The Fringe is the perfect place for some of the more unique ideas out there, and it doesn’t get more bizarre and ingenious than the premise of the silent disco. Essentially, as you walk into the silent venue, you are given headphones which have a volume button on one side and a button to flip between two radio frequencies on the other. On one frequency you have a fun collection of rock and pop and the other a more dance tinged selection. It’s a crazy idea (there is only music straight to your ears through headphones! No general music-for-all!) and it certainly doesn’t get any more crazy than walking into a room filled with hundreds of people silently dancing and singing at the top of their voices to Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5!
Underneath the gimmick there are advantages to the head-phones, chatting to friends or even chatting someone up is pretty tricky when you have to shout out over the music but in Silent Disco, things couldn’t be simpler. Also for the more impatient people out there if you hear a song you don’t like, you are free to flip to something better on the other frequency.
This ease may go to explain why the beautiful and spacious McEwan Hall venue is completely packed out and the closing time of 3am seems to fly by, with many people never leaving the dance floor.
Silly but enormous fun, this is the most enjoyable night you can have at the Fringe. Just be prepared for some serious face ache the next day because you will be grinning like a Cheshire cat throughout.
5/5
Martin Miller
