Formed in Reading by Tommy Longhust, Marcus Yates, Andrew ‘Roo’ Burge and Clem Cherry, Only The Poets is an inspirational four-piece who truly live up to their moniker. Their journey has been a steady ascent fueled by unwavering belief, unbreakable bond and good music. From playing in rooms to 20 people at the Dublin Castle to juggling manual labour jobs just to stay afloat, they’ve been through all the hardships many new bands have faced when trying to break out. But their continuous hard work and catchy alt-pop tracks have seen them encounter the highs of a band on the rise, such as signing a major label deal, selling out shows across the UK, and growing a legion of dedicated fans.
Throughout their seven-year journey, Only The Poets have never forgotten their roots. There’s a deep sense of community instilled within the band’s ethos, where vulnerability is encouraged, and emotion is celebrated. For the band, music has always been about creating a safe space for people, one that is accessible to everyone. All you have to do is look at how they made national headlines for their plans to sell £1 tickets at their headline Brixton Academy show on February 2nd. Not only are tickets cheap, but they have also helped champion unsigned artists through battle-of-the-bands showcases. Only The Poets are offering a helping hand rather than gatekeeping during a time where it’s increasingly difficult for emerging acts to get noticed without nepotistic ties.
Now, the band have finally released their debut record, And I’d Do It Again. It’s a beautiful body of work with a raw and introspective narrative, one about the highs and lows of life. It is a testament to resilience and charging forward, taking with you whatever lessons you learn along the way. Throughout the LP, you can find the group shedding their indie influences for a euphoric, alt-pop soundscape of lush 80s synths, vulnerable lyricism and brilliant hooks. From the soul-stirring longing of ‘Guess she’s cool’ to the roiling tension of ‘Bad’, And I’d Do It Again is both sonically diverse and cohesive; each song acts as the next chapter. With the release of And I’d Do It Again, Only The Poets have boldly stepped into a brand new era.
In conversation with 1883 Magazine, Only The Poets’ Tommy Longhurst reflects on seven years of perseverance, the making of their debut album, And I’d Do It Again, the power of vulnerability in music and why creating safe, accessible spaces for fans will always sit at the heart of what they do.
Thanks for speaking with 1883. How does it feel to finally be releasing your debut album after years of hard work?
It feels incredible. It’s been seven years in the making. I guess because we grew up on bands and we’ve been in this group for as I say, seven years, we’ve built up to this moment. We’re very proud of our EPs and our whole catalogue, but I think we always wanted our debut album to not be a forced conversation. We never really sat around a table and said ‘let’s do it’ – music kind of inspired the idea, which is actually how we ended up on quite a conceptual record that feels quite together. So yeah, I guess we’re really proud of the sound we’ve got to, and we’ve poured everything into it. We’re so proud of it.
The album title, And I’d Do It Again, invokes the idea that through trial and error, you’ve learned a lot. What does the title mean for you as a band and as individuals?
I mean, exactly that. The album title really is the lesson. Everything we’ve been through, not just as a band but as, you know, people throughout our lives, is really intertwined in the album. We’ve had extreme highs and extreme lows, but you know, we’re firm believers that everything happens for a reason. We wouldn’t change any of our journey because it led us to this point.
I guess being in a band has kind of affected our personal relationships, and there’s been a lot of struggle along the journey, not just as a band but real, human struggles and the album pays respect to the people we’ve met along the way. It’s the most honest I think we’ve ever been in a body of work. So yeah, it definitely leans into the title. We wanted to get that right and it feels like the perfect way to sum up exactly what we have been through really and what the album is.
Listening to the album, there’s clearly a lot of different characters throughout, like you’ve said. If I’m right, this record was written in the aftermath of a long-term breakup and some mental health struggles, but it never feels self-pitying. How did you navigate confronting such a vulnerable side of yourself and alchemising it into the album?
Yeah, I mean personally I went through, like you say a long term break up. I think that where I’ve usually been on the other end – the one being let down – I ended that relationship and it was interesting how I dealt with that. It was quite difficult in places but with that being at the forefront of my life during the writing process, I think the music is just so honest about how I was feeling at the time. You know?
It was very self reflective. The song ‘I keep messing up’ was very poignant, because that was the moment I realised that all my past relationships had been wrong for me. I did some more digging, but like you said, it was never in self pity. It’s just all about learning and growing as a person, you know? It’s those battles that you just have as a human.
