Band set to play sold-out £1 gig for 5,000 fans

A band that sold out a major concert venue offering £1 tickets is gearing up to take to the stage in front of nearly 5,000 fans.

Only the Poets, from Reading in Berkshire and Banbury in Oxfordshire, charged exactly what they did for their debut gig seven years ago for Monday night's gig at the O2 Brixton Academy.

The four-piece, who released their debut album And I'd Do It Again on Friday, will be supported by two acts picked from 1,000 who entered a competition to perform before them.

The indie pop band initially sought just one support act but said SEREN and Belle Dame could not be separated following a show at Reading's Purple Turtle on Saturday.

First featured on BBC Introducing, the band have supported Lewis Capaldi, Yungblud and Bastille and will travel to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium later this week.

"Live music should not be a luxury," the band's lead singer Tommy Longhurst said.

"It offers so much to so many, especially young people. If we can start a conversation that's bigger than us in the week of our debut album, playing our dream venue, then I think that's something to be really proud of," he added.

"We have always felt very passionate about this."

Bristol-based Belle Dame, who were founded in Southampton in 2021, and London-based SEREN were two of the five acts picked by Only the Poets to play in front of their fans at the weekend.

"We're going to stand in the wings and watch them on the stage because we really want to get behind these artists – they're incredible. Both of them are so good," Longhurst said.

Along with the £1 ticket fee charged by the band, people going to the gig have been asked to donate £1 to the LIVE Trust, which supports the live music and entertainment sector.

In addition, the ticket price includes a £1 venue restoration fee and a £1 Ticketmaster fee but both of those have been reduced in recognition of the band's gesture.