PHOTO: Elaine Barker | Dreamstime.com

Add a pair of headphones to the list of items to bring with you when heading out clubbing.

The Finns (the people, not the political party) have invented some bizarre things in their time. Swamp football and wife carrying are two of the more well-known odd pastimes originating from this land of the midnight sun, but a slightly trendier, if ultimately ridiculous, habit that began here has recently spread around Europe. Silent discos are club nights where partygoers listen to music on headphones, together, in a large room. Supposedly the first example of such an event, at least visually, was in a 1969 Finnish science fiction film called Ruusujen AIka. In the seventies the idea failed to set the world on fire before it was resurrected by some British people during the early noughties.

Walking into a silent disco is a bizarre experience, as Helsinki residents had the chance to find out last month. Three DJs were playing at a party in Suvilahti and spinning different kinds of music from which the public could choose. Since the main element of a disco is at first missing – the music – seeing a bunch of people dancing in silence is weird, not to mention vaguely ridiculous-looking. That’s not to say there aren’t advantages, however: if you want a bit of peace and quiet you can easily remove the ‘phones and take it easy. The annoyance of the DJ playing rubbish tunes is also mitigated somewhat by the fact you can choose between several channels. If you’re bored of euro-house you can switch over to some underground dubstep.

Bizarrely, some manufacturers have proposed a home silent disco version, which seems pointless to say the least. Listen to music at home and dance to it wearing headphones! I was doing that in the eighties – it’s so passé. The main problem with the concept is not that you look a bit stupid (God knows enough people look like idiots at night clubs anyway) but more that low-quality headphones might fall of your noggin while you’re boogying away. The concept also lacks some of the ‘togetherness’ of a regular nightclub. Part of the fun is that you can drunkenly scream to your mates, “Oh I LOOOVE this tune!” when the latest Beyoncé or whatever comes on. With the silent disco you just raise your thumbs and grimace. Still, at least it’s quiet. – a much undervalued commodity these days.

Keep an eye out for a silent disco coming to a club near you!

Nick Barlow