2015 Smokefreerockquest - Top 30 Announced

2015 Smokefreerockquest - Top 30 Announced

Hopes of Kiwi music industry success are closer for 30 Smokefreerockquest entrants who have made it through to the top 30 acts for 2015.

There were just on 700 entries in this year’s only nationwide, orginal youth music event, with regional finalists from 23 regions sending in their video footage for selection to play off at the national final in Auckland on September 11.

SFRQ founder and director Pete Rainey said selecting the national finalists was always a challenge.

“With support from their schools, great role models on the Kiwi music scene and a lot of creativity and dedication, we’re seeing a very high standard indeed from the bands and solo/duos at this level of the event,” he said. “It highlights that there’s a lot more to Smokefreerockquest than just writing a song. They need the whole package - songwriting, performance and presentation, which is realistic preparation for making a career in the music industry.”

The top 30 list is made up of 20 bands and 10 solo-duos.

The top 20 bands are:

Alien Weaponry Bream Bay College, Otamatea High School, Northland

Courtney Hate Green Bay High School, Auckland

Joe Says No Mt Albert Grammar School, Auckland Grammar

5XL Gisborne Boys' High School, Gisborne Girls’ High School

Sycamore Logan Park High School, Dunedin

Forlorn Bloom Hagley Community College, Christchurch

The Big Gus Green Bay High School, Auckland

Near Armageddon Mt Aspiring College, Wanaka

Altered Blondes Long Bay College, Rangitoto College, St Peter’s School

Joe's Van Mt Maunganui College

SWIM Hutt Valley High School, Upper Hutt College

Reciprocate Alfriston College, Auckland

Tetra Nelson College For Girls

Find the Time Edgewater College, Auckland

El Jay Hall Cambridge High School

Bitter Class Craighead Diocesan School, Mountainview High School, Timaru Boys’ High School

Xumonk Western Heights High School, Rotorua

Future Class Garin College, Nelson

Altero Lincoln High School, Canterbury

Back 2 back Kerikeri High School

And the top ten solo/duos are:

Joseph Balfe Waitaki Boys' High School

Ben Mollison Bethlehem College, Tauranga

Elsa Meier Springbank School, Far North

Christopher Bates Kingsway School, Auckland

Ashy Batchelor St Margaret's College, Christchurch

Neil Macleod St Andrew's College, Christchurch

Situation Vacant Hamilton Boys' High School, Hamilton Girls' High School

Talia Dalton Otumoetai College, Tauranga

Solomon the Crook St Peter's School, Cambridge

Kodum Queen Charlotte College, Marlborough

These 30 bands and solo-duos will be further narrowed down by a panel of judges from the music industry, and on July 31 there will be an announcement of the final six bands and three solo-duos to play off the Raye Freedman Centre at Epsom Girls Grammar on Friday September 11. The 21 acts not in the final selection now become contenders for the People’s Choice, with the winner of the voting campaign competing as the tenth act in national final.

Smokefreerockquest, powered by Rockshop, has national winners’ prize packages for bands and the solo/duo winners that include $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, a $20,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package’ a ‘Decent Exposure’ campaign on FOUR, a photo shoot with Thievery Studio, a branding package from Imaginary Friends and the Unleashed Travel ambassador award – a seven day trip to Fiji.
There is also the MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand) Scholarship for Outstanding Musicianship, the APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award and the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award. The People’s Choice award is voted by text with the opportunity to open the Smokefreerockquest national final.

The finalists for Smokefree Pacifica Beats will be announced on 10 August, with the national final for that event, also at the Raye Freedman Centre at Epsom Girls Grammar, on Saturday September 12.

More info at sfrq.co.nz or facebook.com/thesfrq

ENDS

© Scoop Media