New Order have marked World Mental Health Day by joining forces with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) for a new suicide prevention video.
The new video was shared across the band’s and the charity’s social media platforms earlier today (October 10), and was created in a bid to raise awareness for those struggling with suicidal thoughts.
“I probably came across as always really happy, but there were thoughts in the back of my head that I never shared with anyone. It took me every ounce of strength that I had left to pick up the phone and call the CALM helpline,” says a man in the clip.
“They saved my life. By just talking about it, it made it feel so much better. I know there are people out there who feel like they can’t go on, but there is a life on the other side.”
New Order are ambassadors for the charity, and their song ‘Your Silent Face’ plays in the background of the new campaign video. Check it out below.
“To mark World Mental Health Day, we’re incredibly proud to be joining @calmzone and sharing their film to show the part we can all play in preventing suicide,” the band wrote, sharing the video on Instagram.
“Stopping suicide starts with all of us. If you want to find out how you can play your part, and support CALM’s life-saving services, or if you need support, visit thecalmzone.net.”
The band members have been impacted by the topics addressed in the video before. In May 1980, Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis took his own life after battling depression and epilepsy in his final years.
New Order have also worked with the CALM charity before– teaming up with Peter Saville to release a ‘Blue Monday’ shirt for the suicide prevention charity earlier this year. It marked the second consecutive year that they have joined forces with the organisation.
“Starting a conversation with somebody could be the most important conversation that person ever has. It could be life-changing,” the band said of the 2024 design. “So with ‘how does it feel’ we felt, as CALM ambassadors, we had the perfect lyric and message to get out there on the 2024 edition of the CALM Blue Monday t-shirts that Peter Saville has so beautifully designed.
“And knowing that all the money raised will help make sure CALM are there for even more people who are struggling makes it even more powerful.”
Back in 2022, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris – two of the surviving bandmates of Curtis – marked the 42nd anniversary of the frontman’s death by appearing in Parliament to discuss mental health and suicide prevention.
The special talk and panel titled Suicide Prevention: Breaking The Silence was originally due to take place in 2020 to mark 40 years since his passing, but was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.
“Originally, we didn’t think he had a mental health problem – we thought he had a problem with epilepsy,” said Sumner, describing the frontman as a “regular” and “happy-go-lucky guy”. “His lyrics were a bit on the dark side, to put it mildly, but when Ian was with us on a day-to-day basis and in rehearsals, he was a good laugh.”
“You were told in those days that [suicide attempts] were a cry for help, but that’s not really the case. It’s as serious as hell and should be taken seriously,” he continued, also going on to share some startling statistics.
These included CALM’s findings that, on average, each suicide directly affects 135 friends, family and colleagues. “I’d like to say that, apart from the person who takes their own life, it’s the people surrounding them that get destroyed as well,” he explained.
“The family, the support group and friends – they need support as well. Very often, if someone has psychological problems, then medical professionals won’t speak to the family. I kind of think that’s wrong, because the family can’t take care of that person unless they know what the problem is.”
CALM states that 75 per cent of all suicides are male, and it is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45.
Back in 2018, another Joy Division member, Peter Hook, also looked back on the death of his late bandmate Ian Curtis, and reflected on how he things the stigmas around mental health are gradually improving.
“We’re looking at mental health in a positive way now so that people don’t have to go through what he went through. A bunch of idiots like us can even be educated,” he said. “We were unaware of what Ian was going through. That, as an old bloke, is the most shocking aspect of it – how unprepared and uneducated we as his friends were. Any education and any communication about things like this towards avoiding what happened to Ian is the most important thing.”
He continued: “It’s very difficult for some people to understand what Ian went through without going through it themselves, but the idea of encouraging people to talk as soon as possible and not be embarrassed or ashamed is the most important message to get through to anyone: seek help.”
Earlier this year, Bernard Sumner also made a rare public statement to condemn then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for looking to overhaul Personal Independence Payments for people with mental health issues.
Branding it as “a disgusting way to cut costs”, Sumner went on to suggest the move was “probably an attempt to recoup some of the money they wasted on ineffective personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid pandemic,” calling it “a scandalous waste of money.”
Find out more about the CALM charity below, as well as links to other mental health resources.
