Gigs
NZ Music Month
SMOKEFREE ROCKQUEST 2009
11 May 2009
North Shore’s top 14 school bands were selected to go on to the Smokefreerockquest 2009 regional final at heats held at the Birkdale Intermediate School Hall on Saturday.
Smokefreerockquest director Pete Rainey says the intensity of the competition at the heats is an indicator of the important role Smokefreerockquest plays in the lives of some entrants.
“This event really gives some kids hope – it might be someone who’s doing badly in all his classes and doesn’t like sport; perhaps all that kid has ever wanted to do is play drums,” Rainey said. “We come along and say ‘that’s fantastic, here’s an audience, let’s go’ – that can be life-changing.”
These are the 14 bands that will compete for the North Shore regional title, plus prizes and the chance to be selected as finalists:
Night Riot Takapuna Grammar School & Pinehurst School
Stolen Echoes Long Bay College
Bare Minimum Whangaparaoa College
Gala Takapuna Grammar School
Long Story Short Epsom Girls' Grammar School & Howick College
Osaka Lights Whangaparaoa College
Motley Zoo Northcross Intermediate
The Crash Vinyls Takapuna Grammar School
The Transcendentals Carmel College
The Kaotix Orewa College & Orewa School
Scarlett Long Bay College & Wentworth College
Last Valediction Wentworth College
Randa Larkin Carmel College
Eve’s Apple Long Bay College & Westlake Boys' High School
The North Shore final is at 8pm on Friday May 22 at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna. Tickets are $15 at the venue prior, or $20 at the door on the night.
At the regional final bands win musical gear from NZ Rockshops and their suppliers, starting with a $500 spend for the winning band. At the national finals there is an impressive prize list that includes musical equipment from NZ Rockshop to the value of $10,000, and The Edge Airplay Award with NZ On Air where the winning band’s music and video are recorded at York Street Studios with guaranteed airplay, and a promotional package from myspace.com.
Over the winter, heats and finals from around New Zealand will be filmed for music and youth culture television channel C4. The national finals of Smokefreerockquest will be held this year at Auckland’s Power Station on September 19, start time 8pm.
More information is available from the official Smokefreerockquest website www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz
