Are these teens Byron Bay’s next big thing? Their rise says yes

BYRON Bay has long been a fertile breeding ground for musicians who go on to make it big – from Tones and I, who got her break at Bluesfest’s busking competition, to metalcore heavyweights Parkway Drive, whose members once walked the halls of Byron Bay High School.

Now two more students from the same school are shaping up as the next big thing, with Wild Rocket preparing to release their debut album after a string of youth band competition wins over the past two years.

The band is made up of 17-year-old Year 11 students Zephyr Breeze on vocals and guitar, and Kai Akiba on drums.

The pair began busking on the streets of Byron Bay while still in primary school, before moving on to local gigs – a reach that has now expanded to the Gold Coast and Sydney.

Breeze describes their sound as a blend of rock, blues, funk and garage rock.

Both musicians are also members of the Byron Taiko Japanese drumming ensemble, founded by Akiba’s parents, and elements of that influence carry through into Wild Rocket’s music.

“When we play together we love the feeling of when you lose control – when something takes over you and you are completely run by the music,” Breeze said. “We really enjoy it when you can just morph the song right there and then to how you’re feeling and to how the room’s feeling.”

The pair say performing in a large taiko ensemble is a very different experience to playing as a duo.

“We love playing in Byron Taiko because it is such a big group,” Breeze said. “With so many people comes a lot of power and sound and it can become quite moving. The entire unanimous nature of the group is quite interesting. Everyone holds each other up, which is similar to Wild Rocket as well. Being only two people we have to play to each other, and our attitudes and mistakes aren’t hidden behind anything.”

Wild Rocket is already building strong momentum. In 2024, they won Youth Rock in Sydney – a competition that famously launched the career of Silverchair. The following week, they took out another band battle, Boom Clash Rockstar, and last year they won Spec Fest through the School Spectacular’s Surround Sound program for students from regional and remote secondary schools.

They credit their success in part to the support they have received at school, with their music teacher accompanying them to Spec Fest.

“They are true supporters of the arts,” Breeze said. “They have given us a multitude of shows where we can experiment and try new things.

“Byron Bay has a great reputation for music – I think it’s simply the culture here. When we started out on the streets there were lots of buskers too.”

The band recently released a new single, Apricot, available on streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and YouTube.

“It’s hard to tell what it’s about,” Breeze said. “When I write lyrics I try and let go, become an antenna, let the song guide me. There are elements of love and panic within the song and that may be emulated through the alarm-like organ sounds in the third verse.”

They are now working on their debut album with Shea Roberts from Rockbox Recordings, and are set to perform at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club during the Mullum Roots Festival on Saturday 11 July.

For more information and tickets, visit mullumrootsfest.com