PopCollegeTour Utrecht
Date: Sunday 22 March 2026
Doors open: 18:00
Start: 18:30
End time: At the latest 23:30
Price: Free

The PopCollegeTour is organised in 2026 for the fifth time and was created to allow bands from the different conservatories to present themselves outside their own region on the relevant pop stages of the Netherlands. After the successful editions of 2022 through 2025 it is now again time to present the new and talented acts of 2026.

PopCollegeTour is a unique collaboration between six Dutch conservatories with a Pop department to give their selected bands the chance to present themselves live at various venues across the Netherlands. Each conservatory will select one act to participate in the PopCollegeTour. During one week the selected acts will perform in relevant pop venues in Tilburg, Rotterdam, Enschede, Haarlem, Amsterdam and Utrecht.

POST ELLA
The alternative electronic pop of Post Ella drags you through stories about the desperate need to keep control, derealization and the fear of losing everything. Propelled by razor-sharp beats and feverish synths the listener ends up in the band's deteriorating experiential world.
Inspired by Massive Attack, Björk and FKA twigs but also the cinematic art of makers like Charlie Kaufman and Andrzej Żuławski the band cautiously takes their audience by the hand through the ethereal synth and vocal melodies that give each song a narrative.
In the calm of the band's stage presence hides an unleashed projectile of a live show that explodes again and again. Post Ella lets the audience get lost, rot and scream, but always with their feet stamping on the floor.

IDRYS KAI
Inspired by artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Tatsuro Yamashita, and Jin-Ah Lee, Idrys Kai is a mixture of not only musical approaches but also cultural elements.
Growing up in a Ghanaian household, Idrys Kai’s music is influenced by the rich sound of West-African highlife, while his voice showcases a background in jazz, R&B, and hip hop. On top of that, Idrys Kai also dabbles in Korean music and sounds not commonly heard in the Western hemisphere.
To portray a blend of familiar and syncopated sounds while leaving you curious for more is what Idrys Kai will make you experience.

BON SIRAH
In a world that increasingly seems to weigh heavy, Bon Sirah brings exactly what we need now: music that makes life feel light again for a while. The modern Britpop artist brings a new sound to a genre that has always been about honesty. No cynicism, no social commentary, but stories about love, growing older and the wonder found in small moments.
Bon Sirah tells those stories with a sound that feels like a contemporary echo of 90s Britpop. His songs roll easily: melodies you immediately pick up and choruses you sing along to. In the line of artists like Jake Bugg, Sam Fender and Oasis the songs sound light and open, but never empty. Beneath that lightness lies a lyrical weight close to life. Bon Sirah does not zoom out to big issues, but zooms in on what happens in everyday life: doubts, hope, moments that seem small but mean everything.

SALAMANDER
Salamander tried to cook a bowl of warm hip-pop, but ended up with jazz and activist pleas. Expect critical notes, cheerful chaos and songs that don't fit in boxes, but only on a stage. With sharp lyrics and playful beats this five-piece mixes their own eccentric sauce.

RHODON CERISE
Rhodon Cerise’s music isn’s a quiet kind of magic; she writes mystical alternative folk, where themes as mental health, growth and spirituality meet magic, folklore and mythology. Shaped by the sonic diversity 90’s rock and (modern) folk, Rhodon creates a magical experience where melodic guitars and powerful drums blend with dreamy lyricism that walk the line between vulnerability and strength.
Her songs carry an eclectic dynamic weight, that shifts from divinely alluring to intensely consuming. With a voice that feels both haunting and intimate, Rhodon invites listeners into a space that transcends past reality. Inspired by the storytelling nature of artists like Hozier, Tamino and Paris Paloma, each song is a glimpse into a esoteric world, where storytelling becomes spellwork and emotion takes the lead.

LO–SELEEN
Lo–Seleen is a source of light. It is the music itself: synths, guitars and layered voices that come to life layer by layer and form their own universe. Minimalist productions feel fragile and powerful at the same time. Dreamy melodies, subtle beats and carefully placed ‘earcandy’ keep the listener constantly alert, while they can make a hall move without ever feeling forced.
The focus is entirely on creation in the moment. Lo–Seleen forces you to listen, feel and experience what arises, and makes every performance a direct confrontation between listener and sound. It is an intimate experience that at the same time has physical impact: soft, still, but never passive.
For lovers of ethereal pop and intimate electronica, where the power is not only in the melody, but in the layers, the silences and the precision of each sound.
Lo–Seleen is the solo project of the Amsterdam producer Guusje Walstra, who has also worked on projects for, among others, the Van Gogh Museum and The National Theatre. Where her style often subtly seeps through in that context, she has in Lo–Seleen all the space to build her own universe: a world that completely occupies what you hear, see and feel, and directly confronts the listener with the essence of the music.