Northland high school acts making moves for success at Smokefreerockquest regional heats

Easy Beanz - Justin Soulsby and Lukas Macdonald from Kamo High School - were the top solo/duo act at the Northland regional heat of Smokefreerockquest held in Whangārei

A number of Northland high school bands and acts are honing their skills in the hope of being named the top regional performers in the Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Tangata Beats competitions.

Forum North hosted Northland's blooming musical talent on Sunday at the Smokefreerockquest Northland regional heat.

Announced at the end of the evening were the top two placing solo/duo acts with the opportunity to go ahead to the event's semifinals, and the top 12 bands selected for the Smokefreerockquest regional final held online in July.

The top Northland solo/duo acts selected are Easy Beanz (Justin Soulsby and Lukas Macdonald) from Kamo High School (first), and Dillon Worsfold from Whangārei Boys' High School (second).

The top 12 bands going on to submit videos in the regional final are:
Visual Soup and Ready, set!, both from Whangārei Boys' High School; Max Weight Capacity, Bream Bay College; How Profound, Christian Renewal School; Men In Boots, Dargaville High School; Close Contacts, Kamo High School; Under Pressure, The Secrets, Moberf, and No Vacancy, all from Kerikeri High School; Patient People, Otamatea High School and Inaudible, Rodney College.

The top regional bands and solo/duos submit footage for selection as finalists to play off at the Smokefreerockquest National Semi-finals, from which the top 10 National Finalists will be selected. The National Finals will be held in Auckland on September 23.
Lou'ana (Whitney), a judge at the event, said the uniqueness of the Northland region really shone through.

"The diversity between genres, in terms of songwriting and arrangement was really surprising and encouraging," the award winning musician said.

"All the bands looked and acted professional all day, and then jumped on stage to such a supportive crowd."

Founder and Director Glenn Common says Smokefreerockquest is a huge learning and confidence building opportunity for young musicians.

"The experience of Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Tangata Beats goes far beyond event day," Common said.

"Each of the acts have been writing, practicing, and planning, and then on event day they get to finally put that work into action. Following their performance they get to reflect on how their performance went and what they will do the same or differently next time. This learning is great for developing skills and attitudes around goal setting and each student's ability to try new things, and celebrate themselves and their hard work."

Smokefreerockquest, has national winners' prize packages for bands and solo/duo winners that includes $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, $16,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package, a photo shoot and branding package from Imaginary Friends. There is also the Musicianship Award, the APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) Lyric Award, Rockshop Electronic Performance Award, ZM Best Song Award, and Vocals Award.