Smokefreerockquest

Last updated
Smokefreerockquest
Sponsored bySmokefree/Auahi Kore
CountryNew Zealand
First award1988
Website smokefreerockquest.co.nz

Smokefreerockquest (SFRQ) is an annual music competition for intermediate and high school bands throughout New Zealand.

Contents

The first Rockquest was held in 1988, and was organised by Christchurch radio station C93FM as a local event. The following year, local sound company owner Mike Waldegrave, Music promoter Barb Cuttance and school teachers Glenn Common and Pete Rainey formed Rockquest Promotions and by 1990 had made Rockquest a national event, with five regional finals and a national final. In 1991, Smokefree became a major sponsor, and the name became the Smokefreerockquest. [1] Glenn Common and Pete Rainey now run Rockquest Promotions full-time out of Nelson. [2]

Smokefreerockquest reaches audience numbers in excess of 24,000.[ citation needed ] Its aim is to motivate young musicians to prove their musical ability and to encourage their peers to support original New Zealand music. Initially bands played covers, but very early in the evolution of the event (and running parallel with the evolution of music in New Zealand) there was a shift to original music.

Musical successes from Smokefreerockquest include, Park Rd, There's A Tuesday, Midnight Youth, Opshop, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Minuit, Marina Davis, Jeremy Lawrence, Kids of 88, Die!Die!Die!, Pistol Youth, Bang!Bang!Eche!, Ivy Lies, Cairo Knife Fight, Cut Off Your Hands, Luke Thompson, the Datsuns, Zed, Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa, Anna Coddington, The Electric Confectionaires, Steriogram, Aaradhna, Spacifix, The Phoenix Foundation, The Feelers, The Black Seeds, Nesian Mystik, Bic Runga, The Checks, Julia Deans, Pine, King Kapisi, Kingston, The Fresh Prints, The Naked and Famous, Rival State, [3] Autozamm, Taste Nasa, Kimbra, Elemeno P, Alien Weaponry [4] and Joe's Van. [5]

Competition format

The SFRQ consists of around 40 regional competitions across New Zealand with the top regional bands progressing to the national final.

Each region holds both heats and a regional final. [6] Acts that place first or second in each category (Solo-duo or Band) at their regional event have the opportunity to submit a 12-minute performance video which is judged by a panel of industry professionals. From these video submissions, 10 acts are chosen to compete at the national final. At the national final, the competing bands have 8 minutes to perform on stage before the overall winner is announced. [7]

The regional areas are: Northland, North Shore, Auckland Central, Manukau, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taranaki, Whanganui, East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough District, Canterbury, West Coast, Timaru, Otago and Southland. [6]

Prize package

The overall national winners (Band and Solo-duo) receive a prizepack which includes the opportunity to record a single, musical gear from NZ Rockshops, a New Music Single grant funded by NZ On Air which allows the act for have a music video created and released professionally, and mentoring with a music industry professional. Second and third-placed finishers also receive Rockshop vouchers and the opportunity to record a single. [8] Other awards at regional events include second and third placings, ZM Best Song Award, APRA Lyric Award, ZM People's Choice Award, Musicianship Award, and Best Vocals Award. [9]

