Only The Poets Talk New Album, The Importance Grassroots Music, And More

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“We just wanted to start a conversation and raise awareness about something that’s much bigger than us, which is accessibility in music, and that it should never be a luxury“

Ahead of the release of their debut album‚ ‘And I’d Do It Again‘, on January 30th, we spoke to the four-piece indie pop band from Reading about their debut album, their upcoming 1£ per ticket show at Brixton Academy, which has been making headlines recently, and the opportunities they’re creating in the music industry. Only The Poets was formed in 2017 and consists of Tommy Longhurst (vocals/guitar), Andrew ‚Roo‘ Burge (bass), Marcus Yates (drums) and Clem Cherry (guitar). They released their debut single ‘Ceasefire‘ in 2017. Fast forward to today, the four-piece band is finally releasing their debut album.

Nadine: Your debut album is called ‘And I’d Do It Again‘ referring to your journey of the last few years in the music industry. What’s been your favorite memory that you wish you could relive or do again as the album title refers to?

Tommy Longhurst: That’s a great question. Oh, loads of things. There’s lots of things I wouldn’t do again. There’s lots of things we would do again. We’ve said to people…everything in life happens for a reason. We’ve been on an unbelievable journey together. There’s been extreme highs, extreme lows, but we wouldn’t change any of it, because it shapes us into who we are as people at the end of the day. And the album is very self-reflective of the journey we’ve been on as humans and how we’ve navigated emotions like breakups, and it stems into lots of deep, vulnerable situations and concepts within. It’s definitely the most honest we’ve been as well. And I think ‚‘And I’d Do It Again‘ just felt like the perfect title to summarise our journey and kind of where we’ve got to. And the album is just our lives that we’ve kind of reflected on and poured into this, so it felt like the perfect title.“

When asked about their favourite songs from the upcoming debut album, Longhurst responds ,”I like a lot of the songs. It might change a little bit“ before settling on ‚‘God Knows Where You Are‘ which he described as quite unique, sonic and bandy. He went on to say: “We’ve been playing it in the rehearsal room. And it just feels quite special even when we’re in our four walls before we even put it in front of an audience. And I love the concept and the musicianship and what the boys did on the production. I think it’s amazing.“ Bassist Andrew Burge chose ‚’Bad‘, a song which he described as “slightly darker, maybe more leaning towards the live performance side of things with big guitar parts, heavy bass, big drums and some very impressive vocal parts.“ Drummer Marcus Yates‘ favorite (at the moment) is ‚’Madeline‘, which he explains almost finishes the A-side of their debut album. Yates describes the song as a “unique production“, going on to say; “It’s kind of ‚one microphone in the middle of the room kind of vibe‘, Tom and a guitar. And I like the story of that song…You (Tommy) needed to get this off your chest, and you’re in the middle of writing one song and then changed it. And then you wrote this song in about 10 minutes. And I think having something like that, that vulnerability, was really important to get on the record. So I feel like ‘Madeline’ is my favourite at the moment, but it changes every day.“

Nadine: In February 2025, you played three shows called ‚’Experience the Future‘, where you played some songs from the unreleased debut album in front of a live audience for the first time. I was curious if the reaction of the crowd to the songs changed anything in terms of the songs or the decision which songs would make it on the album?

Tommy Longhurst: It definitely informed creative decisions. I think we just reflected on those songs. But yeah, the album wasn’t done then. So that was quite an interesting thing to do, ‚Experience the Future‘. But we didn’t even know what the finished album would look like. I mean, we remember ‚Bad‘ went down very well with the fanbase. But yeah, it was great. It was just really eye-opening. And it was really fun to play songs that we wanted to pick, the ones that felt kind of super unique at that time. But I don’t think some of them were written then.

Marcus Yates: I think it was nice, though, because it was a more traditional way of doing it. When you start out as a band, you probably will just play songs live and test the water there, and then release them. But as we started to release more music, we didn’t really have that luxury of being able to play as much live because we have headline shows. You have the responsibility for the fans and stuff like that. So that was a really fun process of being locked away in the studio and then rehearsing for this show. And we went to this rehearsal room and finished off the live parts. So we were living the album in a really traditional way. And I feel like it did inform a lot of the decisions of how it sounded because, you know, nothing really beats four people playing their instruments together, especially in front of an audience. So it was a very interesting process, but I think it was actually very important looking back.

