Kaitaia Abundant Life School band Kal's Collective (with Jahzara Takimoana, 16, centre) won this year's Battle of the Teen Bands. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kaitaia Abundant Life School band Kal's Collective (with Jahzara Takimoana, 16, centre) won this year's Battle of the Teen Bands. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Nine youth bands from Kaitaia to Whangārei put on an mind-blowing display of musical skill on Friday night's Battle of the Teen Bands 2021.
Hosted by youth mentoring programme Be Free, the competition is open to all Northland youth with bands judged on musicianship, composition/interpretation and entertainment value with extrapoints awarded for original songs.
A jump in the calibre of both song-writing and performance this year meant the judges — a musical theatre singer, a successful US musician and a Be Free graduate — had a hard time choosing a winner, but eventually settled on Kal's Collective.
The Kaitaia Abundant Life School band also took home prizes for most promising drummer and best bass player.
Friday's show at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri was also a swansong for Be Free committee members Claire Gordon and Jo Danilo, who stepped down after 12 and four years' volunteer service, respectively.
RESULTS Most promising drummer: Rogan Nukunuku (Kal's Collective); runners-up Sailor Epiha (The Click); Erin Rosetta (No Vacancy); Zane Scott (Under Pressure). Best bass solo/riff: Kees Cherrington (Kal's Collective). Most promising female vocalist: Tyler-James ('TJ') Edwards (Metamorphosis). Most promising male vocalist: Lukas Bayer (No Vacancy). Best Lyrics: Tyler-James ('TJ') Edwards for Darkest Hour (Metamorphosis). Best guitar solo: Kosta Silich (No Vacancy). Most promising instrumentalist: Kosta Silich (No Vacancy). Best performance: OC/DC. Overall winner: 1 Kal's Collective, 2 Metaphorical, 3 Under Pressure. People's Choice: Under Pressure.
Be Free band The Click opened the competition with, from left, Declan Matthews on vocals/guitar, Cooper Harris on bass and Jenna Dawes on keyboards. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Fourteen-year-old Lukas Bayer of Be Free band No Vacancy was named best male vocalist (with Finn French, 14, on bass). Photo / Peter de Graaf
No Vacancy's Erin Rosetta, 14, was a runner-up for the title of most promising drummer. Photo / Peter de Graaf
No Vacancy's Kosta Silich, left, won the best instrumentalist and best guitar solo awards. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Twelve-year-old Liam Shackleton plays acoustic guitar with Kaitaia Abundant Life school band Soundtrack. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Eleven-year Prayer Pihema sings with Soundtrack, a band from Kaitaia Abundant Life School. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Twelve-year-old Dillan Blithe-Drake, of Kerikeri High School band Under Pressure, channels Twisted Sister with a cover of We're Not Going to Take It. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Be Free band OC/DC with, from left, singers Nikita Bennett and Depla Palmer, Alice Fairhurst on bass and Jack Laird on guitar, all aged 13. Photo / Peter de Graaf
OC/DC singer Depla Palmer, 13. Photo / Peter de Graaf
OC/DC won best performance on the back of their version of the Cranberries' Zombie, which ended with the entire band playing dead on the stage. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Thirteen-year-old Marama Lenden on ukulele and vocals with Kerikeri band Metaphorical. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Guitarist Koko Rosevear, 12, and Marama Lenden, 13, on ukulele and vocals, perform with second-placed band overall, Metaphorical. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Precious Harris, 11, leads Whangārei Intermediate band Te Reo Kia Māori Mai Teina. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Eleven-year-old Precious Harris sings with Whangārei Intermediate band Te Reo Kia Māori Mai Teina. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kaitaia Abundant Life School band Kal's Collective (with Jahzara Takimoana, 16, centre) won this year's Battle of the Teen Bands. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kees Cherrington, 14, of Kal's Collective, was named the night's most promising bass player. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Members of Kaitaia Abundant Life School band Kal's Collective react after learning they've won the 2021 Battle of the Teen Bands. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kerikeri High School band Under Pressure — from left, Zane Scott, Josh Boyd, Sam Hendrikse and Dillan Blithe-Drake — won the people’s choice award. Photo / Peter de Graaf
