Snow Patrol lead singer opens up about his battles with depression

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has opened up about his struggle with depression.

The 41-year-old musician revealed that he could be performing to packed arenas yet be crying on the floor of his hotel room just hours later.

Lightbody would rely on alcohol every day to get him through his depression as he was “quite a happy drunk”.

He said he had learned that he had to stop running away from it and look his mental health struggles in the eye.

“I have a depressive person- 0 Gary Lightbody’s confession follows the release of his album ality that has no relationship with reality,” he told Big Issue magazine. “I could be playing to 15,000 people and three hours later be in a hotel room, crying on the floor.”

His confession follows the release of Snow Patrol’s first album in seven years.

Last month Lightbody paid an emotional tribute to Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison, who died after a battle with depression, calling him one of Scotland’s “most extraordinary song writers”.

“He wrote with such profound insight into loss and longing and listening to his words always made me feel this heady mix of wonder, elation and pain,” he said. “That pain that also makes you feel someone understands what you’re going through and you don’t feel so alone.”