Last year, Isaac McFarlane (17), James Gibb, and Kieran Ormandy (both 18) were members of four-piece band New York Minutes, which came third in the national final in Christchurch.
This year the trio, who are all year 13 pupils at Timaru Boys' High School, heard last week that they are the sole South Island contenders among the six bands and solo performers that will square off at Auckland's Power Station venue on September 19.
Since Smokefreerockquest's inception in 1988, the event has been a proving ground for some of New Zealand's best musical talent including Liam Finn, Anika Moa, Bic Runga, Brooke Fraser and The Phoenix Foundation.
Reaching the final is an achievement in itself, with more than 650 bands having played off in heats and finals in 26 towns and cities throughout the country. After winning the Timaru regional title on June 3, the band was selected for the final from 60 bands that were asked to submit videos of themselves playing original music.
James said the band filmed its ‘‘psychedelic'' 16-minute video in the basement of Cameron's Menswear, among mannequins bathed in images from a film projector.
He described their sound as ‘‘ambient dance music with big beats'', which they play with the backing of a loop track recorded live on stage.
In between study, sporting and media commitments, which include a visit from a film crew from TV channel C4 next week, the trio are preparing themselves for a make-or-break 12-minute performance in front of up to 1000 people in Auckland.
James said they would be practising ‘‘as much as the neighbours can stand''.
Although he expected they would feel nervous before their performance, they had a strong competitive streak and thrived under pressure, he said.
‘‘We are more comfortable on stage than last year and we know what to expect.''
Kieran said their band's change of name since last year meant they would enjoy a ‘‘dark horse'' status while benefiting from last year's finals experience.
However, regardless of the result, they hoped that reaching the final for the second time would boost their profile and lead to more gigs.
The winner of the national final will win prizes that include musical equipment worth $10,000, audio and video-recording sessions, radio airplay and promotion.
