On 18th April, at O’Neill’s Wardour Street (London), Trevs student Seb Powell will be playing in the semi-finals of Hot Vox Isle of White Festival New Blood Competition 2026 to win a performance spot for his band Pool Club at Isle of White Festival 2026. Some of you may know Seb from his Durham-based musical projects, be that his other band, Chilli Knees, his performance in last year’s TCMS musical Jesus Christ Superstar, or his performance at Live on the Hill.

Pool Club is Seb’s band from back home, started by his brother Eliot in Brighton in 2021. Seb started in the band at 16 playing bass, though he has now transitioned to guitar and vocals. The name Pool Club came about almost accidentally. In the band’s early stages, they would throw out a random name, like Butcher’s Shop Three Piece, while recording songs. One day, Kieran, who is no longer with the band (though he wrote To Be Lonely, which is available on streaming), threw out Pool Club, and it just stuck.

They are now based near Dover and have four songs out, with a fifth to be released on 25th March. But their success isn’t confined to streams; it’s now in the gig world, too. After Seb found the Hot Vox New Blood competition, the band sent in an EPK (an information pack with contact details, videos of them playing, etc.). Pool Club was one of five thousand bands that applied online, but one of only seventy-five selected to play in the competition. On Friday, 6th March, the band played in the quarter finals. There are two ways to progress through the rounds: the industry vote and the fan vote. Perhaps it was Pool Club’s stage presence, energy, pure musical talent, or a combination of the three that secured them the fan vote and booked them a ticket to the semi-finals. They are now among the final thirty bands in the competition.

Pool Club was one of five thousand bands that applied online, but one of only seventy-five selected to play in the competition

Pool Club’s popularity was evident at the quarter-finals. When the band was being introduced, a group of fans in the crowd, including many of Seb’s friends, was chanting so loudly that the band’s name was drowned out. With support like that behind them, Pool Club stand in a great position heading into the final rounds. Their journey has spanned from Dover to Durham and now to London, but Pool Club’s ripples have been reaching Trevs for a while. Last year at Trevstock, after Seb had played with Hayk, one of Pool Club’s songs was played over the speakers. As Seb stood on stage, he heard people singing his band’s song back to him, a surreal experience as he described it to me. It’s pretty incredible for the band to have reached this far, and with a win behind them and knowing they have such support, let’s hope to see Pool Club make it all the way to the Isle of Wight.

When I spoke to Seb, he mentioned that playing at the festival would be a “dream come true” and that “even if it’s to ten people, [he] wouldn’t really care, it’s just the whole experience and being with the band, and being able to come back and say, you know, ‘we actually did that’, and it was awesome”. Seb’s passion and talent in music have been evident during his time at Trevs so far. He credits the people he’s met, the wonderful facilities for practising, and new opportunities, such as singing in Jesus Christ Superstar or, more recently, providing the rock backing track for Julius Caesar with Chilli Knees. 

It’s just the whole experience and being with the band, and being able to come back and say, you know, we actually did that

Getting this close to playing at the festival, especially as a student balancing studies, gigs, and university life, is no small feat. Yet, Pool Club are now just two performances away from a performance slot at Isle of Wight Festival. Whether it’s to ten people or a packed room, as Seb put it, the dream is simply to play their music. But maybe, just maybe, Pool Club can take their next step toward the Isle of Wight.

If you happen to be in London on 18 April, the band would greatly appreciate Trevs support for the semi-finals at O’Neill’s Wardour Street. Tickets can be found here: https://www.poolclubband.com/tickets.

Image credit: Sebastian Powell