MUMFORD and Sons get a lot of criticism for their easy listening take on folk music, but as far as I am concerned they have got one thing right.

The band’s decision to ban mobile phones from their gig on Monday night at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, is something that should become the rule rather than the exception.

The explanation given for this unusual dictate was that the show took place before the release of the band’s forthcoming third album, due out in May.

The internet is already awash with badly shot footage of performances which are worlds away from the official videos released by musicians to accompany their work.

Then there are the photographs which grace Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; blurred and badly framed, a caption is often required for the viewer to identify what they are looking at.

I can see why the band would have wanted to avoid that happening following their gig.

However, there are other just as valid reasons for venues to be mobile-free zones for the duration of concerts.

I’ve lost count of the number of times at gigs or music festivals that I have had to peer around some considerate individual watching the performance through their recording device as if it were a YouTube video. Maybe in this era of 24/7 communication they are simply confused as to which image is the real one.

Even more irritating are the two people blocking my view while one is holding another on their shoulders in order that the second can more easily video proceedings.

Whether it is a concert, a speech, a parade, or a group of talented buskers drawing a crowd, it is likely that the views of half of the spectators will be partially obscured by the smartphones of the other half held aloft.

This need for constant communication really bothers me.

There are swathes of people who have forgotten how to live in the moment, who have lost the ability to take pleasure in an experience and be fully absorbed without wondering whether it will make a good video, or how many ‘likes’ a photograph will get on Facebook or Instagram.

The images and videos will linger in their phones for a while, barely looked at after the event, then perhaps lost without a further thought when upgrading to the next handset.

Having a teenage sibling, I know this is an even more widespread phenomenon with younger audiences, who express an unwillingness to be separated from their smartphones which is psychologically worrying.

For many teenagers, it appears that the world around them is just background for what is happening on the screen in their hand.

And of course this is not restricted to recording or snapping away at a gig.

When that does happen, these amateur recordings and photographs are not even of a high quality – they are never going to win awards.

I know that when I am looking for YouTube footage of a particular band I am much more likely to settle on an official recording rather than some dodgy amateur footage complete with camera shake and chat in the background.

Generally speaking, the only time I personally record gigs or take photographs during live performances is when it is my friends playing and I am bursting with pride, or I need an image to accompany a review. Otherwise it seems completely pointless.

I think all venues in Brighton and Hove should ban or seriously discourage the use of smartphones and tablets. You are probably wondering how this would be policed, when people are as loath to be separated from the piece of plastic and metal in their pocket as from a vital organ.

Shame could well be the answer. Several people have written recently on the subject including journalist and documentary maker Jon Ronson, whose book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed shines a light on the terrifying consequences upon individuals using social media.

Now I’m not advocating for the destruction of people’s lives over the recording of a gig, but I do think that if the spotlight was shone on individuals flouting the rules, the tide may start to turn.