The song ‘Hungover’ – that was on a day when I just wasn’t feeling good and was just trying to suppress it. I was writing just a couple of bad songs and then, the day I was finally honest with myself, we wrote that song. We were really proud of it and I think people will relate to that on a more universal scale. We all have those days and I hope people will resonate with the album because it is very honest, vulnerable and reflective.
A lot of people struggle with opening up about what they’re going through and like you say, those human struggles. So are you trying to exemplify that it’s okay to talk about?
Yeah, definitely. We have a platform and our fans are incredible. We really do feel there’s moments in our shows where people are vulnerable and they show that, which is beautiful to us. We are firm believers in making sure that we are always open, even with each other. We’re very open as a band and as a team, you know? But it goes further than the music. We have a platform and it’s great to talk about how you really feel. We’ve always advocated for that. It’s amazing to see people wanting to do that on our show as well, because they feel it’s a safe space.
The community you’ve built seems to resonantly agree that this is what drew them to you as a band. They feel safe around each other at your shows and have a lot of respect for each other’s struggles. You must feel very proud seeing that.
Yeah, I mean the community they’ve built around us is amazing. So many people now tell us they’ve met their best friends through our shows. Even people who live in different countries that come together and use our shows as a meeting point. We really feel that energy of supporting one another in the room. They always thank us, but it’s us that should be thanking them! It’s beautiful and amazing to see.
Beautiful. I don’t think many bands can boast that. So, in terms of the sound… Sonically, this feels like you’ve shifted into a whole new era. Who were the main influences when you were in the studio recording the album?
Well, obviously Marcus and Clem (our drummer and guitarist) produced the album, which was amazing because I think it sounds really cohesive. In the past, we worked mostly based on how our producers said to do it. But this time we went in-house with just our friend Dan and the lads of the band. And Ru as well. All of us came together and just worked out of one place in East London. And I think just from living in the record and just putting all of our influences into it, we made something that we were really proud of. We landed on a sound that we really wanted to celebrate, hence why we ended up doing the record.
I think specifically, the lads are definitely drawn to the 80s pop thing with Prince and the Police, which I think you’ll hear running through the record. But then really, we’re also a band at our core that have just loved bands growing up, like Biffy Clyro, Oasis, Two Door Cinema Club; the list goes on and on. They were the reason why we picked up guitars. So we’d like to believe that we’re still a band at our core through the record, but there’s just lots of different leans to the influences that we love.
But really, we’ve always been great lovers of just pop music in general. So we always want to make sure we have big, anthemic, choruses that are super catchy, but are wrapped up and quite a unique sonic and I think we definitely land on that. There’s different flavours on the record as well, like you said – it’s kind of quite genre bending in places. I do believe that when you put it together and you listen to it, because you want people to listen to it from start to finish if they can, we think we’ve got a cohesive but interesting record that kind of swerves into different genres almost throughout, you know?
Well, when I was listening to it, which I have done on repeat by the way, I thought it was sequenced like a story. And yes, you can hear that you’re almost paying tribute to those influences, but you’re making it into something brand new!
What’s your favourite from the record?
I’d have to go with ‘Bad’! It’s got a dark edginess to it, but it’s still extremely catchy!
What a great choice. I think for us as well, practicing and learning for our big shows, that one feels really different and unique.
So when fans press play on And I’d Do It Again for the first time, what do you hope they feel by the final track — and what do you hope they take away from the record?
Oh goodness, mate. I mean, like I said earlier, we’ve really encouraged people to listen from start to finish because we put a lot of thought into the track order. Like you said, it tells a story and maybe that’s what we want people to take away, but really music is subjective and that’s the beautiful thing. We just want people to take whatever they want away from it. maybe like you said, some comfort, but if they want to feel vulnerable and open, then that’s great as well. Once we’ve made it though, it’s for them to think how they want and that’s what’s amazing about music, you know?
I don’t want to tell people to feel a specific way. I think the music will hopefully do the talking. We’re excited to find out what people’s favourites are and what they think about it!
Absolutely. It’s clear that your fanbase and live shows sit at the heart of what you do. You’ve been very vocal about accessibility and those £1 tickets at Brixton are such a unique thing to do! What do you hope to achieve through this?
