Frightened Rabbit Festival Set Replaced by Mental Health Panel

The death by suicide of Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchinson stunned fans worldwide. Hutchinson had long struggled with depression, and his openness about it in the band’s music often helped fans to process their own struggles with mental illness.

Before the news of Hutchinson’s death broke, Frightened Rabbit was scheduled to play a set today, June 19, at London’s Meltdown Festival. Instead, their set is being replaced with a panel on mental health and the music industry, the festival announced.

Clinical psychologist Jay Watts will moderate the discussion with Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, Stefan Olsdal of Placebo, musician and poet Dizraeli, and Christine Brown from music charity Help Musicians U.K.

In a statement obtained by The Guardian, a spokesperson for the festival’s venue, Southbank Centre, said, “The music industry has seen a number of devastating losses of life in recent years, and increasing numbers of musicians are speaking out in the media and in their songs about struggles with mental health.”

Meltdown Festival, curated by The Cure’s Robert Smith, runs until June 24. In an interview with TimeOut, Smith reflected on the singer’s death. “It’s awful. They were one of the bands that I was really, really looking forward to seeing,” he said. “I’ve been listening to them for 10 years. I’ve never met him, but I feel I know him because of his voice.”