NEWS

Four surprised 13 year olds won the Wairarapa Smokefreerockquest title on Saturday night at the Masterton Town Hall. Full results on regional page.

Mercury Brigade took the title in the last of this year's regional finals.
The four guys from Mount Aspiring College won last year as a three piece, and were joined this year by vocalist Kape Sinnott who had also been in the competition last year, but in a different band. Full details on regional page.

The last two regional finals for 2010 are coming your way on Saturday night. Be at the Queenstown Memorial Hall (yes Wanaka - you do the driving this time) or at the Masterton Town Hall to support your local bands as they have a go at becoming kiwi music icons! 

Otaki reggae band Te Paamu stood out with their Katchafire inspired sound. Guitarist Te Whaiao Manga (17) says the four guys practise in a shed at his family’s farm, so they called their band Te Paamu, which means ‘the farm’: “Our sound was just a bit different from the others on Friday night - we had a bit of energy and we really tried to get the crowd into our music.” 

First place in Northland went to Holy Shark from Kamo High School, who also won the Lowdown Best Song Award.
Spokesman Toby Morris says the indie-rock three piece band has been playing together for a year, and are all multi-instrumentalists. “I think we stood out on Friday night with our tight musicianship, our harmonies and the way we swap our instruments around,” he says. “Our music just had a different feel and genre.” 

It was a family affair at the Nelson Marlborough regional Smokefreerockquest finals at the Trafalgar Centre.
First place went to five-piece band, Peasants of Eden from Garin College, who are all related, except for the bass player, Jo Corban-Banks.
Guitarist Caleb Nott says the cousins play in a church band, but Peasants of Eden was formed just for smokefreerockquest. He says he thought their originality and stage presence made them stand out.
“We had grea... Read more >

Sticks 'n' Stones from Inglewood High School came first, and cleaned up with the Lowdown Best Song Award and Smokefree People’s Choice. Second place went to Fall Within - Francis Douglas Memorial College

Follow the eyeball on the regional map to read the full results. 

The Dead Beat Boys wore jeans and singlets to signify their no frills rock 'n' roll sound. Stoked with their win, they're all committed to a career in music.

Follow the eyeball on the regional map to read the full results. 

WCC from Wanganui City College won the title at the War Memorial Hall on June 25. Their sound drew on funk and soul with interesting rock elements and an almost thrash guitar,” said judge Flip Grater. “They were really good musicians but the lead guitarist Jeremiah Peipi and the vocalist Nai Mcgregor really stood out." 

Malcolm Jack from Otumoetai College have an amazing sound - Barry Anderson says the three band members are all in the same music class and got together a few months ago with the goal of entering Smokefreerockquest. Their songs are about things they like - summer, travelling....girls of course.  Follow the eyeball to the BOP page for full results. 

Share | Read more >

Fighting Like Stags from Campion College won in Gisborne in their first year of entering SFRQ. Their songs are about losing a dog and about chocolate almonds. 
“We had practiced hard and we were pretty tight - we must have just been cooler than the rest of the bands on the night.”
Fighting Like Stags bass player Levi Scott