Bressie has admitted that “2016 was a pretty s**t year”, as he revealed what he hopes for the year to come.
The Blizzards frontman opened up about 2016 being a “tough year for everybody”, referencing the amount of hate circulating on social media and “what happened in America” – namely Donald Trump being voted the next President of the United States.
Aside from political matters, 2016 wasn’t a great year for Bressie personally either – as he split from girlfriend Roz Purcell back in May.
“Jesus, 2016 was a pretty s*** year. Let’s call a spade a spade – it’s been a tough year for everybody,” he told the Herald.
Tough year: Roz and Bressie split back in May | INSTAGRAM
“I think the lowlight was the amount of hate that you’re bombarded with on a daily basis. I just find the rhetoric of hate that we’ve had to listen to, from many different places – obviously, with what happened in America, it’s kind of deflating. I found that really difficult.”
While 2016 was no doubt a disappointing year for many, there were a few highlights for Bressie.
“I think the first gig back for The Blizzards was quite a highlight for me, because we were building up to it for so long. What was really nice about it was we played President Michael D Higgins’ garden party, and all the families came.
“A lot of lads in the band, their kids would never have seen them playing music, so I think watching their faces, for everybody, was such an amazing moment.”
As for 2017, Bressie, who has been notoriously vocal about his mental health, wants to focus on being more mindful.
Looking to the future: Bressie has high hopes for 2017 | VIPIRELAND.COM
“I’ve decided I’m going to start investing a lot more into meditation, and trying to slow down a little bit. I’m probably going to invest a bit of time and effort into becoming a little bit more mindful, and treating my head a little bit better.
“I think a lot of people spend most of their new year’s trying to look after their bodies, and get fitter and lose weight – I just want to look after my head and be kinder to it and give it more space. I really need to change my relationship with my phone, too. It’s not healthy. I’ve gotta figure out how to get off my phone for a period of time…”
The musician also revealed his plans for The Blizzards next album, and his hopes for the future of A Lust For Life.
“The great thing about the band is there’s no huge strategy to it, it’s just, ‘Let’s have the craic and enjoy it.’ So, I think the thing with the band is to make an album. Having bought a studio, I’d like to really develop that.
“Obviously, ‘A Lust for Life’ is a huge part of my life, so we want to bring that to the next level, and we want to start creating situations rather than just creating awareness. We want to create things that can help people,” he added.
