Nelson Smokefree Rockquest heats

Could Pickle My Love or The Icecream Bandits be the next big thing on the kiwi music scene? They’re just two of the bands entered in this year’s Smokefreerockquest from Nelson, with heats to be played off on Sunday at Nayland College Hall, starting at 1pm, tickets are $10 at the door. Fourteen bands will be selected at the heats to play off in the regional final next month.

Smokefreerockquest is 21 years old and director Pete Rainey says its enduring appeal is the irrepressible desire of young people to perform their own music to their peers:

“Kids have been forming bands forever but it still takes guts to get out of your garage and go onstage to play your own songs,” he says. “Every year Smokefreerockquest offers this opportunity in halls and theatres in towns from Invercargill to Whangarei. That means the contest airs around 1500 new kiwi songs each year - it’s original music that makes this event stand out.”

Entries were called for from all secondary and intermediate schools in April, and this year have reached 600 and are still coming in. These are the Nelson entrants:

Marquee Overload Nelson College

Toysonfire Waimea College

Paradox Garin College, Waimea College, Nayland College

PickleMyLove Nelson College

Face Of The Day Nelson College For Girls

Tabasko Waimea College

Pin Stripe Garin College, Nelson College

Spartans of Metal Motueka High School

Miss Fury Nelson College

Elly Nelson College For Girls

Borrowed Time Nelson Intermediate

BIg Gun Broadgreen Intermediate

Optimus Prime Marlborough Boys' College

New North Underground Motueka High School

Blue Funk Nayland College, Nelson College

The Icecream Bandits Nelson College, Nelson College For Girls

I Am The Pineapple Man Nelson College for Girls, Garin College, Nayland College

Gita Waimea College

Ello Garin College

The Gnats Nelson College

Go to www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz for the schedule of performance times.

Over the winter, heats and finals will be held in 26 centres around New Zealand, with filming at several of these events for music and youth culture television channel C4. The national finals of Smokefreerockquest are at Auckland’s Power Station on Saturday September 19, start time 8pm.

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.

The Nelson regional final is at the Trafalgar Centre, at 8pm, on Saturday 13 June, tickets are $20 from The Everyman or at the door.

More information including band contact details is available from the official Smokefreerockquest website
www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz
and there is information at
www.myspace.com/smokefreerockquest
ENDS

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