SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015 – Taranaki finals on June 12
It’s the big night of the year for youth music in Taranaki next Friday as the top bands and solo/duo performers in the
region play off in the regional final of Smokefreerockquest 2015 at TSB Showplace.
Smokefreerockquest founder and director Glenn Common said Smokefreerockquest offers the entrants on Friday 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 Taranaki the 16 entrants all go through to the regional final, they are:
Maybe Next May New Plymouth BHS, Francis Douglas Memorial Coll
Weekend Contradiction St Mary's Diocesan School
Angel wood Waitara High School
Out by Friday Sacred Heart Girls' College
Hunter Stembridge New Plymouth Girls' High School
Pedal to the Metal Waitara High School
James O'Donovan New Plymouth Boys' High School
Entropy Inglewood School, FDMC, Coastal Taranaki School
Istoria Spotswood College
Laura Griffiths Sacred Heart Girls' College
Zing New Plymouth GHS, Bell Block School
Garage Girls Spotswood College
Lyric Tyler New Plymouth Girls' High School
Paradox Paradox Sacred Heart Girls' Coll, Francis Douglas Mem. Coll
No Good Spotswood College
The Suburban Goons New Plymouth Boys' High School
The Taranaki final is at TSB Showplace on Friday 12 June, start time 7pm, tickets $10 for school students and $20 for
adults from Ticket Master or at the door. The guest act is Auckland five piece rock band, The Eversons.
At the regional final the top two bands and two solo/duos are selected to go into the national finalists’ judging pool
and other awards and prizes are presented.
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
Ends