Fresh from a dream come true show at Reading Festival performing on the Festival Republic stage Only The Poets resumed their UK tour tonight at Bristol’s iconic independent venue The Fleece. This was my second OTP show catching them last Halloween in one of Bristol's smaller but just as prestigious venue, The Lousiana. The crowd that night was made up of passionate fans who had got in early to stake their claim for the front row. Tonight was no different, except this time VIP fans were treated to a Q&A and to enjoy the Soundcheck. This is the kind of thing that not many bands do these days, but makes all the difference, making the fans feel valued, bridging the gap between them and the band. 

I arrived at 5pm to find the road outside the Fleece full of excited fans queuing to enjoy their VIP experience. The few I spoke to had traveled from Austria, Germany and Poland to watch half the tour and were moving on after the carry-on to the European leg of the tour. Such dedication has to be respected. There were OTP hoodies wherever you looked with one fan decorating their face with OTP transfers of the boy's faces, all good fun. 

As the place fills, photographers tried to penetrate the forcefield of European fans clutching the barrier at the front. They were not moving no matter how politely you asked. Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer acts as the perfect warm-up for fans to fire up their singing voices. The lights go down, the temperature rises and the stage is lit up by flashing red and white strobe lights with crackling motorbike sound effects shooting around the room the boys arrive. The screams get louder and louder. 

“Alright, Bristol!!!” is the first smiling communication from singer Tommy before launching into I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend, sung word for word with fans celebrating the expletive laden and catchy chorus and having a great time with it. This set was full of catchy pop hits filled with heartbreak and love in equal measure. Singer Tommy gives it his all and sings with so much controlled passion that I was wondering how he keeps this up all tour and still doesn't miss a note.

“The last time we were in Bristol we were dressed as Mummified Zombies!!” He says smiling before they dip into their ‘older songs’, one fan is hoisted onto another shoulders to reveal their sign that read “Will you marry me Clem” clearly a devoted fan of guitarist Clem Cherry (what a name that is also). Mindset sees the room take up Tommy’s invite to “Get their singing voices out” as they sing with full-hearted joyous devotion with enough passion that could fill a venue twice the size of The Fleece. Singer Tommy has them in his pocket as they are all transfixed with every flick of his hair and every move he makes towards them. 

It’s Ok (not to be OK) is a ballad that feels like a hug and is introduced with the simple request that we all look out for each other, no problem in this room it seems. The tempo is lifted again by the heartbreak emo scream along belter JUMP! Predictably people are jumping, dancing smiling. What more do you need?  

The energy is very high in the room as Tommy and Clem come to join us creating a nice stage down in the middle of The Fleece’s dance floor. They are greeted by a guard of honour as fans create an arch with their arms making it look like they have just got married! They strip it back and perform an acoustic rendition of Black and Blue, up close and personal with fans soaking it up as if they had been waiting for this moment throughout the set. Tommy conducts the crowd with raw lyrics of emotional wreckage about being left behind and trying to move on. It's heartfelt and It lands right in the hearts of the fans who reach out to him as he sings eyeball to eyeball. You can see why they have gained fans that will travel across Europe to see them.

The set then gallops toward its closure of an encore that's greeted with great excitement One More Night is the perfect pop banger to smash any predictable encore entrance back on stage. If ever a singer could be certain of a crowd to sing the lyrics back at him, this was it. They leap around forming several ‘Congas’ and then a little circle pit,  where one fan seems to be getting everyone to bang the floor in time to the music!

This is clearly a band on the up, I expect them to be playing to bigger and bigger crowds with each tour. They mention a brief hiatus for the rest of 2024 but promise to be back in 2025 with much more and seemed very excited by what they have planned for next year. Watch this space. 

Words Matthew Barnes

Pictures Kayleigh Bricknell 12KMedia