Nerves give way to courage at Rockquest

The Smokefree Rockquest is a springboard for young musicians. The Jehts, composed of students from Avonside Girls', Christchurch Girls' and Christchurch Boys’ high schools, came third in the Rockquest national finals. Drummer Mya Cawood writes about the experience.

It’s 7pm on Saturday. We are about an hour away from taking the stage at the Q Theatre on Auckland's Queen St. We’ve been in the dressing room for most of the day, talking and going on the odd walk to take the edge off.

While there, we have also been anxiously counting down the minutes to our biggest performance yet.

Reuben Anderson sits tuning his guitar, while Scarlett Robson practices her bass lines. I talk with Cleo Cavell, the singer, to discuss the final aspects of our performance.

Bathed in the stark white light produced by the fluorescent overhead bulbs, their harsh illumination does not help calm our nerves.

In less than an hour, we will be performing in front of a sold-out crowd, featuring some of the biggest names in New Zealand music.

Brynee Wilson, ZM’s music director, is part of the judging panel, accompanied by Jessie Booth, of Ekko  Park. Member of Parliament Ayesha Verrall even makes an appearance in the crowd of 500.

The performance would bring a conclusion to a six-month musical journey that began in early March. As the minutes until our turn on stage count down, our nerves grow.

A voice calls for us, informing us we must head backstage - we're up next.

After weeks of waiting, the time has almost come to hit the stage. We know this is our chance to give it our all.

The dim backstage lighting creates an intimate and moody environment. Peaking through the towering curtains, I am able to see the crowd I will soon be in front of.

I am pulled out of my thoughts by a voice that announces: “You are on!”

This is it. We hurry onstage.

After launching into our first song, I felt the nerves that once possessed me dissolve into a feeling of courage.

While Scarlett provides a solid foundation with her bass lines, Reuben rips out his powerful guitar licks.

Meanwhile, Cleo struts the stage, enchanting the audience with her dynamic voice.

The performance is running smoothly, and we are having great fun.

As the last note rings out, I realise it’s over. Buzzing from the show, we head backstage and begin the wait for the results.

Minutes feel like hours as we wait to hear the outcome of the competition.

There is a lot of talent here tonight, the judges have some very hard decisions to make.

Sharp knocks on the dressing room door distract me from my thoughts. A stagehand pops her head inside the room.

“Please head backstage, results are soon to be announced.’’

Back behind the curtains, the familiar feeling of anticipation washes over me.

Pete Rainey, co-founder of Rockquest and Nelson city councillor, begins to read out the awards.

He starts by announcing the winners of the solo-duo category, which was won by Nelson country music duo, Zac and Madison.

The tension builds as he begins to announce the top three bands.

“The Jehts!”

Our name echoes around the theatre as I realise we have taken out third place.

Applause from the audience follows the results, and certificates are handed to us by Kiwi musician Niko Walters.

Additionally to winning a prize of $3000 to spend at the Rockshop, we also learned about what it really means to be a Kiwi musician.

We are all immensely happy with our results and believe that competing in the Smokefree Rockquest has been a fantastic experience.

Since it began in 1989, the Smokefree Rockquest has provided many notable Kiwi musicians with their first stepping-stone into the music business. This includes artists such as Bic Runga, Anika Moa, Alien Weaponry, The Feelers, The  Black Seeds and countless other talented NZ acts.