In the spirit of our lecture on sound, I attended a gig that same night by Lord Huron, a band from the USA. Naturally, this got me thinking about the points raised today. The physicality of sound stood out to me. Not only in terms of the vibrations emitted by the speakers – which I was standing to close to, rip my ears – but also in the feeling the sound invited. Also, I especially noticed the power the combination of different sounds had on the crowd and the atmosphere in the room.

I see sound, especially music, as a very powerful, emotional medium. Certain sounds can instantly evoke memories, feelings, and nostalgia. One of my favourite sounds is torrential raining pounding on a roof, especially at night. This sound brings me back to a week my family spent camping in Belgium when I was younger, during which it rained non-stop for the entire time. A sound that I hate is the noise of a vacuum cleaner. It makes me want to make like my cat and hide under the couch; it is too constant, loud and overpowering.

Whilst most sound elicits some sort of reaction from its audience, I adore music especially for its ability to create a strong emotional response.