As cases of tinnitus rise, earplugs for live music are becoming more popular – as is the deeply uncool act of asking for the volume to be turned down

If you attended a music festival this summer, you might have noticed that earplugs are having a moment. Earplugs were once ugly, disposable foam bullets that crudely muffled sound, but a new generation are reusable and designed to let a wider range of sound through while cancelling out frequencies that might lead to hearing problems. They’re also, for the first time, quite cool.

The brand with the most name recognition is Loop, which markets its products as a kind of jewellery, costing around £20 to £60. Loop partnered with prestigious UK dance festival Houghton, while rival player Alpine had concession stands at Boomtown, Elrow, All Points East and BST Hyde Park. For Jono Heale, a director of ACS Custom – whose moulded earplugs are considered music industry-standard – this stigma-free marketing is long overdue: “A few years ago, festivals felt they were admitting some kind of liability if they had us there. Recently, I’ve been contacted about working with more, I think because they’re getting worried.”