Past winners

YearWinnerSchoolRegionRef.
1989 Outer Control Hornby High School Christchurch [10]
1990 De Funk Express Hillmorton High SchoolChristchurch [11]
1991 Auntie Beatrice Whakatane High School Whakatane [12]
1992Exploding Poppies Waimea College Nelson
1993Hallucian Selwyn College Auckland
1994Kate in the Lemon Tree Wanganui Collegiate Wanganui
1995Dancing Azians Karamu High School Hawkes Bay
1996 Marystaple Aotea College Wellington
1997 Atlas Woods Wairarapa College/Kuranui College Wellington
1998 Handsome Geoffrey Hamilton Girls' High School Waikato
1999Son of Spank Kāpiti College/Tawa College Wellington
2000 Evermore "Twin Oaks School" [note 1] Manawatu [13]
2001 Carriage H Logan Park High School Otago [14]
2002The Have Wanganui High School Wanganui
2003Falter Mairehau High School Christchurch
2004 Incursa St Peters College Auckland [15]
2005 The Electric Confectionaires Takapuna Grammar School North Shore
2006Neil Robinson Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti Christchurch
2007Solomon Rangitoto College North Shore
2008Beneath the Silence Cashmere High School/Kaiapoi High School/Rangiora High School Christchurch
2009Jesse Sheehan Wellington College Wellington
2010The Good FunTe Awamutu College & Hamilton Boys' High School Waikato
2011 The Peasants Garin College Nelson
2012New Vinyl Nelson College Nelson
2013A Bit Nigel Taupo-nui-a-Tia College & Rotorua Boys' High School Rotorua-Taupo
2014Head Chef Wellington High School Wellington
2015Joe's Van Mount Maunganui College Tauranga
2016 Alien Weaponry Bream Bay College & Otamatea High School Northland [16]
2017Minimal Silence Howick College Manukau [17]
2018Mit Eldnar Manurewa High School Manukau [18]
2019Arlo Mac Havelock North High School Hawkes Bay [19]
2020Red Wav Aorere College & Marcellin College Manukau [20]
2021Cancelled because of COVID-19 [21]
2022Smoked Paprika Hillcrest High School Waikato [22]
2023Parkdale Mount Albert Grammar School & Selwyn College, Auckland Auckland Central [23]
2024Top Shelf Manurewa High School Manukau [24]
  1. Because Evermore were homeschooled, they made up "Twin Oaks School" as their school name. "Smokefree Rockquest – 20 years young". Get the Skinny from Skinny. Get the Skinny from Skinny. Retrieved 19 August 2015.

Post-event successes

The Good Fun The Good Fun.jpg
The Good Fun

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "History of the Rockquest". TKI.
  2. "SmokeFree Rockquest".
  3. "Twenty five years of Smokefreerockquest". Smokefreerockquest.
  4. "Smokefreerockquest national finals results 2015". Scoop. Scoop. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  5. "About SFRQ". Smokefreerockquest.
  6. 1 2 "Region dates". Smokefreerockquest.
  7. "How it works - Stages". Smokefreerockquest.
  8. "National Prizes". Smokefreerockquest.
  9. "Awards". Smokefreerockquest.
  10. 1 2 "National Winners '89 – Outer Control". Archived from the original on 2020-03-20.
  11. 1 2 "National Winners '90 – De Funk Express".
  12. 1 2 "National Winners '91 – Auntie Beatrice".
  13. 1 2 "National Winners '00 – Evermore". Archived from the original on 2011-05-18.
  14. 1 2 "National Winners '01 – Carriage H".
  15. 1 2 "National Winners '04 – Incursa".
  16. "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. 2016-09-26. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  17. "News - 2017 Pacifica Beats & Rockquest Results". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2024-12-02. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  18. "News - 2018 Smokefree Rockquest Winners Grab The Double". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  19. "News - 2019 Smokefree Rockquest Winners". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-02-25. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  20. "News - 2020 Smokefree Rockquest National Final Results". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  21. "2021 Rockquest & Tangata Beats Finals Stopped by Covid". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  22. "News - Smokefree Rockquest 2022 National Final Results". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-02-14. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  23. "News - Smokefree Rockquest 2023 Winners". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  24. "News - Smokefreerockquest 2024 National Finals Results". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
  25. Bic Runga
  26. "Thinking Room - Anika Moa". muzic.net.nz.
  27. "Anika Moa bio". the Adults.
  28. Jason Ankeny. "Evermore Biography". AllMusic.
  29. "Evermore Bio".
  30. "Die! Die! Die!". Sputnik Music.
  31. Lydia Jenkin (2010). "Kids Of 88 - More than Quick Thrills and Sugar Pills". NZ Musician.