SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015 – Southland finals on 21 June

SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015 – Southland finals on 21 June

It’s the big night of the year for youth music in Invercargill next Sunday, as the top bands and solo/duo performers in Southland play off in the regional final of Smokefreerockquest 2015.

Smokefreerockquest founder and director Glenn Common said Smokefreerockquest offers the entrants on Sunday night a platform for live performance that builds on what they have learnt at school.

“The support that contemporary musicians get in schools these days is evident in the number of young musicians that get to performance standard,” he said. “Secondary school teachers offer tuition and encouragement, create space for bands and soloists to practise, they come along to support them at Smokefreerockquest and help them to get the most value from the experience of entering SFRQ – before, during and after.”

He said the professional performance environment offered by SFRQ included a stage set up with lights, sound, projection and technical support in a show that includes a guest band, MC and lots of giveaways.

Because there were no heats held in Southland the entrants all go through to the regional final; they are:

The Philadelphia Experiment James Hargest College
Park Radio Verdon College
The Veldt James Hargest College
Curtis Swann Abbotsford School
M.W.A Central Southland College
David Stupples James Hargest College
Just Mustard Central Southland College

The Southland final is at the Civic Theatre on Sunday 21 June, start time 7pm, tickets $10 for school students and $20 for adults from Ticket Direct or at the door. The guest band is The Chandeliers, an alternative indie pop four piece from Dunedin.

At the regional final the top two bands are selected to go into the national finalists’ judging pool, other awards and prizes are presented and the top two solo/duos play off for first and second place, with both going on to the judging pool for the national final.

Smokefreerockquest, powered by Rockshop, has national winners’ prize packages for bands and the solo/duo winners, that includes $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.

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

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