Rapt with third win

Mount Aspiring College band Colour Classic (previously Mercury Brigade) won its third consecutive Central Otago Smokefreerockquest, in Wanaka on Friday night. Celebrating are (back, from left) keyboardist Rohan Brash (17), manager Harry Hewitt (17), drummer Thomas Dickson (18), (front, from left) guitarist Hugh Haworth (17) and singer Kape Sinnott (17). Photo by Lucy Ibbotson.

Previously known as Mercury Brigade, Colour Classic beat 15 other acts to win the regional final of the national youth music competition.

• More photos...

The band has retained original members Thomas Dickson (18), on the drums, and Hugh Haworth (17), on guitar. Kape Sinnott (17) joined the line-up last year as vocalist, while keyboardist Rohan Brash (17) came on board this year, replacing bassist Tom Sherson, who has finished school.

The boys attributed their shift from alternative rock into the electro-punk genre to Rohan's input on the synthesizer.

Hamish said the band's high-energy stage act helped seal its success, with vocalist Kape Sinnott giving it his all for the crowd.

The band was thrilled to have won three years in a row, particularly because this year's competition was its "last shot" at gaining a finalist spot in the national Smokefreerockquest in Hamilton in September. The boys finish school at the end of this year.

"We just want to go to the final so we can play in front of a lot of people," Thomas said.

Second place went to four-piece rock band The Fletchers from Wakatipu High School.

The top two bands will compete for one of six national finalist spots in this year's Smokefreerockquest by creating DVDs of their own music.

Six-piece act Dub Side, of Wakatipu High School, also won the Lowdown Best Song Award, and their keyboard player and vocalist Hertzog Burger won the Mainz Musicianship Award with the opportunity to be selected for the $4500 Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand Scholarship, announced at the national finals.

Smokefree People's Choice award went to Smokescreen, of Wakatipu High School, while the Smokefree Award For Women's Musicianship was won by soloist Sahara McDonald (16), also of Wakatipu High School.

The APRA Lyric Writers Award went to Eugene Wolfin, of Mount Aspiring College band Black Camel.

The Central Otago finalists are joined by Dunedin first and second place-getters Logan Park three-piece band Scrumpy Grinder and indie-pop band Bowties on My Shoes from St Hilda's Collegiate, Otago Boys' and Otago Girls' high schools.