Australian town crier sets world record with 122.4-decibel shout

A single shouted “now” from Joseph McGrail-Bateup reached 122.4 decibels, a C-weighted peak Guinness World Records measured in May and a level the record book compares to a rock concert and a military jet taking off. In hearing-safety terms, the number lands far above the 85-decibel threshold used by U.S. agencies, which say repeated exposure at that level can cause permanent hearing loss, and that very loud noise can injure hearing even after brief exposure.

The Canberra resident turned the cry into a title for loudest shout by an individual male, a category Guinness defines as the greatest sound level reached by shouting a word. Guinness said the feat was recorded this May and featured on 18 June 2026, edging past Annalisa Flanagan’s 121.7 dBA mark from 1994, when the Northern Ireland schoolteacher shouted “quiet” in Belfast. McGrail-Bateup said he did not see himself as the loudest person in the world, only the loudest man, and said he was happy for Flanagan to keep the women’s record.

The shout grew out of a role that belongs to a different age. McGrail-Bateup became Canberra’s official town crier in 2017, and ACT Assembly material describes the post as ceremonial, with no specified duties or responsibilities. It says the town crier can be called upon by community groups, charities and event coordinators to add colour and interest to events. McGrail-Bateup joined the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers in 2022, then won first place for the loudest cry at 98 dB in 2024 with the familiar cry “oyez, oyez.”

The same voice has already carried him through another Guinness title. McGrail-Bateup previously held the archery record for the fastest time to shoot 10 arrows into a 40 cm target from 18 m, clocked at 1 minute and 0.03 seconds in 2019. Guinness also described him as a former quiet child who grew into theatre work without microphones, a path that helps explain how a ceremonial local character in Canberra and Queanbeyan can still become a global oddity. The ACT Assembly has even asked whether the town crier receives any funding from the ACT Government and how often the role is invited to official functions.