I've encountered a fair few people over the years who have claimed that Band X quite literally 'saved their life'.

I remember a guy I was talking to in a pub in Cambridge in late 1998 telling me that long forgotten Epitaph punk types Ten Foot Pole had given him the strength to carry on rather than kill himself.

Heavy subject matter apart, I thought this was a little bizarre, after all they weren't exactly a great band, even by the standards of Epitaph's roster at the time. If he'd said Jawbreaker or Lifetime I may have believed him a little.

Anyway, has a band ever had such a profound effect on you that you've altered the way you lived your life or changed direction?