In a time in which fans are forking out hundreds of pounds in order to see their favourite artist from the back of an arena behind a 6ft mans head, what we need is affordable live music. Indie pop band, Only The Poets are reintroducing accessible live music in a methodical way we thought we would simply never witness again.
The band made the risky announcement of a one pound gig, a mixture of reactions out poured but overall the shared response was overwhelmingly positive. The gig is set to be hold at frequent event holders, the O2 Academy Brixton and is marketed at only one pound a ticket, no extra catches or costs. When discussing the unbelievable pricing choice, frontman Tommy Longhurst said, “We wanted to make sure this show was open to everyone.” Not only are the band giving back to their fans and the music community as a whole, they are further elevating their greatness by donating money from each ticket to the LIVE Trust. The LIVE Trust is an organisation dedicated to supporting the very livelihood of the UK’s live music and entertainment sector.
Shining light on grassroots venues, that are unfortunately closing around the UK at a rapid rate, it is more important than ever to support small concerts.
The English band from Reading formed back in 2017 and consists of Tommy Longhurst, Andy Burge, Clem Cherry and Marcus Yates. The bands debut single, ‘ceasefire’ was released on February 20, 2017, and went on to have their first live concerts as a band in 2018. The band were inspired to form after witnessing live acts at Reading Festival, without live music the band would not exist today so it is crucial that every kid has the opportunity to see their idols, because quite frankly it could be life changing.
The band first rose to stardom when they featured on BBC introducing and in their early years have supported the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Bastille and Yungblud. Over the years they have developed a dedicated fan base so its no doubt they would love to give back to them!
As if all of this was not enough, the band are now offering an unsigned UK artist the chance to support them at their concert. The band is planning to offer five bands the chance to perform at local Reading bar, The Purple Turtle before fans specify their favourite pick onto open at the highly anticipated concert. It’s a gig that could be life changing for a small unsigned band, there is no doubt the applications are flying through the Only The Poet’s inbox.
The event will mark the very release of their debut album, what a special experience for fans to enjoy without feeling the usual financial burden that comes hand in hand with attending a concert.
The gig has officially sold out so the only chance to grab tickets is via verified resale platforms. It’s definitely going to be one to remember and hopefully further inspires fellow artists to step in the same direction.
