Smokefreerockquest Manuaku & Auckland Central Heats

Media Release: Smokefreerockquest 25 years of music success - Manukau heats on Friday 7 June and Auckland Central on Saturday 8 June

Hello Headache and The Loud Mouths could be the hottest new sounds on the Kiwi music scene if they hit the big time via the time-honoured pathway of Smokefreerockquest.

Now in its 25th year, New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, all original youth music competition is back in Auckland next weekend. The Manukau heats are scheduled for 4pm Friday 7 June and Auckland Central heats are at 12 noon, on Saturday 8 June. Both events are at the Dorothy Winstone Centre, Howe Street. Tickets $10, available at the venue.

Around 700 entries are expected to go through regional heats and finals in 23 towns from Invercargill to Whangarei. Founder and Director Glenn Common says while much has changed in the 25 years that SFRQ has been running, there are some things that remain the same:

“The enthusiasm of young people for their music, and the way they respond to having a platform to perform to their peers is one of the constants,” he says. “These days they can put their video clips up on YouTube, but that hasn't taken the thrill out of getting up on stage in front of a real live crowd.”

The Manukau bands performing at the Dorothy Winstone Centre from 4pm on Friday are:

Free Download St Kentigern College, St. Peter’s College
Radium Howick College
Split Milk Botany Downs Secondary College
Ellipsis Elim Christian College
Jet Black Scissors ACG Strathallan
SecondGEN Alfriston College
Fell To Silence Pukekohe High School
Smash Bash Mission Heights Junior College
Natural vibe Aorere College
Devotion Alfriston College
Shikharkum Papatoetoe High School
Bradas Alfriston College
Yemen St Kentigern College (Pakuranga)
Dreamscape Pukekohe High School
6thSense Marcellin College
Take Three Manurewa High School
Microphone And The Giants Pukekohe High School
Second Sight Botany Downs Secondary College
Backdrifters Manurewa High School
Violet Papakura High School
Being Michael Alfriston College
We See In Colour Papatoetoe High School, Howick College
The Sentinel Pukekohe High School
Persona Non Grata Alfriston College
Identi5 Papakura High School
Three 4 Clayton Park School
Doubt it Otahuhu College
Hello Headache James Cook High School
Carpe Amor Papakura High School
MarchIntoApril Alfriston College
Chartreuse Tech Pukekohe High School
No Limit One Tree Hill College
Chronicles of Mesa Manurewa High School

The Auckland Central bands performing from12 noon on Saturday are:

Four Kings Royal Oak Intermediate School
The King and his friends Auckland Grammar, Edgewater College
The Vamps Selwyn College
DC-3 Auckland Grammar, Rangitoto College
Vivid Diocesan School For Girls
Sounds of Eden Auckland Grammar
Fluorescent Black St Kentigern College (Pakuranga)
Undercover Rock Auckland Grammar, St. Peter’s Coll, ACG Parnell, Western Springs Coll
The Irresponsible Teddy Bears Michael Park School
Eyes Of Evergreen Selwyn College
Faips Avondale College
The Loud Mouths Western Springs College
Wesley Band - TO CONFIRM Wesley Intermediate
Endless Echo Diocesan School For Girls
The Moots St Kentigern Coll, Western Springs Coll, Westlake Boys’ HS
Infinate Epsom Girls Grammar School
Bush Children Western Springs College
Keepsake Auckland Grammar
The young and nameless Sacred Heart College (Auckland)
The Paua Station Royal Oak Intermediate School
2uneek Waikowhai Intermediate
Descend Auckland Grammar
Vertigo Mt Roskill Grammar
Gemini Bites Epsom Girls Grammar School
invalid Western Springs College
Spadehearts Marist College, Marcellin College
Open Western Springs College
Twisted Basics Selwyn School
Scarlette Marist College
Headroom Western Springs College
Run to Infinity Auckland Grammar, St. Mary’s College

This year there are separate categories for solo/duo acts and bands, with the inaugural Auckland solo/duo event on Saturday 15 June at Epsom Girls Grammar; followed by the four Auckland regional finals later in June and July, details at sfrq.co.nz. North Shore and Auckland West heats have already been held.

Glenn explains that the solo/duo category means more winners and more prizes and imeans neither category will feel overlooked: “It’s a change we have made in response to comments from entrants and teachers, and it brings SFRQ more in line with NCEA assessments where bands are assessed separately.”

The regional events run every weekend until 13 July, then the top regional bands and solo/duos submit videos for selection for the national final in Auckland on September 28. Smokefreerockquest, powered by Rockshop, has national winners’ prize packages for bands and the solo/duos, that include musical gear to a total value of $13,000 from NZ Rockshops and their suppliers, inclusion on the NZ On Air Kiwi Hit Disc, radio promotional support, and video play on youth music channel FOUR. There is also the MAINZ Scholarship for outstanding musicianship, the APRA Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award, the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award and the Skinny Mobile People’s Choice voted by text with the opportunity to open the SFRQ National final.

More info at sfrq.co.nz or facebook.com/thesfrq

Ends

Smokefreerockquest – 25 years of music success
Smokefreerockquest is New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music, youth event. Celebrating it’s silver anniversary this year, the series of over 40 events reaches audiences from Whangarei to Invercargill. Founded in 1989 by music teachers Glenn Common and Pete Rainey, who now run Rockquest Promotions full time out of Nelson, Smokefreerockquest has become a New Zealand institution.
Smokefreerockquest 2013, powered by Rockshop aims to motivate young musicians to prove their ability and realise the heights they can reach in their music careers, and to encourage their peers to support 100 percent original New Zealand music. For more information visit www.sfrq.co.nz

Hall of Fame
Musical successes from Smokefreerockquest over its 25-year history include Kimbra, Midnight Youth, Opshop, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Minuit, Kids of 88, Die!Die!Die!, Pistol Youth, Annah Mac, Bang!Bang!Eche!, Ivy Lies, Cairo Knife Fight, Cut Off Your Hands, Luke Thompson, the Datsuns, Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa, Kora, Anna Coddington, The Electric Confectionaires, Steriogram, Aaradhna, Spacifix, Phoenix Foundation, The Feelers, The Black Seeds, Nesian Mystik, Bic Runga, The Checks, Julia Deans, Pine, King Kapisi, Kingston, The Naked and Famous, Autozamm and Elemeno P.

Smokefree’s - Smoking Not Our Future Campaign
Smokefreerockquest plays a large part in helping Smoking Not Our Future get its key messages in front of a large audience of young people. Smokefree has been the naming rights sponsor of Smokefreerockquest for 23 of its 25 years and this longstanding partnership has been mutually beneficial. This year young people will be asked to join The Movement, which is a way for them to get more involved in helping New Zealand become smokefree by 2025. SFRQ events help students make protective connections to their schools, other students and communities and they also develop new skills and aspirations for their futures. For more information visit Facebook.com/notourfuture.

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