… like thereâs meaning in itâ â demands attention with its self-assured beauty.
Declan McKennaâs chaotic energy shines bright as he takes on a more ramshackle approach to the evening. Whether heâs taking requests before realising he canât play the songs without a keyboard, or closing the set with the sunshine anthem of âBrazilâ (as he  puts it: âI suppose I should play the hitâ), the indie scamp is very much making it up as he goes along. But arenât we all?
Elsewhere alt-poppers Oh Wonder are in the midst of an Instagram Live tour, playing every song theyâve ever released over the following weeks, and tonight they debut brand new track âLonely Starâ, which was written and recorded while theyâve been in isolation. âIn everything thatâs happening in the world, being a human is pretty much the hardest thing to be,â it opens, before the duo ask, âIs there anybody out there?â Itâs a moment of quiet reflection that continues into the spirit-warming pop of Joy Crookes. Blighted by an injured finger, her set veers between silly and soulful, but the heartfelt anthem âHurtsâ grabs attention and holds it. Thereâs still power to be found in being alone, it promises.
Itâs Arlo Parks who really steals the show, though. âAngelâs Songâ is a haunting meditation on loss, all heart-on-sleeve vulnerability and overflowing desire, while a poem about being thankful â written especially for this show â is a stark reminder to be grateful for the things that can still make you smile. Her cover of Radioheadâs âCreepâ exposes new hurt in the pained lyrics as she pours her whole self into the track in dedication to friends sheâs lost. Itâs the best the song has sounded in a decade.
A festival from your sofa may not be the future we want and yes, itâs still weird to not hear any applause after a performance, but the CALM Lock In does create a feeling of togetherness. Itâs not the same as actually going to a gig, but it still feels like a celebration. Despite the different vibes, what remains constant is how thankful each act is to not be alone right now. Itâs not scripted, but everyone pays tribute to how important it is to be heard, especially during times like these. And thatâs what CALM offers.
â Last year 122,000 people phoned the helpline and they directly prevented at least 500 suicides. You can donate here to help keep the service running
FOR HELP AND ADVICE ON MENTAL HEALTH:
- âAm I depressed?â â help and advice on mental health and what to do next
- YOUNG MINDS â The voice for young peopleâs health and wellbeing
- MIND â For mental health support, advice and awareness
- CALM â The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
- Time To Change â Letâs end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans â Confidential support 24 hours a day
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