2 SHBS BANDS MAKE THE REGIONAL SMOKEFREE FINALS!!

On June 8th, at the Ngaio Marsh Theatre in Christchurch, 16 bands came together to compete in the Regional Finals of Smokefree Rockquest. Out of the 58 original music bands that competed in the heats, only 16 made it to the final—and two of those bands were from Shirley Boys’ High School! With the level of original music so high in Ōtautahi, having two of our bands in the finals was incredibly exciting and showcased the high calibre of these musicians. It was another proud moment for the Creative Shirley team, with many students from the school turning up to listen, dance, and support the bands. It was a great night, and these two bands were crowd favourites! 

The night was kicked off by the first of our bands, “Midnight Buzz.”

“Midnight Buzz” is an indie rock band consisting of Johnny Andrews on drums, Zach Harris on vocals, Joel McKay on guitar, Braithan Bailey on guitar, and Oscar Mitchell on bass guitar. This Year 13 band has had a busy year performing in various events around Christchurch, including a band day at school and some recording sessions. They have also attracted interest from industry professionals and are a band to watch in the future. You can check out their music on social media platforms.

The Smokefree Rockquest judges had great comments, noting how they "got the show off to an amazing start," with "strong charisma throughout the band," "super tight, solid musicianship," and "catchy songs."

We had the opening band of the night with “Midnight Buzz”, and we also had the band that closed the night, “King Tides,” who performed to a loud and enthusiastic audience, receiving rapturous applause and cheers. “King Tides” is also a Year 13 band making a name for themselves with vibrant live performances around the community, including a gig at school called “The Last Ride,” where we first heard their potential and cool vibe.

“King Tides” features Toi Taratoa Bannister on vocals, Luca Gilroy on drums, Jasper Warren on bass, and Ronan McKersey and Lincoln Penei on guitars. They have a unique musical fusion style of original music. The judges commented on their "nice hooky songs," "relaxed smooth vocal delivery," and noted that they had a "very distinctive look and sound," saying they "had the X factor and crushed that performance." 

Both bands have achieved much success this year and are bands to follow in the future, so keep an eye out for them. Included are links to their performances so you can see for yourself what amazing talent these bands have. Remember, this is all original music and lyrics, and any original piece of music is a taonga for us all.

A big thanks to Shaun Malloch, the band mentor, and Mr Rickard, music teacher, for helping prepare the bands, and to the fans, caregivers and school students who came along to support. 

Links:

MIDNIGHT BUZZ live at the finals
https://youtu.be/_kIFNNKeez0?feature=shared

KING TIDES live at the finals
https://youtu.be/VKDJEDDCDSk?feature=shared

GOLD AT JAZZ QUEST!

On the 20th of June, the newly formed 2024 jazz combo competed in the prestigious Ara Jazz Quest. Our combo is tutored by Mrs. Judith Bell and consists of:

Ben Swift - Vibraphone

Andrew McLauchlan - Tenor Saxophone

Yuito Crosado - Piano

Nico Cook - Guitar

Kash Perry - Bass Guitar

Harley Bean and Mitchell Dunlop - Drums

Mikaere Walker - Vocals

Known to be a tough competition with 20 minutes of live, memorised, advanced, and improvised jazz, our combo, which has only been together for 2 -3 months, was happy to just perform together for the first time and get some feedback in preparation for the upcoming Southern Jam Jazz Competition in August.

 They performed a beautiful set of music, with “Just the Two of Us,” a Grover Washington standard, featuring the smooth vocals of Mikaere Walker, being chosen as a feature for the prestigious Gala Concert at The Piano on Friday night. This Gala features only the top jazz groups from across Canterbury and is an invite-only event. The performance the combo gave in front of a full crowd on a beautiful stage was stunning, and to top off a great night, we also learned that they had received a Gold Award from the competition. An amazing achievement for a starting band, and with very hard marking criteria set, to come out with a grade between 85%-100% is incredible and is a testament to the constant practice and dedication that these students have shown to the art form that is jazz.

A massive thanks, as always, to Judith Bell for helping them and also Lana Law, who did two workshops with them in preparation for Jazz Quest.

Creative Shirley 

Creative Shirley Facebook page: search:  FACEBOOK CREATIVE SHIRLEY for more amazing stories, photos and videos of our creative students and their talents.