Vacant City makes Rockquest finals

Masterton band Vacant City includes, from left, Jake Schdroski, Hayden Warren, Jessie Brown, and Zac Emerson.

Masterton band Vacant City is within striking distance of the 2014 Smokefreerockquest crown after winning a berth in the national finals as one of the top nine secondary school acts in New Zealand.

Members of the four-piece pop rock band, formerly known as Back to the Remedy, have battled for the coveted prize since starting college in 2009 and this year entered as three-time winners of the Wairarapa regional heat and top 30 national place-getters.

The band, which has players from Wairarapa and Rathkeale colleges, had "evolved their sound after five years in Smokefreerockquest" and today have two members who play synthesiser, adding a new dimension to their music.

Jake Schdroski, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, said the band was "rock with a pop aspect and an 80s vibe", and included Hayden Warren on bass and synthesiser, drummer Zac Emerson and Jesse Brown on lead guitar and synthesiser.

In 2011, the four-piece band, as Back to the Remedy, released an EP titled I Know a Place, which was recorded and produced at Warren Maxwell's Stonefeather Studios in Featherston. The band took the name of Vacant City earlier this year and are working on a new album, some tracks of which are already available on SoundCloud.

Contest spokeswoman Jacquetta Bell said there were 700 entries this year and 30 acts were selected from 23 regional finals. The top nine contenders, six bands and three solo or duo acts, were chosen on the strength of DVDs submitted since the regionals.

The finalists' judging panel included singer-songwriter Anna Coddington, Jeff Newton from NZ on Air, Jared Wrennall from band Steriogram, and FOUR producer Damien Daniels.

Ms Coddington said she was "blown away" by the standard of the finalists.

"I tried to think back to when I was a teenager but I'm sure these kids are a lot more sophisticated than when I was at school. Their songwriting is so good. A lot sounded radio-ready with complete and well-finished songs," she said.

The other finalists include The Bradas from Manukau's Alfriston College; post-punk trio Soda Boyz, from Palmerston North Boys' High School and Freyberg High; alt-funk trio Joe's Van from Mt Maunganui College; reggae rock four-piece HeadChef from Wellington High School; all-female band Vivid from Diocesan School for Girls and Marist College in Auckland.

The three solo/duo finalists include Cam Dawson, from Manurewa High School; Robinson and Olivia Nott as Elae, from Garin College in Nelson; and Georgia Lines, from Bethlehem College in Tauranga.

A Smokefreerockquest film crew were to be in Masterton early next month to video the band, which will travel to Auckland to record a cut for the 2014 SFRQ album ahead of the national finals of the contest at Auckland's Q Theatre on September 27.