Tinnitus like 'gas leak in head', musician says

A musician said he considered stopping playing live, after feedback at a gigs perforated his eardrums, leaving him with permanent tinnitus.

Andy Hall, from Coventry, a guitarist with the band The Institutes, suffered the injury while gigging in Birmingham when he was 24.

The charity Tinnitus UK is calling for safer sound levels at live gigs to prevent audiences, performers and venue staff damaging their hearing.

"It was quite scary because I knew straight away, I thought 'I'm in trouble here'. It knocked me off my feet and it hurts even now when I listen to music if it's too loud," he said.

Hall admitted he liked his music loud but the feedback that caused his injury dropped him to his knees.

The cause of tinnitus is not clear according to the NHS, although it is often linked to general hearing loss, conditions like diabetes, multiple sclerosis and thyroid disease, as well as listening to loud noises for a prolonged amount of time.

Hall, who is now 40, said living with the condition felt like having a permanent gas leak in his head.

He now wears professional earplugs when practising but said he prefers not to wear them when playing live.

"Maybe I shouldn't play live after my experience but you kind of got to just to get the live feel on stage," he added.

To add to his issues, Hall said he worked in the construction industry as an alarm technician, meaning he was around drills and loud noises every day.

A 2025 report for Tinnitus UK found 92% of gig goers had ringing in their ears after performances, while about six out of every 10 music fans said they wore hearing protection at concerts.

Sonja Jones, from the charity, said they understood the importance of live music to fans, the entertainment industry and the wider UK economy, but the damage being caused could be prevented.

A spokesperson for the charity added that they wanted to raise awareness of how important our ears are.

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