My Bloody Valentine is going to pass out free earplugs to fans during its upcoming European tour. This idea is about two decades too late for many who have already witnessed the eardrum shattering noise this band emits live. Several friends of mine who have had the good/bad fortune of seeing My Bloody Valentine in concert swear unequivocally that it was the loudest thing they have ever experienced. Bar none. The ringing lasts for days. Both Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher have ear problems, which will be no surprise to anyone familiar with the band’s swirling shoegaze wall of noise. I learned my lesson a long time ago never to attend a show without earplugs. I don’t care if it’s acoustic night in someone’s basement. I wear earplugs 100% of the time. I still know lunatics who practice with bands in metal shacks with amps turned up to 11, who don’t wear them or even care, and they are insane. I do not want to spend my days listening to the relentless buzzing sounds of my own dying cells.