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‘It’s a responsibility to speak up for what’s right’: All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth highlights importance of speaking out on controversial issues

On Stage: Gaskarth performing at Alexandra Palace: Emma Meltonville
On Stage: Gaskarth performing at Alexandra Palace: Emma Meltonville

All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth has said it’s the responsibility of artists to speak out on controversial issues.

The US rock band’s singer and guitarist regularly tweets about gun control and said he believes those with a platform should use it for raising awareness of issues that are important to them.

The 30-year-old, who moved to Baltimore from Essex with his parents at the age of six, spoke out on Twitter about the need for gun reforms in the US after last month’s massacre at a Florida school.

He told the Standard: “It’s absolutely a responsibility for any artist with a platform to speak up for what’s right.

Band: (Left to right) Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Rian Dawson and Zack Merrick (Pamela Littky)
Band: (Left to right) Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Rian Dawson and Zack Merrick (Pamela Littky)

"I wasn’t raised within gun culture it was something I had to learn why people feel the way they feel in the States about wanting to own guns.

“It is something that was foreign to me I have down my best with trying to learn it, understand it and come to terms with the fact that there is a massive amount of people who were raised on that ideology and changing it is very difficult for them. It’s part of the culture."

"At the end of the day, there is a clear problem and an overabundance and it’s too relaxed I think but there has to be some middle ground. I don’t think America will be one of those places where guns just go away it’s just not going to happen because of the culture but there has to be some kind of solution.

"Right now it seems like we live in a place where everything is taken to the extremes. [It's a case of] how we can [meet in the] middle and stop..shootings happening and stop having a negative impact on everyone without people feeling like they’re being robbed of their rights."

The Last Young Renegade singer also praised grime artist Stormzy for his criticism of Theresa May’s handling of the Grenfell fire during his performance at the Brits award ceremony.

Gaskarth, 30, said of the performance: “I admire any artist that speaks up on platform of that level. In that case he was speaking up for what’s right.

“It’s [a] brave thing for the people that do it. It’s a necessary voice in the world.”

Speaking about touching on so-called “taboo topics” such as anxiety, depression and mental health on the whole, the Good Times singer said: “I try in general not to repress too many emotions because it’s typically unhealthy and gives you grey hair.

“I think song-writing definitely is an avenue of reliving and releasing there is some catharsis in getting your demons out on paper.

“Mental health needs to be spoken about more for anyone is extremely important. I think it’s something that’s considered taboo [which is] strange to me.

“In a way I understand because it’s something no one wants to admit or feel like something's wrong especially because there’s not always a medicine for it.

“We as a society we need to pay a little more attention to it and just do a better job of teaching that it’s okay not to be okay.”

The band have just finished the UK leg of their tour, playing their final show at Alexandra Palace on Saturday.