A Havelock North High School band in its first year of playing together in a new line-up won this year's Hawke's Bay / Te Matau-a-Māui regional Smokefreerockquest final at the Municipal Theatre on Saturday night.
Alternative funk band Sindee voo say they are really excited and stoked to have won the competition.
Drummer Jack Waddington said three of the band members have been playing together since Year 9.
"One of our mates just moved back from Blenheim and we got Connor on the sax, so we've been playing together since the start of the year. Our stage presence is what we pride ourselves on. We don't just stay in one place. We have lots of energy," Waddington said.
The other members of Sindee voo are Ben Bush (guitar/keys), Oliver Barclay (guitar), Connor Grant (saxophone/keys), and Sam Lea'aetoa (vocals/bass).
Second place in the band category went to The Vultures from Hastings Boys' High School.
They join solo-duo winners for Hawke's Bay / Te Matau-a-Māui Ella Pollett from Napier Girls' High School (first) and Courtney-Rose Wilson from Havelock North High School (second) with the opportunity to submit a video of their original material for selection as one of the top 10 national finalists to play off in Auckland on September 18.
The Smokefree Tangata Beats Award went to Ngati Hukarere from Hukarere Girls' College. They now go into the selection process for the national final of Smokefree Tangata Beats in Auckland on September 17.
For founder and director Glenn Common, the potential of each new round of regional finalists is reflected in a music industry full of past participants.
"It's fascinating for us to look back at success stories like Kimbra, Marlon Williams and Broods where we could see the star factor right back at the regional level," he said.
"Each event gives a new cohort of bands the opportunity to take their obsession with music and develop the organisational and stagecraft skills that will help them become another Kiwi music success."
