Only The Poets

Emerging from Britain, the quartet Only the Poets stirs its devoted listeners through soaring, self-referential tracks rooted in indie pop from the 1980s and 1990s.

The ensemble took shape in Reading, England, in 2017 under the direction of singer and guitarist Tommy Longhurst. Childhood exposure to the celebrated Reading Festival right in his hometown sparked his drive toward a life in music. He began performing solo before deciding to build a full band, first bringing bassist Andrew "AndyRoo" Burge into the fold. Guitarist Marcus Yates and drummer Clem Cherry, both formerly of the local group Pixel Fix, completed the lineup soon afterward. The Cure, the Stone Roses, and the 1990s Britpop acts they had witnessed on the Reading stage during their youth formed the core of their musical influences.

They drew the band name from a fragment of a recorded political address played before their concerts, then moved quickly into the studio and onto stages, cultivating an ardent regional audience. An outgoing group that shared their emotions freely, they placed the highest value on the act of creation and the distinctive link they maintained with their followers. Their opening single, 2017's "Ceasefire," arrived ahead of more digital releases and the EPs Speak Out (2020), Only for You (2021), and Our Time (2022). A support tour with Louis Tomlinson in 2020, undertaken while still independent, brought them a fresh wave of supporters. Only the Poets gathered their early recordings for the 2021 Demos LP, then joined EMI in 2023 and introduced the single "Even Hell," one of their first compositions. The EPs 2023 and One More Night came next, signaling a turn toward electronic and pop-focused textures, together with the Live on the Feels Like Home Tour LP.