Well for us, it’s just always been about accessibility and music. We wanted to do something that was a lot bigger than us. And doing Brixton, which is our dream venue; the one place we’ve always wanted to play. Doing that, but doing it for a pound and kind of creating this conversation that’s been amazingly received, you know. It is really amazing and if we can leave a small, you know, if we can make a 0.01% change and the legacy we leave is that, we’ll look back proudly. If we start that conversation, hopefully more people will follow. We believe live music should not be a luxury and it’s becoming that way, especially for young people. We’ve always done low-income tickets and we’ve always been firm believers in just making sure our show is accessible to anybody regardless of background and income.
I love that, especially since there’s a cost-living crisis going on right now.
Exactly, and it shouldn’t be, you know people are like, ‘do I get my weekly shop, or do I buy this ticket?’ Live shows provide escapism and it’s an amazing thing that really helps people. So, yeah, let’s just keep it accessible as much as we can do. I think we’re just really proud of the fact that we’re celebrating the record and playing our favourite ever venue, but also doing something that’s more important, bigger than we are.
You’re also opening using a battle of the bands style show for unsigned artists. Why is it important for you to make those statements now, and what responsibility do you feel comes with the platform you’re building?
Well, exactly that, isn’t it? We literally grafted and did grassroot venue after grassroot venue, and built up a fan base. We were fortunate enough to go on big support tours, but in our early days, we just got up and played as much as possible. We’re firm believers in championing new and exciting talent, you know; independent artists. We were sent hundreds of applications and it was actually a really, really fun process.
We spent a few weekends just going through everything, picking a top 50 and whittling it down. It was very hard, but we whittled it down to five artists that we think are amazing, all in their own right. I think we are in a fortunate position where we can give a small artist a platform. We would have loved to do this seven years ago as we were starting out. So, again, really proud of it and so excited to just stand side stage and watch whoever wins play to 5,000 people. That’s going to be an incredible feeling and we’ll be happy with whoever wins.
I can’t wait to see who you’ve picked. What an amazing opportunity!
That’s the cool thing. We’re playing at the venue on Saturday at 5, so the battle of bands is happening before, so all our fans will be there, and what’s going to happen is they’re going to vote. So, we’re putting it in our fans’ hands as well, because we think it was really cool just to involve them. The fans are so amazing and they’re going to support all of them. The artists are going to walk out with a new audience as well, which is a really nice feeling, but, yeah, it’s out of our hands at this point. We will be very happy with any of them.
What lessons have you learnt throughout your career so far and did you gain any insights from touring with Lewis Capaldi?
Honestly? There’s a running theme. What we’ve learnt from people like Lewis and everyone we’ve supported who are all so lovely, is that people want the good people to win. The consistent advice we’ve received is just stay true to your sound and release the music you believe in. Ignore the background noise and only put out things that you really care for, because the general public and people, they want realness, you know what I mean? Authenticity. That really stuck with us.
Through our whole career we’ve learned a lot. It’s difficult, you know, when you’re starting out. You’ve just got to put your 10,000 hours in, and really want it. Everyone that does music has such a passion for it. We’re in a very, very small percentage that gets to call it a job, which we will never, ever not be grateful for. We try to stay present in the moment because there’s such a long way to go and we want to do it forever.
There’s been so many life lessons along the way, but it definitely takes tenacity and commitment. But yeah, we’ve learnt a lot from not just our own journey, but the people along the way.
Beautiful. On that note, what else would you like to manifest for yourself this year or throughout your career, and why?
We would like to manifest that we get to play arenas worldwide. We would love to play at an arena and also to headline Reading Festival, obviously, because Reading Festival is kind of, well… That is why we are a band! We all went there as teenagers and being so close to where we were from, that was super inspiring.
I was going to say – you guys are originally from Reading, aren’t you?
Yeah. So that was a huge part of why we are Only The Poets, you know. We’ve played it three times and we’ve been very fortunate to do so, and it’s always a very special day to go back there. It kind of feels like a homecoming.
What was the story behind the band name, Only The Poets? What made you land on that?
It’s not really that interesting. We had loads of really bad names. I put ‘Only The Poets’ in the mix and I remember our bass player, and he was like, “Ah, that’s got to be a band name already.” We looked it up and it wasn’t. And it just kind of felt right, sounded cool, and yeah, just a bit unique. I wish there was a more glamorous story!
Thank you so much for speaking with me today. Best of luck with the album and your upcoming shows!
No, thank you! Hope to see you there!
Only The Poets’ debut album And I’d Do It Again is out now. Follow the band by clicking here.
The band play 02 Brixton Academy on February 2ND.
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