Oil on Canvas' Tom Chamberlain is hoping to follow in the footsteps of other former Archbishop Tenison pupils and triumph at Testing 1,2,3.

The competition to find Croydon's best singer-songwriters, R'n'b / hip-hop acts and unsigned bands is back for a sixth year at Croydon Clocktower next week.

Three of the five previous winners, Joshua C. Edwards, Size Nine and Four Kornerz, all had members from the same school Chamberlain attended and he is hoping his four-piece pop rock can also come out on top.

"That's the hope," he says.

"The main thing for us would be to get a spot at Croydon Summer Festival which the winner is guaranteed.

"We want to play a bit more around Croydon too as we play a lot in London and have a fan base up there but would like to do more here.

"No one from Tenison has won it for the last two years so we want to make that right too."

The band have also just released the video for their debut single Wild Strawberries and will be supporting Finlay Quaye at Scala on March 24.

Testing 1,2,3 consists of three nights in which the top two artists picked by the judges will go through to the grand final next Friday.

On Tuesday, singer-songwriters Visionary Heights, Joe Hood, Megan Davis, Peter Walsh, Rhys Williams and Melodic Janelle will be playing while Trixta, Soul Glo, [unKnown], Natural VybeZ, Peter Croucher and Fobiah go up against each other in the R'n' / hip-hop category on Wednesday.

Competing with Oil on Canvas on Thursday are Strange Blues, Inhaled, Queezy Fish, Soul Reflex and The Unready.

Testing 1,2,3, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, February 16 to 19, 7.30pm, £3 (Final £5). Call 020 8253 1030 or visit croydonclocktower.org.uk