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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

The bassist wore a crown and helped win the night for The Royal Society from Timaru Boys High School. Their song about a person who doesn't love high school won the Lowdown Best song award. And a banjo player, Steven Marr, from the Historionics from Roncalli College won the Mainz Musicianship Award, the first time ever that a banjo player has won this award. 

It’s taken four years, but the four-piece Indie rock band Hey Hey Pay Day, from Sacred Heart College, say finding the ‘missing link’ finally got them to first place at the Auckland East regional finals this year.

Lead singer and guitarist, Gregory Chang was almost too pumped to talk after hearing the band’s name called out: “The best thing about smokefreerockquest is getting to p... Read more >

“Because it was our fourth year we were just chilled out on stage, having fun and making the most of it – it was our last year of competing in Smokefreerockquest so we just gave it our all.”
Dannah Mercado, vocals, Infinite Youth.
Full results on West Coast regional page

The pop-dance sounds of four piece Hamilton Boys' High School band DGR (Dinosaur Goes Rawr!) won the Waikato regional final for the second year running, on Saturday night at Founders Theatre. They say they'd be really pumped to get through to the national final in their home town on September 11. 

Dressed as tennis players from the 1970s, a four piece band from Waiopehu College in Levin, cleaned up at the Manawatu final of smokefreerockquest. 'Convicted Spacemen' not only won first prize, but band members also took out the Mainz Musicianship Award,  the APRA Lyric Writer’s Award and the Lowdown Best Song Award.  Last year bass player and vocalist, James Hoskins was in a band that made it to the top fourteen in th... Read more >

Christchurch Boys' High band Custard Bear won the first night of the Canterbury finals with their tight pop-funk sound. Be there for the second big night at the Isaac Theatre Royal, 7pm Sat 12 June, $20 at the door. 

It was a big night at the Telstraclear Pacific Centre for Razor Fox...read more on the Manukau regional page.

Looking for tickets? Can't find them for your region? please email help@smokefreerockquest.co.nz

Alternative pop rock band Episode 80 from Longbay College wins North Shore final

North Shore regional final this Friday night at the Bruce Mason Centre...they've produced national winners before - can they do it again?