Reflecting on his own past experiences of dealing with addiction and mental health issues, Maddox Jones combined a thought-provoking narrative with a mixture of upbeat original material and popular covers which fully engaged the audience and demonstrated the talent that has sustained an almost two-decade long career in the music industry.  

 Maddox Jones’ performance, in front of a combined audience of 300 students in years 8 and 9 at Withernsea High School, not only offered a tangible link to their classroom learning, it also delivered an experience of live music and some welcome fun towards the end of a busy term.

Commenting on the event Andrea Monaghan, Head of Personal Development at Withernsea High School, said: “Maddox Jones’ appearance at the school was absolutely fantastic. Not only did he perform a wide range of songs, he also spoke honestly about his own personal experiences with issues relating to mental well-being, social media and addiction.

The themes he covered link directly with topics studied by students in their Personal Development lessons, helping them to see that such issues aren’t just something we talk about in the confines of a classroom environment, they are very much part of some people’s real life experiences.

Events such as these are crucial in helping us to spark a talking point for open and honest discussions. They also provide us with the perfect opportunity to reaffirm the many avenues of support that are available in school to assist students with their mental health and general well-being.”

Students were equally full of praise for the experience, with Year 9 student Jack saying: "It was very different to the usual things we do in school and I thought it was great when Maddox invited us to sing at the front with him. Maddox talked about his own experiences, and it was good to hear from someone who was being honest and truthful about their difficulties, and about how he had been helped by other people."

Maddox Jones’ appearance in Withernsea was organised in conjunction with The Prime Agency who, since 2012, have been providing educational school tours with a musical twist to secondary schools across the length and breadth of the UK.

To date, their PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education programmes have been delivered in over 70% of UK secondary schools to a cumulative audience of over three million pupils.

The agency’s roster of artists regularly attend schools where they deliver strong messages relating to a variety of contemporary issues such as drug education and peer pressure, online safety and cyber bullying, discrimination, body image, LGBTQ+ issues, and careers and aspirations.

The sessions are structured so that students watch an interactive and captivating performance from the artists, which is key to gaining their attention, before an informative and relevant message is shared.

Commenting on the impact of these sessions, Luke Whitehouse, Managing Director of The Prime Agency, said: “We've found that the live performances are so engaging, that when the messages are being delivered, students are really involved and are often hanging off the artist’s every word. The performers are seen as role models to the pupils and deliver these messages in such a way that it empowers and informs students to make the right choices in life.”

As for the message currently being shared by Maddox Jones, Luke added: “The main message of the presentation is to empower students to make healthy lifestyle choices, as well as explore ways to support their own mental health. Maddox has had his own issues with mental health and drug addiction in the past and has now completely turned his life around for the better. He is excited to be promoting such a positive message to young people and feels he is in a perfect position to talk about these issues, inspire students and give good advice.”

As a former member of rock band, The Departure, Maddox Jones and his follow band mates enjoyed touring slots with The Killers, Feeder, Duran Duran and Placebo in the early 2000s.

Following a successful signing to the Parlophone record label, the band’s debut single, All Mapped Out, reached number 30 on the UK singles chart in the summer of 2004. A UK tour and festival appearances followed shortly after, but their success was short-lived and the band split up in January 2008.

After a couple of false starts with different projects, Maddox went solo in 2018 and eventually released his first single, Headspace, under the name Maddox Jones in 2020.

As part of his recent whistle-stop visit to North and East Yorkshire, Maddox Jones visited six schools over the course of two days as part of a continuing national tour.

Further information about the work of The Prime Agency, and their roster of artists, including Maddox Jones, can be found on their website: www.theprimeagency.com 

 ABOVE: Singer-songwriter Maddox Jones helped to promote a powerful message of mental health and well-being. 

ABOVE: Maddox and guitarist, Pete, spoke openly about their own mental health issues, in-between a rousing set of original material and cover songs which were enjoyed by the students.