Lewis Capaldi is putting anxious gig goers at ease with on-site support

Scottish singing sensation Lewis Capaldi announced an innovative project making live music more accessible for fans with mental health problems.

Help points will be set up at each venue on Capaldi’s tour next year and will be manned by a team trained to help people with panic or anxiety.

Also under the initiative, dubbed LIVELIVE, nervous fans will have access to a quiet ‘escape room’ designed for anyone who feels overwhelmed.

An extra 50p charge will be added to each ticket for the tour to fund the project.

The 22-year-old from West Lothian shared that he suffers from panic attacks himself. He said: “I always get tonnes of messages from people online who have said they want to come to my shows but can’t because they’re struggling massively with anxiety or are just generally afraid they will have a panic attack during the show.”

also so so buzzing to announce something i've been working on for a while… LIVELIVE

know that a lot of u for one reason of another might find shows difficult whether it's anxiety or panic. i want to make sure that as many of u who feel that have the support to come down! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0ZWvgsVKP9

— Lewis Calamari (@LewisCapaldi) April 18, 2019

A fan tweeted: “This is such an amazing step – accessibility isn’t just about everyone getting the same thing, it’s about finding new ways to include people who are designed out of these kinds of events.

“Thank you, Lewis, for showing how this can be done and why it’s important.”

Fans can now contact livelive@lewiscapaldi.co.uk to speak to a qualified support advisor and discuss any worries they have about getting to or being at the gigs.

Capaldi said: “I hate to feel that anyone’s anxiety is making them miss out on anything they want to do and LIVELIVE is my attempt at helping make these shows enjoyable for as many of those people who have been supporting this journey for me!”

The tour will start in Manchester on March 2 2020 at the O2 Apollo, finishing in London on 12 March at the SSE Arena Wembley.

This will follow a UK run in November, which sold out in less than a minute, and support slots throughout the summer with big names like Ed Sheeran and The Killers.