Recovering addicts turn their struggles into music during Covid-19 lockdown

And today, not-for-profit record label “We are Not Saints” will be releasing a collection of 25 tracks conveying what being in recovery during the era of social distancing feels like.

The release of the first ever vinyl of the record label and live music company, “Liberation Through the Looking Glass,” will be limited to just 200 copies. The musicians behind the songs are all in recovery from some form of addiction. They decided to find healing by making music during the challenging pandemic circumstances.

We are Not Saints, was established in 2018 by recovering addict and experienced musician Chris De Banks. By setting up the record company, he wanted to help other musicians recovering from alcoholism and addiction. Chris said, “With the prevalence of alcohol and drugs in contemporary music culture, it's often difficult, if not impossible, for artists to have the same opportunities as other musicians without putting their recovery at risk. We Are Not Saints was designed to create a platform for musicians to enable them to write, record, distribute, and perform their music in a safe, supported way that puts their recovery at the heart of what they do.”

Media coverage on the issues that people in recovery battled with in the early days of lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic caught the Brighton-based music company’s attention.

Chris explained what brought about the creation of their new album, saying: “there was a lot in the press about people in recovery and the problems they were facing with fellowship meetings closing and face-to-face support all but disappearing. In response, we commissioned eight musicians to write about their experiences of isolation and loss of connection, what had become important to them, and what they had learned about themselves, and their recovery when normal connections were removed.”

One of the artists, is Callum Johnstone, 38, who was born and raised in Edinburgh. Callum fell in love with music as he picked up a guitar at the age of fourteen.

By his mid-twenties however, big plans of a musical career were hampered by alcohol. Callum spent four years in Brighton, in a continuous alcohol- and drugs-infused blur that took a serious toll on his physical and mental health. A brief window of opportunity emerged when a strong feeling passed over him that it was now life or death and that things had to change during an ambulance trip to the hospital.

The support and kindness showed by people in Brighton’s recovery scene helped Callum build a life free from alcohol and drugs.

Playing the guitar and singing in front of people for the first time at the Cascade café in Brighton was the start of a new chapter in his life. The singer behind “Love at a Distance” said: “We Are Not Saints have provided support and encouragement, giving me recording experience that I simply would not have got otherwise, but also creating a network and supportive environment.”

In line with the ethos of inclusivity, diversity, and equality that We Are Not Saints is built on, the album features artists from a colourful variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. There is a 50/50 split between male and female artists as well as musicians from the LGBTQ and BAME communities. That same diversity is reflected on the ample variety of genres from Pop and Indie to Soul and Singer-Songwriter originals.

Recorded during July 2020 the album also features musicians Full Spectrum, Deiphos Jay, Jim Trickster, Helena B, 40 Wildsages and Man Like Malcolm-all artists who have also struggled at some point with their addictions.

Chris hopes that Liberation Through the Looking Glass is representative of a “fair cross-section of the UK recovery community and that the individual songs express identifiable experiences for the listener whether they are in recovery or not. The record represents hope and emotion and it's something We are Not Saints are hugely proud of.”

Profits of the album sales will be reinvested back into We Are Not Saints to allow them to expand their scope and reach more people seeking recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide new opportunities to enhance individual recovery through creativity. There are 25 recorded tracks on the full album which can be purchased exclusively through www.wearenotsaints.co.uk from January 22.

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