The War On Fan Clacking Continues

Dance music resource Dancing Astronaut has posted a video on Instagram reminding festivalgoers why many punters despise the practice of “fan clacking” during gigs.

If you’ve never heard of fan clacking, you’re not alone. Fan clacking is when someone uses a paper hand fan and snaps it up and down with the flick of a wrist, making a noisy “clack” sound that’s meant to go with the beat of a song.

Fan clacking is a common practice at raves. Its popularity is baffling and would likely distract anyone who struggles with sensory overload. Understandably, some are demanding that fan clacking be banned at music festivals.

Dancing Astronaut shared a video of someone filming from the crowd with the person in front of them fan clacking during American DJ Audien’s set at Horizon Music Festival in San Diego, California.

The video contains the caption, “Just in case anyone needed a reminder of why fan clacking should be outlawed”. Dancing Astronaut added, “Painful to post this (and even worse to witness in person), but another PSA was needed”.

In the comments, it seemed many viewers agreed, writing, “The fan clackers are gonna eventually infiltrate the comment section and I’m ready to defeat all of them,” “Now I'm angry too, thank you. Why do people clack like that, use your damn fan for it's purpose,” “i told a fan clacker at dreamstate last year that fan clacking is against the rules. he was so concerned and apologetic. one down, many to go,” and “‘It was on beat’ THATS NOT THE POINT ITS LOUD AND FUCKING RUDE”.

You can watch the footage of the fan clack below.

Is fan clacking part of “the death of concert etiquette”? Last year, The Music asked if we were witnessing the end of concert etiquette in real-time, and some of writer Melissa Griffin’s arguments also apply to fan clacking.

“When did the reason we attend gigs become more about the content we can create from it than the music itself?” Griffin asked.

And while that article was more about punters throwing things at fans, risking the safety and well-being of artists, what about a fan clack harming the person in front or behind you? Griffin questioned, “At what point did the well-being and safety of an artist become second to our own need to be seen at these gigs?”

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