KEY POINTS:
The finalists of this year's Rockquest were announced last week, a competition now older than any of its entrants.
The high school competition turns 20 this year, having helped talent spot some of the country's leading musicians and bands, including Anika Moa, Evermore, The Datsuns, Brooke Fraser and more.
More than 700 bands battled it out to make it to this year's finals, which will take place on September 5 at the Christchurch Town Hall.
Finalists include Kawerau College's Jicky Chan, Taupo songwriter Jayme Fitzgerald, Wellington three-piece The Stray Dogs, Beneath the Silence from Canterbury, Timaru four-piece New York Minutes and The Slur Tones from Wanaka's Mt Aspiring College.
Meanwhile, Nickelodeon is fostering the talents of future Rockquest entrants with their Nick Rocks competition. The competition, open to kids aged 5 to 15, has whittled down a field of 60 to just three finalists - Waikanae's No Man's Land, RPM (Rock Per Minute) from Papamoa and Raumati five-piece Too Funky. The winner will be announced on air on September 7.
