Liverpool Daily Post and Echo /19 Oct/ Tragedy of brave musician

[Tom Roche]

Tragedy of brave musician

Oct 19 2006

by Vicky Anderson, Ormskirk Advertiser


Popular local band frontman took his life after 
battling depression, inquest hears

A TALENTED young musician took his own life 
during a bout of depression, an inquest was told.

Chris Ashcroft, 29, had been picked out for 
success by Radio One DJ John Peel who featured 
his band on his cult show after hearing a demo 
tape.

Chris was frontman with Monkey Steals The Drum 
who recorded sessions for the John Peel Show in 
December, 1999, and October, 2000.

The band's song 'Injured Birds' was given the 
honorary number 51 slot by Peel in the top 50 
songs of 1999 chosen by listeners because he 
liked it so much. Peel had called the band "the 
next big thing to come out of Liverpool."

The four-piece, which formed in 1998, regularly 
performed concerts in West Lancashire and 
Liverpool, including The Cavern and The Picket, 
attracting huge support. They also toured the UK.

In 2000, their first single outsold Westlife and 
the Spice Girls locally, but did not chart 
nationally.

But, despite his popularity and success, Chris 
had battled with depression and on July 21 his 
body was found by two schoolboys in woodland 
behind Winifred Lane, Aughton, on the afternoon 
of July 21.

Pathologist Dr Stephen Dundas said that Chris had 
died almost instantly by hanging himself from a 
tree.

Friends of the former Ormskirk Grammar School 
pupil, from Middlewood Road, held a tribute gig 
to him at the Liverpool Everyman in August. At 
the inquest into his death, coroner Dr James 
Adeley said: "Christian was a very well-rounded 
young man. He was a musician, played drums and 
guitar. He was very popular, he would go cycling 
in the Alps.

"But he had started to have problems with depression."


On the day of his death, Mr Ashcroft left the 
house early and his mother assumed he had taken 
an early train to the Lake District to meet his 
girlfriend. She said: "I had no idea he had 
thoughts like this when he went to bed. He blew 
me a kiss and said 'goodnight mum'."

Police called to the woods at around 4.40pm on 
July 21, but Chris was pronounced dead at the 
scene.

Dr Adeley said: "There were two notes found that 
indicated he could no longer bear the problems he 
was facing. People who are depressed still 
maintain a very brave front and it comes as a 
complete shock the events that have transpired. I 
don't think there is anything you could have 
detected or done to have prevented this."

He recorded a verdict of suicide.

In a newspaper in 2000, Chris recalled his first 
contact with John Peel. "We did a demo on our 
little eight-track and sent it off. Then, I just 
forgot about it. The next thing I knew, the phone 
went. It was him saying how much he loved the 
demo. I was totally shocked to hear that 
unmistakable voice."






   


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