Last night I went with three girl friends to a special silent disco event at the top of the Shard, organised by Time Out. I first discovered the silent disco concept several years ago in a south London club. The idea of everyone wearing headphones with the option of flicking between several different music channels seemed utterly ridiculous – and I loved it from the outset. Since then I’ve attended only a handful of similar events, most recently at London Zoo as part of its series of ‘Lates’ evening events. But whilst silent disco dancing near wild animals was fun, it was nowhere near comparable to doing it on the top three floors of the tallest building in Western Europe.

With its unobstructed 360 degree views across London, the View from the Shard is really something else. Not being a big fan of heights I wasn’t quite so taken with the outside viewing platform on the top floor, but in the two enclosed floors beneath I was in my element, switching between the three available music channels as I bopped away with the rest of the lucky few who had purchased tickets to the event. It really was a phenomenal experience, and one I doubt I will ever be fortunate enough to repeat. It’s nights like that which make seasoned Londoners like myself appreciate this magnificent city all over again – God bless London, and God bless the creators of the silent disco (the crazy bastards).