Live Review: King Stingray at On the Banks
King Stingray. Photo credit: Kelsey Doyle (@kjdoyle)
With fifteen fresh stamps in their passports from the last year alone, King Stingray returned to Meanjin last Wednesday, welcomed by a home* crowd.
Opening the inaugural On the Banks series in Southbank’s Cultural Forecourt, the Yolŋu outfit (from Northeast Arnhem Land with *Brisbane & Logan band members) commandeered the open-air stage, despite the structure’s sheer enormity.
Framed majestically by Southbank’s flowering Tipuana trees, with the Wheel of Brisbane rotating mesmerisingly behind them, the five piece surf-rock band delivered a powerful set, with sonics reverberating off the neighbouring concrete structures, and traversing across the Brown Snake.
Following an Opening Ceremony, and energetic sets from The Buoys, and Jack River, a solo yidaki cut through any lingering conversation. The crowd fell silent, and the smattering of picnic-like-audience-clusters rose to their feet immediately.
To our right, envious and intrigued theatre-goers peered down from QPAC’s windows and balconies.
The band entered the stage, smoke machines billowing from both front corners - engulfing founding member Roy Kellaway on lead guitar. Drummer Lewi Styles and Bassist Cam Messer locked into the rhythm, but still Ngalakan Wanambi’s yidaki playing had the crowd’s attention.
Having seen King Stingray perform at festivals and headline shows since their 2020 inception, I was even more excited and intrigued than usual, to experience and embrace a slightly adjusted line-up of band members this time around. With founding frontman Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu stepping back from the band in March last year, fellow vocalist (and drum, guitar, & yidaki musician) Dimathaya Burarrwanga stepped further to the front, with Wanambi joining the permanent lineup having toured with the crew previously.
Vocals began filtering onto the stage before we could see him, with Burarrwanga eventually coming into view, emitting an infectious aura of stage presence, significantly developed since I had last seen him perform.
The language-laden set-opener melted into Let’s Go; the crowd surging with song as soon as the familiar melody cut in. At one point during an instrumental breakdown, the crowd sprung into rhythmic clapping of their own accord. Burarrwanga responded, seemingly surprised and thrilled, and led the rest of the forecourt in clapping unison.
Before the raucous applause of the opening song had subsided, the band launched into Camp Dog, with Kellaway’s crisp counter melody a pinnacle of the live rendition.
Through The Trees saw Wanambi take over the bilma (clapsticks) and lead vocals, followed by united vocal harmonies from all four standing members in Soon As.
Even when moving back though the huge venue, to get a zoomed out view of the whole scene, the waves of concertgoers singing lyrics washed across the space.
Now observing the crowd and stage from the sound tent, the yidaki’s permeating and rousing reach persisted, the stage set-up and graphics continued to captivate, and Burarrwanga’s energy exuded palpably - each time he leant towards the front-rowers he would conjure a unanimous response.
Burarrwanga continued to strut across the stage; there was no such thing as negative space.
“Make some noise for the oldest instrument in the world - the yidaki” - the ancient sound coursed through the forecourt, evoking yet another energetic surge, in time for 2020 debut single Hey Wanhaka.
Pedalled guitars felt to be ducking, weaving, and cresting, above and below, the pulsing instrument. Layered vocal calls and delayed guitars broke into the next upbeat number Lookin’ Out.
King Stingray. Photo credit: Kelsey Doyle (@kjdoyle)
I was finding the whole set incredibly emotive, as I always do with King Stingray, given the sacred nature of the language and the way in which they storytell - writing, sharing, performing. As I reflected on the uplifting nature of the lyrics of so many of their songs - “both feet on the ground, it’s been a while, but I've finally touched back down”, “everything will be alright”, “all that we needed was there all along” - I felt that these affirmations were amplified (and magnified) by the grandeuse nature of the trees, the broad summer night sky expanding above us, and the periphery of the Brisbane River. Every now and then a breeze would weave its way up from the Brown Snake, and serpent through the forecourt, providing a welcome cool-down from our energetic dancing and singing.
The band continued to float through their discography of hits - taking it old school with Raypirri. To me this landed as the energetic climax of the set with its cut through guitar solo.
Wanambi revealed the tambourine, married with an electronic backing track addition, layering further textures for Best Bits.
Fan favourite Milkumana saw both vocalists oscillate between song and yidaki, with the spirited post-chorus of ‘who’s going to lead and who’s going to follow’ reverberating off the buildings.
As Get Me Out sung of ‘getting lost in the city’ I wondered if the sound waves rippled as far as across the river, and whether they ascended up the city buildings and overpasses across the banks. I hoped that passersby could hear us.
Introduced by traditional kangaroo dancing, the set reached a finale with Malk Mirri Wayin.
Throughout the set, while a small smattering of phone screens were illuminated briefly for the filming of a favourite chorus, or to capture the ephemerality of an intimate instrumental moment, for the most part the crowd was captivated fully, with the modern rarity of concert-silence sweeping over the audience.
In between songs the band would comment on the beautiful ‘Arnhem-Land-like weather’, or exclaim “how good’s the moon!”, “we love jammin’!”, and “we’re not strangers; I look out and see ‘one people’’ - coaxing everyone to stay in the precious moment of ‘now’.
King Stingray spoke of their ‘big year’ last year, of “taking Yolŋu pride to the world” - and so this journey and mission continues in 2026. Yolŋu pride was certainly shared and experienced at On the Banks, marking the start of another big year ahead for the band, and the inauguration of a magical outdoor concert series for Meanjin.
King Stingray. Photo credit: Kelsey Doyle (@kjdoyle)
Don’t miss On the Banks at QPAC on now until 22 March.
Upcoming shows: