“Their songs helped me not only understand those feelings, but get through them”: How 1000 musicians channelled the power of Linkin Park to fund mental health support

“I feel so lucky that I’ve grown up with them. When a Linkin Park song comes on, I’m yelling every single word. They’re that kind of band,” says As December Falls vocalist Bethany Hunter, in her signature knife-sharp eyeliner, clustered backstage with K! at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena for one of the most unique fundraising events to ever hit Brum.

Dubbed 1000 Lights, 1,000 musicians are set to play through Linkin Park’s Numb and In The End in the 16,000-person arena, all while raising money for the Uprawr Mental Health Foundation. Led by a Brit-rock supergroup onstage – featuring members of Funeral For A Friend, Mallory Knox, Bullet For My Valentine, and a whole lot more – participants are helping to fund free counselling and mental health support for those in need.

It was shortly after Linkin Park’s One More Light UK tour that Chester Bennington tragically took his own life in 2017, a loss that sent shockwaves throughout our community. The foundation was launched two years later by Uprawr club promoter Jack Davis, and has since been providing counselling from a non-clinical, alternative space.

While Beth is here as part of the onstage entourage, she is also an ambassador for the foundation.

“It is [often] alternative kids who suffer, we do feel like we’re a little bit odd, a little bit weird,” she says. “I think it’s so important to raise awareness, especially in our community.”

Fellow ambassador Jessie Powell of Dream State, still touched by a poignant soundcheck, tells us that Linkin Park are the reason she screams and sings today.

“I realised at a very young age that was something I was able to do, and it’s because of listening to Linkin Park on Kerrang! TV. Obviously I’ve suffered with anxiety and depression [too, and] a lot of their songs really helped me not only understand those feelings, but get through them.”

Jessie has known founder Jack and his family for nearly 20 years now. “I’ve been doing music for a long time and I think it just aligned massively,” she says of joining the team. “I’ve got a much bigger platform now in Dream State, [and] I thought it was a great way to use [it] productively.”

The backstage area is a hive of activity, alive with workers on radios (many of whom are volunteering), musicians, content creators, mental health professionals. But perhaps the most special group of people K! are introduced to are tonight’s biggest fundraisers, who will all have a rightly-deserved spot onstage.

Vocalist Kian Brookes is one of five, and remembers Linkin Park as one of the first bands that really hooked him into alt. music. “Chester was a big influence on me to start singing and performing. I think without Linkin Park, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today,” he explains. “I write songs about mental health, about my personal experiences, so I wanted to show everyone that it’s okay to struggle, and pay tribute to an absolute legend who’s inspired me to do music in the first place.”

Scott Mangnall, who’s raised over £3,000, is here honouring his son, Tyler. “He was a die-hard Linkin Park fan. He was a great guitarist, an absolutely phenomenal pianist, and he could sing like you would not believe. He would have absolutely adored this event.

“When Chester passed, he was beside himself for weeks. My son always struggled with mental health, but when he was happy, he was happy. How I like to remember him is happy,” he shares, while proudly sporting a Linkin Park shirt. Tonight, he’ll be playing with Tyler’s guitar.

Harry Gordon raised the most money among the drummers, and is also playing in memory of a loved one, Charlie. “My brother took his own life last year. For all of this money to help and hopefully save just one life is why I’m here.”

We’re in for an emotional ride, but Harry reasons this is exactly the point of us showing up. “Twenty years ago, if I went onstage and cried, people would be looking at me like, ‘Man up.’ I don’t care. I’ll cry. So what?” he says. “It’s good that people can talk about [how they feel] because if we don’t, it’s gonna keep happening.”

Similar to Harry, Linkin Park acted as a bridge into heavier music for bassist Mitchell Perry and keyboardist Dan Yates. Dan was diagnosed with OCD last year, and feels the timing of the event landed perfectly for him.

“That’s been a lifelong thing that I’ve had, but I’ve only really suffered from it properly and come to grips with it in the last year,” he explains. “I’ve played music for a long time, but Linkin Park were my first proper love for a rock-based band. When Chester passed away, it was the first time I’d ever [been affected by] someone’s death that I didn’t know personally. I felt grief.”

Mitchell’s here with a double-bass, and it’s the only instrument of its kind onstage. His cousin Mark sadly took his own life in May. “The day we found out, I saw this event and signed up instantly,” he recalls. “One More Light was the song that they played at his funeral, so it’s all come full-circle.”

If there’s one shared belief among our big five, it’s that being able to talk without fear saves lives. As Harry explains, people largely don’t see us for the things that we feel most stressed or ashamed about. We are not our struggles.

“I’ve realised since my brother died that no-one’s ever talked about the things he felt were the reasons he needed to take his own life. No-one cares about debt or any of the other things he had going on. People don’t focus on that, they focus on the positive.

“People need to realise that whilst in that moment in time, it might seem like the best thing to do is remove yourself from the equation, but there’s pretty much nothing that can’t be solved,” he states.

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” adds Scott. “If you see someone slowly drifting away, pull them back. Take them for a conversation, for a coffee. Take them for a walk… While you’re out there, open up.”

Mitchell’s wife is a qualified mental health nurse, and it was through meeting her that he came to have a better understanding of his own mind. He’s also now a trained mental health first aider. And as the show begins, we watch as he twirls his bass and throws his head back and forth with every drop.

The Blackout’s Sean Smith leads us through the evening, introducing speeches, guitar raffles and massive tunes, from Faint to What I’ve Done, from tribute act L1nkin P4rk. For the giant play-along, we take laps around the floor.

The sounds of each section pop out more audibly as we pass, and it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen. Vocalists are singing up at the audience in the seating above, the guitarists are jumping in unison, and the drummers are going to war on their kit. At the end of each track, the guitarists hold their instruments to the air in solidarity.

It’s symbolic, really. Though there’s so many of us here, every person is needed to make this as powerful as it is. Everyone plays with a different energy, and everyone carries their own story. We close out the night with our flashlights in the air for One More Light. ‘Who cares if one more light goes out?’ Chester sings on the track. ‘Well I do.’

Here tonight, and always, we do too.

If you’re struggling with your own mental health, don’t suffer in silence. Talk to someone you can trust – a friend, a family member, a teacher, a doctor or a counsellor. Find more information on how to look after your mental health at the Mental Health's Foundation.

And if you need help immediately, we recommend these organisations:

• CALM: thecalmzone.net or call 0800 58 58 58
• The Samaritans UK: samaritans.org or call 116 123
• Or, in the U.S., the Samaritans helpline: (877) 870 4673 (HOPE)