High chance you’ve heard the salty, surf-rock tones of King Stingray, and if you have, there’s a very slim chance you’ve forgotten it.
King Stingray are gearing up to play Falls Festival at the end of the year, alongside some of the biggest names in music including Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, and Genesis Owusu.
Founded by lifelong friends Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu and Roy Kellaway, the North-East Arnhem Land-based band are killing it at the moment, blowing the minds of Australia with tracks including Get Me Out, Hey Wanhaka, and Milkumana.
Wondering where you’ve heard those surnames before? Well, both of the King Stingray founders are direct descendants of Yothu Yindi members, with Roy being bass guitarist Stuart Kellaway’s son, and Yirrna the son of acclaimed singer-songwriter Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (better known as Gurrumul), and the nephew of former Yothu Yindi frontman Mandawuy Yunupingu.
King Stingray have kind of created their own brilliant genre of music, Yolŋu surf-rock, blending traditional indigenous melodies with aspects of surf, indie, and funk.
In their short time as a band, the five-piece have sold out shows around the country, racked up millions of Spotify streams, and won triple j’s Unearthed Artist of the Year J award – and it’s clear that this is just the beginning.
So if you’re heading to Falls Festival, make sure you don’t miss King Stingray’s set. If you haven’t got tickets yet, you can grab them from the Falls Festival website.
Falls Festival 2022-2023 dates and locations
BIRREGURRA, VIC — December 29–31
BYRON BAY, NSW — December 31–January 2
FREMANTLE, WA — January 7–8
