Powerful vocals wow the crowd

Girls High pre Rockquest concert - Nga Rau Wahara - Ripeka Akurangi, Te Whaiororangihuia Webster, Saqqara Warmenhoven and Siseliani Grant.

Young musicians put on a show for their aspiring juniors at Girls' High this week as they prepped for the upcoming Smokefreerockquest.

The concert was a warm-up for the regional heats, which are scheduled to take place at War Memorial Theatre tomorrow.

Seven bands took to the stage to play their original compositions with powerful vocals, an array of drum beats, string guitars and synths.

Orbital Drift and Space Riff set the scene with their rock and pop sounds.

They were followed by reggae band Ngā Rau Mahara, whose amplified base guitar riffs and off-beat rhythms are sure to create a “jumpy feel” when they perform at Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival later this year.

When rock band Phantom Theory took to the stage, students grooved to their upbeat song Poison.

Bringing the “jazziness” of R&B was Polaroid Mosaic, while heartfelt lyrics and rock music played by five-piece band Shaggy Hates Figs shared “personal experience vibes”.

The Lei Lows delivered with their energetic and infectious performance.

The group of mostly Tongan musicians decided to challenge themselves by first playing a Māori-based composition followed by their own Pasifika genre. The end result was nothing less than a perfect way to end the concert with loud applause from the audience.

Mentoring the Year 12 and 13 students for Rockquest is New Zealand Music Commission mentor Annie Crummer and Gisborne Girls' High's Jane Egan, who praised the bands on their performances.

“Have fun and give your everything,” Crummer told the musicians.

As a solo artist, Crummer toured with Sir Paul McCartney, k.d lang, Sting, Ray Charles and Michael Jackson.

Her mentorship was part of a two-day workshop and the Musicians Mentoring in Schools programme, which is funded by the Ministry of Education and New Zealand Music Commission's Musicians Mentoring In Schools programme.

Egan said having Crummer mentor the students gives them a fresh perspective and a way to fine-tune their skills.