Joe's Van cruises to top spot at Smokefreerockquest (+ video)

Smokefree Rockquest regional winners Joe's Van from Mount Maunganui College. Photo/Alex Hargreaves

Mount College band Joe's Van are within grasp of national success after winning this year's Smokefreerockquest regional finals at the weekend.

Last year, the Bay of Plenty winners came second in the national finals and Saturday night's win secures them a spot again to battle on stage for the New Zealand title.

This year was Joe's Van's seventh and last year performing, breaking the New Zealand record for the longest time a band has played on the Smokefree regional stage.

Band members Rory Priest (drums), Cormac Seymour (lead guitar) and Jake Nicholas (bass and lead vocals), all Year 13, have been playing together since primary school and look to move on to university next year.

Mr Nicholas was happy to have taken out the top spot but the main thing was they enjoyed themselves on stage for the last time.

"We just went in with the mindset of just wanting to have a good time and have one last crack at it," Mr Nicholas said.

Smokefreerockquest has been a big part of the tight-knit band's "musical life" who were happy to finish on a high note.

"A win on top of us finishing it off was just an amazing bonus." He believed their high energy stood out on stage.

"We were just stoked with everybody else's performance anyway, but it was probably the vibes we had on stage that was just amazing," Mr Nicholas said.

Ben Mollison from Bethlehem College won first place in the solo/duo category. Photo/Alex Hargreaves

Another talented Bay teen, Ben Mollison from Bethlehem College, took first place in the solo/duo category, playing with both acoustic and electric guitar.

The 16-year-old described his first win on a regional stage as "surreal".

"I loved it, it was a really great night. It seamed so surreal this morning it kind of passed by so quickly, but it was amazing and really great."

Ben entered for the first time last year but he said the second time round prepared him for what to expect. He sang his own song about a family friend's mother who had passed away, which gave him inspiration and passion to perform.

"If you feel strongly about an issue, or if you feel very connected to someone or something, you can write about it, and that's what I love to do."

Smokefreerockquest Founder and director Glenn Common said there were more bands than ever reaching the high standard required from national finalists.

"This means real dedication is required to achieve the 'stand-out quality' the judges will be looking for," he said.

"They have to capture 15 minutes of their original material on video in a process that demands creativity and musical ability, being able to work together as a group and having good organisational skills. What separates them out is perseverance - industry success seldom happens overnight."

Winners and runner-ups
Band 1st place: Joe's Van, Mount Maunganui College
Band 2nd place: Hogshorts! Otumoetai College
Band 3rd place: The Phonics, Otumoetai College
Solo/Duo 1st place: Ben Mollison, Bethlehem College
Solo/Duo 2nd place: Talia Dalton, Otumoetai College
APRA Lyric Award: Ben Mollison, Bethlehem College
Lowdown Best Song: Lily and Samara, Waihi College
Smokefree Award For Women's Musicianship: Sammie Dudley, Mount Maunganui College
People's Choice voted by text: The Lost Gods, Papamoa College
MAINZ musicianship award with opportunity to win a $4000 MAINZ scholarship: Jacob Nicholas of Joe's Van, Mount Maunganui College