Young rockers set to shine

14 young school bands from the Bay of Plenty will battle it out at the Rockshop Bandquest.

They're talented, tuned up and ready to perform in towns from Auckland to Dunedin - 14 Bay of Plenty bands will battle it out at the Rockshop Bandquest Bay of Plenty, this Saturday at Otumoetai College.

The Bay of Plenty event is a part of a nationwide music contest for intermediate and primary students and this year has a lineup of 177 young school bands.

The Rockshop Bandquest in its seventh year as the younger sibling of Smokefreerockquest, and the level of talent just keeps on rising.

Founder and director Glenn Common says Rockshop Bandquest is a vehicle to develop this talent, with 12 live events this year, as well as an online contest for bands from outlying regions.

He says for most entrants Rockshop Bandquest is the first experience on a fully set up stage, with a light show and professionally mixed sound.

‘They're performing to their peers and families, which puts them under a little bit of pressure, but in a supportive environment,' he said.

'With six years of these young bands feeding into Smokefreerockquest we can see how this encouragement helps students to progress musically, with all the benefits that brings in high school, both socially and academically.”

Rockshop Bandquest is for bands of three to ten members, up to and including Year 8, who play one or two songs. There is an award for the best original song to encourage bands to write their own material, but the focus is on performance skills.

Rockshop donates prize vouchers to the winners' schools, and spokesman, Hamish Jackson, says supporting young bands and giving them the opportunity to perform live makes Rockshop Bandquest a perfect match for the nationwide chain.

The bands who have entered Rockshop Bandquest in Bay of Plenty are:

  • Acoustic Band (Otumoetai Intermediate)
  • Blak Axadent (Pyes Pa School)
  • Dead End (Otumoetai Intermediate)
  • E Tu (Tauranga Intermediate School)
  • Frequencies (Mount Maunganui Intermediate)
  • Fuel (Hilltop School)
  • GreVouS (Greerton Village School)
  • Infared (Tauranga Intermediate School)
  • KEJJ-D.C. (Tauranga Intermediate School)
  • Mixed Band (Otumoetai Intermediate)
  • Revival (ACG Tauranga)
  • Revolution Radio (Mount Maunganui Intermediate)
  • Reverb(Mokoia Intermediate, Rotorua)
  • Unknown Vibes (Mount Maunganui Intermediate)

Tickets cost $10 and are available at the door.

You may also like....

0 comments

Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.