Will Gold, known professionally as Wilbur Soot, is a British internet personality, Twitch streamer and musician. He first became known in 2017 for his work with the group comedy YouTube channel SootHouse, where he made recurring appearances and was the lead editor and a co-founder. He later started his own channel, Wilbur Soot, in March 2019. Gold released his first single, "The 'Nice Guy' Ballad", in January 2018. His sixth single, "Your New Boyfriend", peaked at No. 65 on the UK Singles Chart. Gold is also part of the British indie rock band Lovejoy.
YouTube career
Soot became well known as an editor for the YouTube group channel SootHouse, which was founded by Soot and some of his friends. The channel consisted mostly of reaction videos, with its members discussing memes and life hacks, among other topics.
He created his main channel, Wilbur Soot, on 29 March 2019. The channel features content pertaining to video games, most commonly, the 2011 sandbox game Minecraft. Gold also actively live streams on Twitch, where he has amassed over 4 million followers as of September 2021, making him the 37th most-followed channel on the platform.
In 2020, Gold joined the roleplay-focused Minecraft server Dream SMP, run by the eponymous YouTuber Dream. There, Gold founded the fictional nation of L'Manberg and eventually became a lead writer for the stories featured in the server. Gold has also competed in multiple Minecraft tournaments, including MC Championships and Minecraft Monday. In January 2021, Gold was one of the eight participants of the chess tournament BlockChamps, hosted by WFM Alexandra Botez and her sister, Andrea. Gold was eliminated in the tournament's first round, when he lost to fellow YouTuber and Twitch streamer GeorgeNotFound.
Musical career
Gold released his first single, "The 'Nice Guy' Ballad", in January 2018. Gold first charted with his sixth single, "Your New Boyfriend", released in December 2020, which peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 65. The song also appeared on the UK Indie Chart and the Irish Singles Chart, where it peaked at numbers 10 and 100, respectively. Gold has also appeared on several artist charts, including Billboard's Emerging Artists Chart and Rolling Stone's Top Breakthrough Chart.
Gold formed the indie rock band Lovejoy in 2021. Gold is the singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist; Joe Goldsmith, the lead guitarist and songwriter; Mark Boardman, the drummer; and Ash Kabosu, the bassist. On 9 May 2021, the band released their first EP, Are You Alright? On 20 May 2021, they debuted on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart at number 10. Their second EP, Pebble Brain, was released on 14 October 2021, peaking at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. Lovejoy released the single "Knee Deep at ATP" (a cover of a 2008 Los Campesinos! song) in late 2021 alongside an animated music video.
In 2022, Lovejoy appeared on Here You Go, You Do It, a Crywank covers compilation album, performing their 2013 song "Privately Owned Spiral Galaxy".
On 13 May 2022, the band performed live for the first time at UnBarred Brewery in Brighton as a part of Joy Concerts RSVP event, under the name Lampwith Sock.
Personal life
Gold has asthma and hypochondria, with both conditions being mentioned in songs on his EP Your City Gave Me Asthma. He is a Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. supporter.
