Only The Poets At The Garage In Glasgow

On the night of the 22nd of August, while most were heading home after a long day’s work, Only The Poets fans were making their way to The Garage, on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, to see their favourite band live in action. It’s safe to say they were in for a treat.

As soon as you step into the venue, you’re hit with a feeling of nostalgia and warmth, for The Garage have once hosted concerts for Prince, Biffy Clyro and One Direction; so it feels only fitting that a band like Only The Poets headline here too.

Originally from Reading, Only The Poets are the next indie-pop band on the rise, from supporting Louis Tomlinson’s World Tour, to having their songs charting all over Europe, and embarking on their own headline tours.

Named after their most recent EP, OTP’s One More Night tour was opened up by Scotland’s #1 heartbreaker Kerr Mercer. With a voice reminiscent of a young Lewis Capaldi, with tones akin to George Ezra and Paolo Nutini, Kerr has grown significantly since his first musical appearance on Britain’s Got Talent at only twelve years old! Five years later and the young singer-songwriter has developed a collection of his own original songs which he performed acoustically this night, as well as a stunning rendition of Sabrina Carpenter’s recent hit “Please, Please, Please”, which the audience loved and all sang along to. Having recently performed on the River Stage at TRNSMT festival, opened for many acts like Alfie Jukes and McFly, headlined two sold-out shows and preparing for a third at Saint Luke’s in October, he is gearing up for a massive year in 2025. It is hugely impressive considering he is doing this without having released any songs on music platforms yet! To hear Kerr, you’ll have to see him live… but there are only a few tickets left, and they are in high demand, so be quick!

Following the Glaswegian heartthrob’s beautiful performance, anticipating fans then watched stage staff prepare the set, eagerly waiting for Only the Poets to take the stage. By the time 8.30pm hit, the room went dark, and stage strobe lights began to flicker to the sound of a car engine - symbolic of their song, “Crash”, which they jumped on stage and began to perform. Dressed in all black, they gave a cohesive, cool look, confirming their superstar status. The room immediately filled with energy, resounding applause and cheers, and the fans were singing every word.

Only The Poets have made it very clear how much they care about their fans – offering free and half-price tickets to break any financial barriers preventing people from seeing them live. They also appear to have broken the physical barrier too, where fans — instead of being against a barrier — were packed right up to the stage, close enough so that lead singer, Tommy, could sing directly to each and every one.

During “Every Song I Ever Wrote”, a track from their Our Time EP, fans held their hands in the air in unison with Tommy as he sang the words “I’m ready to let you go, let you go, oh-oh”. This moment embodies the magically close connection the English band have with their fans, and also how committed their fanbase are to know each chant and action at their shows.

“This next song… we wrote it for every single one of you out there,” Tommy spoke as he introduced their poignant song “It’s Okay (Not To Be Okay)”, a love letter to their fans and anyone struggling with mental health. Again, the fans knew every word to the track and the fact that everyone sang along created such a supportive atmosphere. What I didn’t expect was that, all of a sudden, Tommy explained how himself and the band’s guitarist, Clem, were going off the stage, to play a short acoustic set in the middle of the room.

Fans prepared a circle for Tommy and Clem to perform in before they played “Black & Blue”, a song about “struggling to let go, and how the idea of moving on from someone is alien to you because of the pain”. This was the first time that fans were not singing along; they appeared mesmerised by the fact their favourite lead singer was performing in front of them, and they were awestruck, taking it all in. They finished this irreplaceable performance off by encouraging their fans to join in and become the “choir”. This moment was very wholesome and showed their understanding of how much their music means to their fans, as it clearly means just as much to them.

The Reading-born band’s set culminated with “Jump!”, a hit full of punch and energy which perfectly rounded off an already stellar night. Fans were still full of energy and, even more so now, which was reflected by their collective chants of “One more song!” and “here we, here we…” It wasn’t until the audience chanted “No Scotland, no Party”, though, that the quartet returned to perform a triple encore of “One More Night”, “Ceasefire” and “Emotional”, before they bid farewell to their fans and promised “this was [only] the beginning”, with much more music coming soon – giving their loving supporters something to look forward to.

Overall, it was a brilliant gig, with an exciting, welcoming, and energetic atmosphere. Only The Poets’ set list was meticulously planned to continuously hit the right spots and the right notes. I would highly recommend anyone – dedicated fan or newcomer – to attend one of their shows because it was an outstanding night. The only flip side is their songs are enormously catchy so they will get stuck in your head!

Kerr Mercer