Only The Poets are playing a £1 Gig – and it’s a Big Deal
Only the Poets will play the O2 Brixton Academy in February 2026
We live in a world where people need to save up their monthly salary to buy concert tickets. Since the rise of arena shows in 2024, concert tickets costing hundreds of pounds is the new norm, and it is getting more and more ‘acceptable’ to pay extortionate amounts just to see a band headline a show. But are we looking at the new revolution? Indie rising stars Only The Poets have just dropped the kind of bombshell the live music scene desperately needed: they’re playing a show at the O2 Brixton in London for £1. Yes, you read that right – one solitary quid. In an era where Ticketmaster booking fees cost more than your weekly shopping, this move feels like a massive statement.
Going to gigs has quietly shifted from a rite of passage to a luxury purchase, or an experience where you pay hundreds of pounds and sleep rough in a tent to even get a decent spot that feels like the money was worth it. The ‘Ticketmaster wars’ fuelled by dynamic pricing, hidden fees and ruthless scalping have completely priced out younger and lower-income fans turning the communal magic of going to a live music gig into a pay-to-enter VIP club. Meanwhile, grassroots venues all over the country are closing down at an alarming rate, not only squeezed by rising fees but also by tours that completely skip them.
This is why this £1 show matters. It is a reminder that music can and should still be accessible to all. By stripping away the cost barrier, Only The Poets are doing what the music industry seems to have forgotten: putting the fans first. It is not just an act of generosity – it is radicalism and revolution, a defiance.
Even if it is a one-off gig, it serves a purpose: it pokes the finger right in the eye of the system and proves that if artists and teams are willing to think differently, they can do it. Here’s hoping that this is now just another headline stunt but the start of a broader rethink: to make music unforgettable, not unaffordable.
BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
