FITZ:

"We’re new to the whole thing, so we’re very much learning still. This summer has been a summer of firsts. You get to a stage where you’re like, Jesus, I really should have been doing this, that, or the other. Eddie definitely found exercise to be helpful.

"It probably is very helpful to have the two lads. We regularly sit down and talk about things that are going on - things that are bothering us and need to be addressed. I’d imagine if we didn’t have that luxury, it would be much more difficult. All three of us are very glad we have that.

"We obviously didn’t experience it past the last 12 months, but it has been said to us that things have shifted so much in the last 10 years. If you go back to the ‘70s or ‘80s, any kind of a problem that was faced, you either threw money, sex or drugs at the issue, and hoped that would patch it over. The whole concept was the show has to go on.

"Whereas now, you see a lot more people taking time, or giving their head a break. As much as that’s financially a disaster from a business perspective, in the long term, if you can grant a musician or band the ability to step back and clear their heads for a month or six weeks, fiscally, it does make more sense. These kinds of business practices are changing to suit the artists as well as to suit the business side – and  that’s healthy."

EDDIE:

"I would say the hardest part of it all since we started is keeping your head in check – by far and away. Yeah, exercise definitely helps, but I suppose the lifestyle that we’re leading is so… I think people need a routine. And when you get into this game, there’s no real incentive for you to maintain a routine, if you get me? Come five o’clock you just have to get up, play the gig and shut up.

"So, how important is looking after your mental health? I would say it’s probably the most important thing. Get the exercise done, make yourself get up at the same time or put yourself into a routine. The most important thing is having a routine in your life, a healthy routine, and making those decisions to try and keep in check.

"The idea of doing this on your own… If you don’t have a support system around you, the weight of it falls on you alone and that can be a very difficult thing. Watching that Lewis Capaldi documentary was like watching a horror movie. I honestly don’t know how it doesn’t happen to more people. The pressure you’re under to perform and constantly being asked what’s next – ‘Where’s your next song? Where’s the next thing?’"

Read the full Mental Health Special in the current issue of Hot Press: