Excerpts from an article in The Guardian, 14 December 2024
Snap out of it: Manchester club joins growing trend to ban phone cameras
Nightclub director says they ‘really want the music and experience to be at the forefront’, following in the footsteps of Berlin’s club scene.

Bold highlights by Osho News. Comment: Maybe something has rubbed off from the Masters of Masters…
Over the past decade going to a live event has nearly always been accompanied by a sea of phones capturing every moment of the experience to be shared on social media feeds. But now living in the moment is becoming the new luxury.
Partygoers in Manchester will be asked to cover their smartphone camera with a sticker in a strict rule being enforced by a new nightclub. Amber’s nightclub, which opened on Friday night, is the latest venue to enforce the no-phone rule, clamping down on the endless recording or livestreaming of nights out on mobiles.
Amber’s director Jeremy Abbott said they took the decision to open as a no-phones venue, meaning no photos, no filming and no flash, because they “really want the music and experience to be at the forefront”.
”We believe that having phones away creates a better vibe in the room and makes people feel more present in the moment. We totally understand that people may want to capture footage to remember the night, however we have an in-house content team who will take care of that,” he added.
In Berlin, notorious for its party culture, this is already standard practice. Popularised by the world-renowned Berghain in the German capital, the no-phone policy has been rolled out at a number of underground nightclubs, including London’s FOLD and fabric.
Recently clubgoers in Ibiza were also told to put away their phones and just live in the moment. Pikes in Ibiza, a hedonist’s dream set in a boutique hotel, tested the water with a stickers-on-phones policy on Monday nights in April, but by August the nightspot had extended its ban to seven nights a week. Pikes announced the change on Instagram, writing: “Keep your phones in your pocket and your mind on the music.”
“Knowing that everyone around you is doing the same … opens up a whole world of freedom, not only on the dancefloor,” the post continued. […]
“When you’re on the dancefloor, you’re there to party with the friends beside you, not with a screen. By removing phones from the equation, 3D hopes to create a more immersive experience, where people can truly live in the moment. So, next time you hit the floor, remember: it’s time to dance, not to text,” they added.
At Amber’s, people seen filming or taking photos will be “politely asked to stop”, says Abbott. “If you are seen doing it again, you will be asked to leave the venue.”
“We want DJs to be able to express themselves and for everyone to feel like they can be part of a special experience, we think phones on the dancefloor detracts from that, that’s why we won’t be allowing them,”
Abbott said the response had been “incredible” over the launch weekend, with everyone respecting the concept, allowing it to feel “special in the moment”.
“There were a few times where I looked across the dancefloor and everyone in the room was dancing and cheering, there were no phones out and it just felt like there was this really unified energy in the space. It’s exciting to see that again on a dancefloor. We can’t wait to see the club evolve over the coming months and years with this ethos at its core,” he added. […]
“Banning mobile phones from the dancefloor has made a tremendous difference,” said Boymans. “People are in the moment, they talk to each other, they make friends. The party is back.”
Read the whole article: theguardian.com
Comments are closed.