Switch Off the Screens: This Immersive Music Experience Puts You in Complete Darkness for 70 Minute
If your idea of switching off still involves scrolling through TikTok while watching Netflix, this might be the digital detox you didn't know you needed.
HUSH, from immersive music company in the dark, is heading on tour with a rather unusual proposition: give them 70 minutes of your attention, put on a sleep mask and listen to 30 musicians performing live around you in complete darkness. No phones. No screens. No filming your favourite bit for Instagram.
In fact, there's absolutely nothing to see. And that's entirely the point.
What is HUSH?
HUSH turns the traditional live music experience on its head.
Instead of sitting in front of a stage watching musicians perform, the audience is placed right in the middle of the music.
Once everyone is seated, sleep masks go on and a secret ensemble of around 30 musicians performs live around and amongst the audience.
The result is what the creators call three-dimensional music. Sounds can suddenly appear behind you, beside you or above you. At other moments, the music can seem to travel right through the space.
Taking away your sight means you're not distracted by who's playing what, what they're wearing or whether you can get a decent photo. You simply listen.
It's a gig, but not as you know it
We've all been to concerts where we've ended up watching half the performance through the phone being held up by the person standing in front. There's none of that here.
The musicians perform largely acoustically and even their identities are kept secret until after the experience. The soundtrack isn't revealed beforehand either, but expect music spanning ambient, Scandi, nu-folk, indie and experimental sounds. So there's an element of surprise from the moment the lights disappear.
Could this be the ultimate digital detox?
Probably the most interesting part of HUSH isn't actually the darkness.
It's the fact you're being asked to concentrate on one thing for 70 whole minutes.
When did any of us last do that?
We're constantly checking WhatsApp, answering emails, scrolling through social media and watching television with a second screen in our hands. Even wellness has become something we often experience through an app.
HUSH describes itself as the "antithesis of AI", and there's something rather appealing about that.
Thirty real musicians playing live in the same room as you, with absolutely no digital distraction.
Think of it as somewhere between an intimate gig, immersive theatre and a sound bath – although considerably more elaborate than somebody hitting a gong.
Where can you experience HUSH?
Ironically, considering you'll spend much of the experience unable to see them, HUSH is taking place inside some seriously beautiful historic buildings.
The UK tour dates are:
Bristol Cathedral – 29 October
Chichester Cathedral – 12 November
St Albans Cathedral – 13 November
All Saints Hove – 14 November
Tewkesbury Abbey – 12 December
Guildford Cathedral – 17 December
There will be two performances at each venue.
It might sound strange to visit one of Britain's beautiful cathedrals only to immediately cover your eyes. But perhaps that's part of the fun.
In 2026, when we're rarely more than a few inches away from a screen, 70 minutes with nothing to look at and nowhere else to be sounds surprisingly luxurious.
HUSH tours the UK from October to December 2026. Tickets and more information are available at in-the-dark.com/hush-tour Prices start at £38
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