After winning the Northland heat of the Smokefree Tangata Beats competition, Taipa Area School Pig Hunters have also won the regional final of Smokefreerockquest.
After winning the Northland heat of the Smokefree Tangata Beats competition, Taipa Area School Pig Hunters have also won the regional final of Smokefreerockquest.
Taipa Area School band Pig Hunters have followed up their success at the Northland heat of the Smokefree Tangata Beats competition by being top band in the regional final of Smokefreerockquest.
The double success could see the band, which only came together after the members clicked at a course about group performance, in two national finals.
The band are already in the top 10 for the Tangata Beats national final and will now resubmit for Smokefreerockquest national finalist selection, with finalists announced on August 26.
Pig Hunters - Tiare Lanigan and Te Atenga Raui on vocals, Waiwais Tait on electric guitar, Tawhiri Mateparae on keyboard, William Moore on bass and Soli Fox on drums - won the band section of Smokefreerockquest ahead of a host of other fine bands.
Second place in the band category went to Lilac Purple Day (Bream Bay College, Lynfield College).
Both bands join the Northland regional solo-duo winners Seven Zen from Mahurangi College (first) and Tiare & Yy'z from Taipa Area School (Tiare Lanigan and Waiwais Tait, who are also in Pig Hunters) (second) with the opportunity to submit a video of their original material for selection as one of the top 10 national finalists. The national final will be held at the Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland on September 12.
Kate Popham - AKA Seven Zen - from Mahurangi College was the winner of Northland Solo-Duo in the online Smokefreerockquest and is now competing for a place in the national final of the event.
The full list of awards for Northland is:
1st place band - The Pig Hunters (Taipa Area School)
Rockshop Electronic Assist Award - Seven Zen (Mahurangi College)
Smokefree Tangata Beats is run alongside Smokefreerockquest with a focus on the unique cultural identity of Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific. The Smokefree Tangata Beats national finals are on September 11.
Smokefreerockquest has national winners' prize packages for bands and solo/duo winners that includes $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, $16,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package, and a photo shoot and branding package from Imaginary Friends.
There is also the Musicianship Award, the APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) Lyric Award, Rockshop Electronic Performance Award, Best Song Award, and Smokefree Vocals Award.
Some of NZ's top musical acts first started out in Rockquest, including Waipū's Alien Weaponry, Broods, Marlon Williams, Robinson, Fazerdaze, Drax Project, Six60, Leisure, Opshop, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Joel Little, Tiny Ruins, Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa, Chelsea Jade, Nadia Reid, Die!Die!Die!, Leroy Clampitt, Aldous Harding, Steriogram, Phoenix Foundation, Skinny Hobos, Kimbra, Aaradhna, The Black Seeds, Bic Runga, and Balu Brigada.
Smokefree Tangata Beats standout successes include Alien Weaponry, Strangely Arousing, and Nesian Mystik, the only New Zealand band to have 10 singles all certified gold or platinum.
■ And in further success for Taipa Area School, students Tiare Lanigan and Waimarino Tai (both in Pig Hunters and together are Tiare & Yy'z in the solo/duo section of Rockquest) will represent Te Tai Tokerau in the final of the inaugural waiata composition competition Korihi (Morning Chorus of Birds) - A quest for the best, on Māori TV on August 29.
