Top acts move on to regional final
Five Kā piti bands make it through to next stage
Palmerston North’s Globe Theatre hosted the regional heat of Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Tangata Beats earlier this month, with a number of young Kā piti musicians participating.
The programme, which is now in its 36th year, is held nationwide with events held in venues in 21 regions from Whangārei to Invercargill, hosting thousands of young musicians every year.
The Manawatū heat revealed the top solo/duo acts, who now have the chance to progress to the national final, as well as the top 12 bands chosen for the regional final, five of which were Kāpiti bands.
Additionally, the regional winner of Smokefree Tangata Beats was announced, and the Rockshop Best Use of Electronic Assistance award, which was given to Kāpiti College student James Stent, 17.
The Kāpiti bands chosen to play off at the Manawatū regional final were two bands from Ō taki College, Misdirected, and Powercut, two bands from Paraparaumu College, Torrent, and Obsolete, and one Kā piti College band, Tabula Rasa.
These five bands, plus the seven from other regions, will compete in the Manawatū regional final, where there will be awards for the top three bands — the Musicianship Award, ZM Best Song, Best Vocal, and APRA Lyrics Award.
The top Manawatū solo/duo acts selected were Madeleine Cook from
Awatapu College, and FreeBird from Waiopehu College, and the Smokefree Tangata Beats Award went to Stellar Talauta from Palmerston North Girls’ High School.
After the regional competition, the top regional bands and solo/duos submit footage for selection as finalists to play off at the Smokefreerockquest national final events.
Co-founder and director Glenn Common says the next stage of the programme offers new opportunities for development on top of what the entrants have already experienced.
“The preparation participants put into the next stage is a significant opportunity for experiential learning and growth.
“As solo-duo acts prepare for the video submission round, and bands gear up for their regional finals, they must practice hard, take advantage of the feedback they received in round one, and really think hard about how they can bring their performance to the next level.
“They also have the encouragement and positive reinforcement from having made it through the first round to bring with them.”