ONLY THE POETS ANNOUNCE £1 SHOW AT BRIXTON ACADEMY
Credit: Jordan Logan
£1 for a night of live music at one of London’s most iconic music venues? Yes please. Shortly after the announcement of their debut album ‘And I’d Do It Again’, indie-pop band Only The Poets have announced (and since sold out!) a headline show at their “Dream venue” for just one pound per ticket.
After gaining a huge influx of new fans following their success supporting Louis Tomlinson on his World Tour in 2020-2022, the band have only been on the rise, selling out shows and taking the music world by storm. Now it’s their time to give back to fans and live music lovers alike by putting on an affordable show at the iconic O2 Academy in Brixton while making history in the process.
The band began playing shows for a pound in 2017, playing smaller locations such as pubs and bars, and this venue has clearly been a bucket list item for years. They even have a tweet dating back to 2019 stating their dream to play Brixton one day, after selling out Scala, a venue just one fifth of the size. Being able to take it back to the beginning in this way for such a huge show is something truly incredible.
“Music should be accessible to everyone, regardless or background or income”.
With the costs of concert tickets on the rise, live music is becoming highly inaccessible to many, with prices rising over 20% in the past two years alone. (BBC, 2024) Typically, a ticket for shows at venues such as Brixton Academy would begin at around £40, with Arena shows proving sometimes even more expensive, forcing live shows to become more exclusive.
“Live music saved our lives in our early years”
Most music fans would agree that there is something so special about being able to see your favourite artist live, and background or income shouldn’t be a barrier preventing people from experiencing these moments. Acts like this are so important to encourage conversations within the industry about these issues and get people thinking about how they can do their part to help bring back accessible live music.
“£1 tickets aren’t a long term solution, but they’ve done what we hoped by getting people talking about the issue. It’s more than just a gig, it’s a reminder that live music and the arts should never be a luxury.”
Achieving their dreams while being able to give back is evidently something so important to the band as they continue to acknowledge and thank their fans through social media, making it clear that the support is never taken for granted.
Although the show is now sold out, there are many other ways to support live music such as visiting your local small venues or supporting charities such as Music Venue Trust who support grassroots venues to keep the live music scene accessible.