Only The Poets take us ‘Back To Where It All Began’
On September 1st, the Reading-born band Only The Poets took fans back to the start of their musical journey with an intimate show The Deaf Institute, Manchester.
Part of their ‘Going Back To Where It All Began’ tour that saw the band return to grassroot venues where they started out their music journey, the four-some played a total of 18 shows across 9 days, greeted by fans from both the UK and Europe who had travelled to see them in cities including Oxford, Southampton and Birmingham.
An intimate venue with a capacity for just 130 people, The Deaf Institute in Manchester was the perfect location for a performance for fans who have loved the band since day one, those who have just joined them on their journey and everyone in between. Looking overwhelmed by the outpouring of love in the room, Only the Poets kept fans engaged with each word they sung, playing a mix of songs both old and new.
Starting their set off strong with the first single, Miserable from their latest EP, Better On The Internet that was released in August 2024, the fans were instantly taken into the world of Only the Poets’ music, with the band even having taken their own lighting strips onstage to match the green theme of the music video to their performance. After such an emotive start, the band moved onto Mindset, which a lot of their fans connect with and many within the crowd sung along to.
Next on the setlist was Over & Over, a clear fan favourite since its release in 2023. Pointing and singing the words of the song back so meaningfully to the band, you could see the gratitude and appreciation in each of the band’s fans that night.
Since the start of his career, lead singer Tommy Longhurst has always openly written songs about his breakups and feelings as a way of raising awareness about mental health. The set kept a lively atmosphere as the band went into Gone By Now and All This Time, two songs about exactly that; getting over a break-up, and wondering why you can still be thinking about a person after all of that time has passed. Gone By Now in particular is a fan favourite due to the bridge, which was written about the lasting effects of a relationship and how that person planted seeds you’d keep looking back on. Hearing this live, the crowd were even louder than the band, proving exactly how understood Only the Poet’s music makes their fans feel.
Over the past year, the band's music has started reminiscing on their time together and the memories they’ve made in their lives, realizing that each moment lead them to where they are now. "We wrote this next song about looking back on beautiful memories of your life. Sometimes it can be a bit sad, but it's all about embracing the happiness of those memories and feelings,” Tommy said. “For me, this song that we wrote taught me to be a bit more present and not just feel sad about what's happened in life, but to embrace those beautiful memories that we hold; so right now, Manchester, just take yourself back for a second to a beautiful memory of yours and lets sing it together. This next song is all about nostalgia. It's called One More Night.”
Finally, the band closed off their set with a song that means a lot to them; Emotional. Written about a night out in their home venue, Purple Turtle which they had actually played just two days before the tour started, the energy during this track was incredible, as everyone in the room danced and sang along, even moshing to the chorus as Only the Poets concluded their show with a song about the venue that made them exactly who they are.
For those who missed it, here’s their full setlist from the Manchester show:
Miserable
Mindset
Over & Over
Gone By Now
All This Time
Saké
Emotionally Hungover
Guess She’s Cool
I Keep On Messing It Up
One More Night
JUMP!
Looking At You
Emotional
Just last week, the band made one of their biggest announcements yet: on February 2nd 2026, they’ll be headlining their dream venue, O2 Brixton Academy, with ticket prices only being £1 (with a £3 booking fee). The band said on social media that “Rising living costs have pushed up gig prices making live music inaccessible. Live music saved our lives in our early years. Music should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background or income.”
On each of their previous tours, the band have offered reduced tickets to fans from lower income households to make their shows more affordable, and their upcoming London show is yet another step in that positive direction. Firm believers that live music should be accessible to everyone no matter their background, Only the Poets are changing the music industry one show at a time.
Fans can sign up for pre-sale here, with tickets going live at 10am BST on September 11th.
As always, make sure to follow Only the Poets on Instagram to stay in-the-know about their future projects. Best of all, their debut album And I’d Do It All Again will release on January 31st 2026, so mark the date in your calendars now!