“I’m returning to live music after 7 years!”: Tim’s Story

I’ve spent all my adult life immersed in British alternative music; as part of All About Eve, The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission.

Music has been the constant presence in my life, something I’ve listened to, lived through and depended on every day.

Seven years ago, I walked into a rehearsal room to help a young band. They were excited. They were loud. I remember thinking, “this is really loud”, but I’d played countless noisy gigs before. I’d had ringing ears many times previously after gigs or rehearsals, but the ringing always went away by morning.

This time, it didn’t.

After just one rehearsal, the sound stayed. The same high-pitched noise I heard that night is still with me today. Alongside it came hyperacusis, an extreme sensitivity to sound that made everyday noises painful and made the tinnitus reactive and louder when exposed to noise.

That one rehearsal changed everything.

I tried to carry on as normal. I went to restaurants. I went to gigs with earplugs. Every time, my tinnitus spiked. Music, the thing that had shaped my life, began to hurt. It sounded distorted, harsh, wrong.

Eventually, I stopped altogether. I couldn’t listen to music. I couldn’t go to gigs. I couldn’t create. For someone whose identity was built around sound, it felt like a hard stop on life.

I went to my GP immediately and was referred to ENT. My appointment came nine months later. Nine months is a long time when you’re living with a sound that never switches off. I was stuck in fight-or-flight mode, obsessively searching for answers, monitoring the tinnitus constantly. The more I fought it, the worse it became.

I felt very alone. That’s when I found Tinnitus UK.

Through their helpline, forums, and support groups, I finally found people who understood. Through Tinnitus UK, I was guided towards the right specialists. Seeing an audiologist and tinnitus specialist psychologist was a turning point. For the first time, someone helped me understand that tinnitus isn’t just an ear problem, it’s a brain and nervous system problem.

Once I started MCBT, the all-important psychological shift took about eight weeks. The MCBT treatment saved me years of distress with my tinnitus. It’s an ongoing journey.

For seven years, I avoided live music entirely. With the right support, I slowly rebuilt my relationship with sound. Carefully. Thoughtfully. Safely.

This year, for the first time in seven years, I’m going to a live music event again.