Whanganui’s Lights Go Out dominates regional Smokefreerockquest music competition

Reggae band Lights Out won the Whanganui Smokefreerockquest regional final. The band members are (from left) Alijah Ngaronga, Jeremiah Herewini, Poppy Brooks-Mann, Mason maraku, Manaia Takiari, Rangitaumata hayward, Amelia Muir, Arne Leiva-Benegas, Moata Leiva-Benegas and Gio Maraku.

A band of 10 Whanganui students has won two of the top prizes in the Smokefreerockquest and Tangata Beats regional finals.

Lights Go Out took first place in the band category for both Smokefreerockquest and Tangata Beats on Saturday night at the Royal Whanganui Opera House, making them eligible to apply for the national competition in Auckland.

Smokefreerockquest, which started in 1988, is an annual competition that challenges students to create original music and perform it on stage in front of regional and national audiences.

Thousands of students across 21 regions participate in the competition every year.

Smokefreerockquest is well-intertwined with New Zealand’s music industry with now-internationally known artists having participated in the contest including Brooke Fraser, Broods, Bic Runga, Kimbra and Ladyhawke.

The Tangata Beats event started in 1998 as the Urban Beats Award but over time became its own competition.

The Lights Go Out members, Alijah Ngaronga, Jeremiah Herewini, Poppy Brooks-Mann, Mason Maraku, Manaia Takiari, Rangitaumata Hayward, Amelia Muir, Arne Leiva-Benegas, Moata Leiva-Benegas and Gio Maraku, met through Te Kura Waenga o Rutherford although some have gone on to secondary school at Cullinane College and Whanganui High School.

“They’re still all with our music teacher [Jordan Maraku] and he makes a band every year and most of the years it’s been the same people,” keyboardist Amelia Muir said.

A previous band, Reckless, containing multiple of Lights Out’s current members, made the Tangata Beats national final in 2023 and came third.

Reckless only competed in Tangata Beats in previous years, making this the first attempt at Smokefreerockquest.

“We thought we would give both competitions a shot this year and we’re glad we did,” trombone player Arne Leiva-Benegas said.

“We were really surprised we won.”

For their first-place wins, the band received $500 of musical equipment from the Rockshop.

Lights Go Out consists of three brass instruments, three keyboards, two vocalists, a drummer and a bassist.

Coming up to the competition, the band practised together for more than 10 hours a week.

At the competition, Lights Go Out performed original songs Alive and Light Path.

Muir said the songwriting process was collaborative, with each instrument group writing their own parts.

Raia (Waihīrere Fifield-Taylor), from Te Aho o Te Kura, came first in the Whanganui Smokefreerockquest's solo/duo category.

Muir and Leiva-Benegas said the band was musically inspired by reggae music and New Zealand bands L.A.B., Six60 and House of Shem.

A4, from Rangitīkei College, placed second behind Lights Go Out for Smokefreerockquest. Missing Comma, from Whanganui High School, were third.

In the solo-duo Smokefreerockquest category, Raia (Waihīrere Fifield-Taylor), from Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, was first and Sophie Toyne, from Whanganui High School, second.

Nisi (Denise Pio), from Rangitīkei College, won the solo-duo for Smokefree Tangata Beats.

Alongside Raia and Sophie Toyne, Lights Go Out can submit a video of their original material for selection as one of the top 15 finalists to play at Smokefreerockquest nationals in September.

Along with Nisi, they can also apply for the national final of Smokefree Tangata Beats on September 13 at Auckland’s ASB Theatre.

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.