Phoebe Bridgers has rekindled the 'phone-free gigs' debate again I fully support a ban and this poll shows most tech fans do too

Date:
Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
The indie singer-songwriter is the latest high-profile artist to tell fans they can't have their phones at live shows.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Indie folk darling Phoebe Bridgers has announced a 2026 tour, and told fans that "phones, cameras, or any devices with recording and filming capabilities are prohibited" a ruling that has kicked up quite the discourse on social media.

When you turn up at one of these gigs, you'll have to put your devices into a Yondr pouch , which stays locked until the gig is over, or until you decide
to leave (it looks as though medical exemptions are allowed , though this may vary by venue). Depending on who you listen to, the move is classist , dangerous , awesome , or just quite funny, and there are a lot of opinions being shared out there (and some rather humorous responses to those
opinions). Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

While there are some valid questions being asked about safety and emergency phone access, this is something I'm actually quite encouraged to see and
I'll explain why. The case for no phones Phoebe Bridgers is far from the
first artist to set up a no-phones show of course (here's one earlier example ), but it's not the norm. As someone who's been to plenty of gigs down the years, I'm beginning to think that maybe it should be. You may like Should gigs be phone-free? Fred Again thinks so now have your say Nothing is proving that smartphones can still be chic, and I hope other Android manufacturers are paying attention Cantilever founder Aaron Skates on
creating a streaming platform for album listeners

I actually like to take a photo or two at a live show, just to record the moment: who I was seeing, what the venue was like, when it happened. But I
try to limit myself to just a handful of photos per show, and there are
plenty of gig goers who aren't so disciplined. Will you be going on The Lost Tour? (Image credit: Phoebe Bridgers) While I'd miss being able to do that at a phone-free event, it may well be a sacrifice worth making for a better experience overall. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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Especially in larger venues, and especially during the more famous songs, the view of the stage can soon get blocked out by a sea of bright phone screens, all trying to capture the moment. At one gig I went to, someone in front of
me must have videoed at least three quarters of the songs: not only was he seeing the gig through a phone screen, so was I.

Let's be honest, most of these photos and videos aren't being snapped and recorded to look back on later they're for sharing to social media, for getting clicks, likes, reposts, or whatever it is. You end up with at least half the crowd not living in the moment. Youd think youd hear from people who have been to no-phones concerts explaining that its fine and makes the show better. Unfortunately, every single one of them died of medical complications mid-show or was kidnapped June 7, 2026 And it seems I'm not alone in preferring to see phones banned at gigs. When we previously polled TechRadar readers , we got almost 1,500 votes: 56% of you would be happy with
phone-free gigs, 27% of you thought phones should be allowed but used less, and 10% were open to a ban if some kind of "discrete tech" could still be
used to capture photos and videos instead. What to read next Apple Musics Concert page is almost the update Ive been waiting for Spotify eyes live concert streaming to compete with YouTube Spotify's new 'Reserved' system gives top fans priority access to concert tickets

Only 7% of you voted 'no chance' to no phones, so that you could still film and take photos, giving you something to remember the gig by even if your memories would be likely to feature lots of other people with their phones out, as well as the artist on stage. Before they were famous I've actually
got a bit of a personal connection with Phoebe Bridgers, as I first saw her
in 2018 playing at the Leaf bar in Liverpool, not long after her first album came out. I didn't do a headcount at the time, but there can't have been more than 150 people there.

It had everything that makes small gigs so great: a good view of whoever is playing, minimal hassle from the crowd, easy access to the bar, and very few people using their phones too much (I got my standard two or three snaps in, as always). Phoebe Bridgers live in Liverpool in 2018 not many people, and
no phones (except mine) (Image credit: David Nield) Fast forward to 2023 and
I saw Phoebe Bridgers again, in Halifax, as part of her Boygenius
'supergroup' with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. I was much further away from the stage, I got much more annoyed by the people around me, and there were a lot more phones on show a lot more of the time.

You may or may not have any idea who Phoebe Bridgers is, but in the year 2026 she's got two nights booked at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena in London for
this tour, which gives you some idea of how far she's come (my level of fame has remained about the same).

I'd bet that these gigs are going to be more enjoyable for the majority without any phones out recording, even if it means no permanent record of the night for punters. It's not just the taking photos and videos either it's
the checking for messages, the scrolling social media, and so on. Phoebe Bridgers and her Boygenius friends, in Halifax in 2023 a lot more people, a lot more phones (Image credit: David Nield) I'm old enough to remember going to gigs before smartphones arrived, and we all survived, more or less. I
don't have anything to remember those shows by except my actual memories (which can get a little fuzzy over time), but I know I was there. Maybe
that's something we need to get back to.

As for the latest Phoebe Bridgers tour, I think I'll give it a miss, irrespective of the phones policy. I'm not a huge fan of gigs above a certain size: the high prices, the crush of crowds, the artist you've come to see no more than a dot in the distance. Maybe I'll find a small live show to go to instead... Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source
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