Between making music and performing live for an audience, they all somewhat agreed that what they enjoy most is being on the road and playing live. Longhurst pointed out that Cherry and Yates produced the album and noted that they all enjoy being in the studio, before adding “but for me, my favourite thing is watching it come to life on stage“. Burge agreed before explaining; “Travelling around, going to a different city every day, playing in front of new people every day is definitely one of the most rewarding, fun factors for sure“. Yates recalled that while they were working on their album in the studio, they constantly had their live shows in mind, noting that at their core, they are a live band. He described the album as a kind of concept record – “a story from start to finish sonically“. Yates also hinted that their show at Brixton Academy will incorporate many of those elements, saying that it’s been incredibly rewarding to build something in the studio and then bring it into a live setting.

When discussing their influences, Yates talked about how the 80s have shaped them throughout their journey, but also cited artists like The Police, Prince, Dijon, Mk.gee and Sabrina Carpenter. However, he added that they never overthought it or set out with the intention of “We want to sound like this“. Yates said he feels like many of those influences can be heard on the record before explaining: “When we went into the studio, I think we just wanted to be super authentic…It kind of just came naturally. And I’m really grateful for that, because, you know, the first record, you could easily overthink it, I can imagine, because we’ve been thinking of this since we started.“ Talking about artists they’d like to collaborate with in the future, Longhurst said; “There’s lots of people we look up to and would love to collaborate with. But I think this album, it was our debut album. We just wanted to keep it us at our core.“ Yates added that they brought in producer Dan D‘Lion (Dan Bartlett), a young, up-and-coming producer whose music they were already fans of, noting that D‘Lion has been a massive part in the creative process and in shaping the production. He went on to reflect that, in many ways, working with him already felt like a dream collaboration.

Nadine: You’re starting 2026 off quite strong with the release of your debut album and the 1£ per ticket show at Brixton Academy. I was wondering, how did you come up with the idea for that show?

Tommy Longhurst: We’ve always been firm believers in accessibility in music. I mean, if you go back to our very first tour, we actually did one-pound tickets, so it felt amazing to be able to do it on scale at our dream venue. And we just wanted to start a conversation and raise awareness about something that’s much bigger than us, which is accessibility in music, and that it should never be a luxury. And we believe we’re living in a world now where it’s getting in our way, and it’s really sad. So we can help in the tiniest way and, you know, start that conversation. That’s why we did it. And the response has been amazing. And we’re really proud of it, you know…The album’s out, and that’s incredible. And we’re playing our dream venue. But again, we’re getting everyone in a room to kind of raise a really important conversation. And yeah, we couldn’t be prouder of it.

On their tours, the band also offers low-income tickets to make their shows more accessible. Speaking about the idea, Longhurst said they never wanted their music to be inaccessible to people who couldn’t afford it. He added that the concept has been very well received, noting how much fans respect it. Longhurst also states that the low-income tickets don’t always sell out completely, describing the concept as an honesty policy that makes the band especially proud of their fanbase. He promises that it’s something they will forever offer. Proceeds from their Brixton Academy show will go to Live Trust, an initiative that supports grassroots venues across the UK, which they are particularly proud to support with this gig. Talking about Live Trust, Longhurst explains:

“I mean, it’s amazing, because it’s another thing that’s just an amazing bonus of that show…one pound per ticket has gone to the Live Music Trust. We started this band, actually playing the venue we’re playing on Saturday, to celebrate the album, which is a place called The Purple Turtle in Reading. And it’s an amazing grassroots venue that really kind of gave us our first, earliest opportunities to get on stage and play, and they are unfortunately closing left, right, and centre. And I mean, certainly in the UK, and I’m sure probably worldwide, these small venues mean so much and are the lifeblood of the music industry. And I think, for us, it was really important to give back in some way as well. I think what’s incredible about the live music trust is that it’s great to see massive artists starting to do that as well. I know Sam Fender does it. My Chemical Romance is a stadium band, they do it. Biffy Clyro do it. So again, if more of these big artists can do it on scale, because they sell way more tickets than we do, then all that money goes back into the grassroots venues, and it’ll keep them alive, which is something we’re very passionate about. We will never forget those early days. And we love those shows, when you’re 150-200 people in a room, there’s no better feeling.“

