Band plug in to protect hearing

By Caroline Ryan
Health reporter, BBC News

Ringing ears are a familiar temporary after-effect of seeing a live band.

Chapter XIII hope to protect their ears during performances

But the effects of loud music are far worse for the musicians on stage, who are subjecting their ears to high decibel levels night after night.

Up-and-coming rock band Chapter XIII are taking action to protect their hearing.

The five members have been fitted with personally tailored ear plugs, costing around £150 a pair, which they can wear while they perform to reduce noise levels.

Gareth Marshall, 25, lead singer of the band, said: "This is about protecting our ears. As musicians, we are constantly exposed to loud music, and the damage which is done to your hearing over time is irreversible.

"And if we can't hear properly, how can we hear each other when we're playing?"

He said there was a clichéd image that the louder a band played the better.

But Gareth said he wanted to raise awareness of the damage that can be done.

A mould is made for lead singer Gareth Marshall's ear piece

"We do want to tell people about this. We want to say we've done something."

The ear pieces the band will use send a radio signal to a small back pack which has a volume control.

They will use the pieces when performing, rehearsing and for sound-checks.

'Take a break'

Mick Sheppard of Hand Held Audio, who fitted the ear pieces, said: "In-ear monitoring helps protect hearing by facilitating much lower stage volumes and eliminating feedback."

But he said the device had to be used responsibly.

"The musician has the volume control and has to resist the temptation to keep on turning it up."

The band's decision is supported by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which has been running a three-year campaign to raise awareness about the damage that loud music can do.

HEAR THIS Sounds over 80 decibels(dB(A) can damage hearing 90 -105dB(A) is a night club dance floor 110dB(A) is a pneumatic drill 10 foot away 125dB(A) is a rock concert 130dB(A) is an aeroplane taking off 100 metres away 140db(A) is a the threshold of pain

It's 'Don't Lose the Music Campaign' is aimed at people aged 16-30 - the most likely group to go to loud gigs and clubs - and to be in bands.

The RNID advises measures including protecting hearing by standing away from loud speakers, taking regular breaks from loud music and by wearing ear plugs if they are regularly exposed to loud music or if they are exposed for long periods of time.

'No cure'

Danny McNamara, of the band Embrace, supports the RNID campaign. He has tinnitus - noise, usually ringing, inside the ears.

He says: "The first six months I had tinnitus were awful.

A specialist told me years of loud music had done irreparable damage to my ears Danny McNamara, Embrace

"Every night I'd go to bed with the radio on just to drown out the constant and awful high pitched 'test card tone' in my head.

"I went onto the internet to find a solution only to discover there is no real cure, among all the coping strategies and group workshops. I went to a specialist who told me the years of loud music had done irreparable damage to my ears. All I could do was see that it didn't get worse.

"Five years on and I've learned to live with it, pretty much. I have days when it gets me down but not many.

"If you've just discovered you've got tinnitus don't despair - although it never goes away it does stop bringing you down after a while.

"If you haven't got tinnitus for God's sake take care of your ears before it's too late."

'Miss Me When I'm Dead', Chapter XIII's first single, is out on October 9.