Justin Currie: Del Amitri frontman reveals Parkinson's disease diagnosis ahead of European tour

Justin Currie, the lead singer for Scotland's pop and rock band Del Amitri, has revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The 59-year-old rock star, who recently performed in his native Glasgow for the Celtic Connections festival, has discussed the impact of the condition in a Radio 4 programme to be aired next month.

The announcement of his diagnosis, which occurred over two years ago, comes just before the start of a massive European tour by Del Amitri, which includes shows at venues such as the OVO Hydro in Glasgow and the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway. The band also reportedly started working on a new material for the first time in 19 years, following a sold-out homecoming gig in Glasgow’s West End last year.

This also will be the first time that Currie breaks silence on his condition as he speaks in detail about living with Parkinson's for the BBC radio show 'Tremolo', which will be broadcast on March 10.

In the programme, Currie recounts how his health concerns initially arose during his band's tour when he struggled to play the acoustic guitar, particularly while performing their well-known track, "Nothing Ever Happens". He described how he noticed his grip on the plectrum weakening, affecting his ability to play smoothly, despite being familiar with the song after countless repetitions.

The frustration of not being able to perform a task he was once proficient at led him to question his sanity, akin to suddenly being unable to ride a bicycle. Throughout the tour, he found himself preoccupied with the placement of the plectrum between his fingers, causing other aspects of his performance, like hitting notes, to suffer as a result.

What is Parkinson's disease?

According to the NHS, Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years. The main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are:

• involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body (tremor)
• slow movement
• stiff and inflexible muscles

A person with Parkinson's disease can also experience a wide range of other physical and psychological symptoms. These include:

• depression and anxiety
• balance problems (this may increase the chances of a fall)
• loss of sense of smell (anosmia)
• problems sleeping (insomnia)
• memory problems

Currie also recalls a visit to a neurologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, during which he was instructed to relax his arms. The neurologist identified a trembling hand as a potential indicator of Parkinson's, a moment that marked the beginning of what the singer describes as “a year of dread and hope”.

He said: “Twelve months later, I sail out of the same clinic secure in the knowledge that I’m ill and emboldened by the pleasant surprise that they have pills for this sort of thing. I decide that I’m going to keep working, keep touring and keep playing, despite the uneasy feeling that another man is growing inside me, slowly seizing the means of control.

"It’s definitely a fight to figure out who is in control. You do think ‘who is in charge here?’ When you start losing control of something, even in a mild way, you feel and fear the encroachment of that thing inside you that is taking you over. That’s what it feels like – a shadow inside you that is slowly but surely taking you over.”