Aside from being very passionate about making live music accessible and supporting grassroots venues through Live Trust, Only The Poets also create opportunities for unsigned and upcoming artists. Over the last few years, the band has supported many emerging artists, giving them a platform and opening doors in the industry – much like the opportunity they got back in 2022 when they got to support Louis Tomlinson on his tour. Looking back, Longhurst says they can’t even put into words how that experience felt, calling it “possibly the best five weeks of our lives. It was something we won‘t ever forget“. He adds that they know firsthand what it’s like to be given that kind of chance, and that it’s amazing to take an artist you believe in on tour, watch them connect with your fanbase, and ultimately leave with an audience of their own. It’s the kind of opportunity they’re now offering to one artist at their Brixton show through a competition called Battle of the Bands. Speaking about the idea, Longhurst explains that they want to champion unsigned and independent artists, fully aware of how crucial early opportunities are for those bands. He continues: “We’re very grateful and feel lucky. And it’s awesome that we are in a position to give back, and we would have really loved to have done this seven, eight years ago when we were starting out, so yeah, we’re really proud of that. And I think as well, just the whole process has been amazing, listening through so much exciting music that made us feel inspired…I was listening to like 16-year-olds. I could never sing like that at 16. And the musicianship and songwriting and everything. We whittled it down to 50, which were brilliant. And now we’ve got five that we all love.“ Those five, picked out of 1.000 entries, will perform this Saturday at The Purple Turtle in Reading – a venue Longhurst calls their favourite in the world, apart from Brixton. The audience on the day will then vote and pick the winner, leaving the final choice in the fans‘ hands.

Reflecting on their own journey in the music industry, Longhurst says they’ve stuck with the same team over the years, describing it as very “DIY“. He continues: “For a signed artist, we definitely have probably one of the smallest teams I know still. And we love that because everyone’s been there from the ground up with us. And it’s been an amazing journey that we’ve been on together. And I guess the only real changes are, I mean, it’s very cool being on a tour bus for the first time. And I think just watching your production get bigger and the stages that you perform on. It’s really exciting. But truthfully, we are firm believers in kind of just working with our friends and keeping quite a tight-knit team.“

Alongside the Battle of the Bands, Only The Poets are also running a photography opportunity in partnership with Nikon around the motto: “Live music shouldn’t be a luxury. Creating art shouldn‘t be a luxury“. The project gives 10 aspiring photographers the chance to shoot their Brixton show, with the option to borrow Nikon camera kits for free if they need them. They’ll also receive mentoring and on-the-day support from Nikon Ambassador Scarlet Page, as well as the band’s photographer, Jordan Daniel Logan. Longhurst says; “Some people won’t ever get into it because they can’t afford the necessary equipment. So again, it’s just kind of trying to shine a light on accessibility, even within jobs in the music industry.“

Nadine: You seem to have a very close connection with your fanbase. And they seem to be very supportive, especially now with your debut album coming out, wanting you to succeed. How do you plan on keeping this close connection, and how would you generally describe your relationship to your fans?

Tommy Longhurst: Well, I mean, it’s always been unbelievable, because they are kind of the sole reason why we are where we are. And we’ll forever protect that. We will always make sure we acknowledge what they do for us. Because without fans, you have an empty room, and then you don’t get to play the amazing shows. And I think the one thing we always want to remind them is that they always say thank you to us, but really, we feed off the energy they give us every night. And it’s this beautiful kind of back and forth of just that energy that comes from them, that comes off to us, and vice versa. So yeah, they really create those special moments. And we’ll forever be in debt to them and always make sure we remind them that they are the reason why we’re here.

Marcus Yates: I think we’ll try and do things that are exciting creatively for them and try to make things as accessible as possible. And always try to come to where they are in the world as well. We always try to go the extra mile with these things. I think that’s just kind of in the DNA of who we are. I don’t think that’ll ever change.

To celebrate their debut album, Only The Poets are playing a string of UK shows and events in February, followed by a European tour in April. Looking ahead, they mention next week’s Brixton show and a set of German shows where, for the first time, they’ll perform the album from start to finish. “It‘s going to be super unique because that‘s kind of how we intended it to be heard by the fans,“ Longhurst says.

Marcus Yates: I mean, just getting to bring the album to life in as many places as we can is just going to be a super rewarding thing. We’ve worked really hard on the music, and I think we’re in a spot now where we’ve created a live show that really reflects the album, and we’re really proud of how it’s all feeling. So being able to just live the record, to get to live the debut album, is like a dream. I think we’re just going to make the most of these few months. We feel very fortunate and lucky to be in this position right now.

Talking about how shows differ from country to country, Longhurst reflects: “We’re all great for different reasons. No one’s better than one another, but they are. You definitely get different energies in rooms around the world…The fact that we even get to say that we’ve been to all these places is amazing, and we love everyone everywhere and it’s great.“  Even though the band has already ticked off many of their dreams – and will play their dream venue, Brixton Academy, next week – they still have plenty of dreams left. Longhurst shares that they’d love to headline Reading Festival one day, calling the festival a huge part of why they are Only The Poets. From offering one-pound tickets to spotlighting new artists, Only The Poets are turning their own dreams into a platform for others, showing that success means very little if you’re not sharing it.

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