King Stingray: ‘When We Heard People Singing Back It Was Like What The Hell’

“Music brings people together, we know that,” begins King Stingray guitarist Roy Kellaway on the eve of the release of their self-titled debut album. “We've known that for thousands of years. And there's something really special about storytelling but also sharing a story about a life that, for many people, is quite different to their life. It's quite a simple but powerful thing.”

It’s perhaps this simplistic approach that has been the secret to King Stingray’s swift uprising from the small town of Yirrkala in North-East Arnhem Land to national treasures with a must-see live show in just under two years since their inception. 

Sharing songs from country in the form of self-dubbed ‘Yolngu surf rock’ with the heritage of Yothu Yindi band members in their genetic and cultural bloodlines, the five-piece opened their arms to hungry music lovers around Australia and welcomed them to one of the oldest living cultures on Earth. Hey Wanhaka! in 2020 was the first taste of Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu (frontman), Roy Kellaway (guitar), Dimathaya Burarrwanga (rhythm guitar, vocals, didgeridoo), Campbell Messer (bass) and Lewis Stiles’ (drums) effervescent blend of ancient Indigenous melodies with surf, indie and funk rock.

Kellaway describes the instant uptake of their music as ‘pretty wild’ and something they never took for granted.

“I actually have quite a clear memory of the first time I noticed the crowd was singing along, which was, you know, probably over a year ago when we had that first song out,” he muses.

“That first song we recorded it in the studio at home. And then we had it and then we were like, ‘Okay, well, we'll put this out.’ And then from that moment, when we played it and you heard people singing it back, it was just like, ‘What the hell.’

“I've played music since I was a little pup and have done lots of different things. But this was sort of the first time we could take it to another level. We only really existed in that COVID time. So for the first time, since we started nearly two years ago, it's just really wild.

“It made me realise how much people listen to radio. And we were lucky enough to have the song being played on triple j and lots of community radio stations. And we were just like, ‘Wow, this is really, really crazy, but amazing.’” 

The Music speaks with Kellaway off the back of the band supporting Ball Park Music on their national tour. Prior to this, King Stingray have been consistently carving a path through other support slots for Midnight Oil, a jaw-dropping Like A Version for triple j, an energising final-day slot on this year’s Splendour In The Mud (nee Grass) and are staring down the barrel of a huge run of shows to celebrate their debut album. A poll was even launched to change the name of their album launch to King Stingday.

Such swift adoration and a ferocious appetite for the band’s live show are not lost on Kellaway. And despite the expense of getting off country for touring, it’s a keystone to the group’s musical ethos. 

“We counted up how many shows we've done and in this short little period of our journey, we've done like over 60 gigs already,” he laughs. “We just have the most fun time on stage. I think that's a testament to us as a band in terms of how much we enjoy it.

“We’ve done some serious bucket list stuff like hosting Rage - that was pretty dreamy walking into that space with the red couch - and doing Like A Version. Even just meeting bands that we idolise, like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and playing with Ball Park Music and Midnight Oil.

“A couple of years ago we wouldn't have thought we'd be mingling and hanging out with these guys. The Australian music scene camaraderie is amazing, we've felt so much love and people really support each other.

“We really love the regional and rural shows as well, we've just had amazing experiences playing some of those places. 

“There's still so much I’d love to do and love to see in Australia. It is such a big, big country and like it's so beautiful going as far south as Tassie. It's so far away from where we're from up in the north of Australia. For us, there's no direct way down there - even Canberra is a two-day journey for us.” 

If we think of King Stingray as the offspring of Arnhem Land’s most famous musical export Yothu Yindi, then the historical trajectory of the latter band suggests that the Stingray boys will be on an even steeper ascent. Frontman Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu possesses the enigmatic charisma of his late uncle, Yothu Yindi founder Dr Yunupingu, while Kellaway himself has traded guitars with his father Stuart Kellaway, who was Yothu Yindi’s bassist. The magnitude of celebration for different cultures and backgrounds that Dr Yunupiŋu embedded within his music and performances is something that young Kellaway is keen to see play out in King Stingray shows here and internationally.

“We all have backgrounds from wherever that is and we love celebrating that,” he says. “To share a really unique and special culture and get that across to people around Australia is really special.

“In Australia, there's a lot of people that still don't know that Yolngu people are the traditional custodians of that area of North East Arnhem. And that the lifestyle is just so different to the lifestyle of a lot of people. So, there's an element of enjoyment in being able to educate what is going on. 

“It's definitely not underpinning everything we do. It's not like we're going out there to educate people; we're going out there to express ourselves and have fun as musicians and as people. But there's also that element of talking and telling stories, which seems like it's insightful for a lot of people that find they don't know much about your culture. 

“And it's a small part of the world. Like, it's a little blip on the map, North East Yolngu country. And yet, the culture is so strong and so rich and that's what's really special.”

Playing alongside the Yothu Yindi family was an experience that Kellaway says was priceless exposure when growing up. But, he admits that there came a point where he knew “it's time, we can pull together our own band”.

“It just sort of happened naturally. And like, for me and Dima, we grew up together on the same street. So we had played music, jammed together, played in other bands separate, played in bands together, it just kind of happened.

“But also, it didn't just happen. We spent a lot of time working on getting funding to actually make it a thing.

“I spent a lot of time during COVID writing grant applications. And basically, that process mapped it out because in writing the applications you kind of have to be real prospective and thinking about what you're going to do. And traditionally, as musicians, you don't really think about it as a business - I just loved music, loved jamming, hanging out. 

“So just through writing those applications, that got me thinking a bit more strategically around the release of things, and who's going to be involved, and it was so fun, because it was like, for the first time, I can choose who I want to be involved with, like, who do we want to work with? Who do we want to do the recording?

“Then we got funding to do an EP initially and we all got to go into Brisbane and record in a proper studio. And then, yeah, once we had the songs, it was like, ‘Right, well, this is the band.’ And everyone in this band really gives a shit. Yes, there's this music element, which we absolutely love. But there's also some themes in there as well that we're really passionate about, like human rights, celebrating culture, celebrating nature.”

The King Stingray dream of playing and sharing Yolngu surf rock came alive as the live shows racked up, and finally, their 10-song debut was laid down in studios between the NT, Brisbane and the Byron Bay Hinterland. 

Kellaway fondly recalls the recording experience on the outskirts of Brisbane in particular, sipping cups of tea under gumtrees at Powderfinger member Ian Haig’s studio. But no matter what location the five-piece worked in, crowd favourites like Let’s Go, Get Me Out, Milkumana and Camp Dog each have the dusty roads of Arnhem, the cool breeze of native woods and thousands of years of storytelling distilled within them.

“We’re already so excited to get back into the studio,” Kellaway laughs. 

“We've already started doing a few tunes and we'll just keep writing because I think there's so much momentum for us. Having this little taste of touring in Australia and actually becoming our band has really excited us. 

“So, whenever I come home from touring, I just want to write songs. I just want to play guitar, and that’s the case with everyone. This little but huge moment in our lives where the excitements just cranking has us really stoked and there’s no stopping it now.”

King Stingray is out Aug 5; the band tours from November 7. For more details, click here.