Passion Pit singer: 'I was suffering from Psychomotor Retardation'

Michael Angelakos from Passion Pit performs at the Lollapalooza. Photo / AP

Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos has opened up about the crippling bout of depression which led to the cancellation of six recent tour dates by the band.

The group axed a series of concerts over the past few weeks to allow Angelakos time to recover from his mental health problems, but they made a comeback at Perry Farrell's music festival Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Before hitting the stage at Lollapalooza, Angelakos told Rolling Stone magazine that, at his lowest point, even getting out of bed had been a struggle.

In the candid interview, he also admits he is relieved to finally be able to talk about his problems, after spending many years keeping quiet about his condition.

"I've gotten really good feedback,'' Angelakos says.

"I didn't know how it was going to be received ... It's a lot nicer to be able to talk about it. I've been lying about it. People have been like, 'Why'd you cancel the shows?' I was like, 'Oh, I had a migraine.' It's like no, I couldn't leave my bed.

"It's just so much a part of my life ... It's a lot easier for me to say I have pneumonia. And that is what I was going to say ...

"People don't understand that it's not just debilitating; it's all-encompassing. It's something you have to work on your entire life."

Angelakos adds: "My depression was so bad three weeks ago when we had to cancel everything ...

"It was so bad that I was suffering from something called Psychomotor Retardation, which is essentially where your brain starts shutting down your entire body. So you're sitting in bed and you can barely move."

The singer thanks his bandmates for supporting him and being "so understanding", and adds: "It's not fun to be on the other end of it."

He vows to continue touring even though, he says: "It's hard to be doing this at all.

"It's not just a person who suffers from any mental health issue that shouldn't be touring - most people shouldn't really be touring. It's not really a healthy lifestyle.

"I know how to do it to a certain extent to make it work for me and I have people who care about me and want me to be well. I make it work because I need to make a living too. And this is what I do."

- WENN