Music tour becomes first to meet global hearing protection standard

An international tour by rock band Biffy Clyro has become the first to achieve a hearing protection standard developed by researchers from the University of Derby.

The band’s ‘Futique’ tour is the first in the world to achieve HELA Initiative (Healthy Ears, Limited Annoyance) Tour Certification – an initiative aimed at promoting best practice for responsible sound management at live events.

Developed by researchers within the Electro-Acoustics Research Lab (EARLab) at the University of Derby and international sound and hearing experts, the HELA Initiative offers certification and strategic guidance for promoters, venues, artists, and technicians committed to building safer, more sustainable future live experiences.

Launched on World Hearing Day in 2025, HELA Initiative was created in response to global research highlighting the risks of unsafe listening levels, including work from the World Health Organisation and the Audio Engineering Society.

Developed through collaboration between researchers, regulators, production specialists and industry professionals, HELA Certification aims to improve audience enjoyment, working conditions for crews, and to reduce community noise impact.

Biffy Clyro’s international HELA Initiative-certified tour, which began in January 2026 and is still ongoing, featured evidence-based sound system design to reduce auditory risk, comprehensive crew and venue training, clear messaging around hearing protection and sound awareness and ongoing monitoring and reporting of sound pressure levels.

The certification was embraced beyond audio engineers, with security, lighting and catering completing the training – recognising that high sound pressure levels affect everyone working in live environments.

Jon Burton, senior lecturer in Audio and Light Engineering at the University of Derby and HELA Initiative vice-chair, said: “Since launching HELA last year, we’ve seen a remarkable response from across the live events industry, with an increasing number of individuals, companies and venues signing up for the training.

“For Biffy Clyro to become the first international tour to achieve certification is hugely significant.

“Committing to run a tour that complies with a certification takes a change in mindset across all departments – and what we saw was a genuine willingness to engage.

“For some local crew, it was the first time they had been warned about when sound pressure levels would be high in their work areas or advised about the risks to their hearing. That alone demonstrates why this initiative is so important.”