King Stingray Show You How To Have Fun

In October of last year, North East Arnhem Land powerhouse King Stingray announced their first Australian-wide album tour in support of their debut record.

Due to the demand for tickets, the six dates in six cities soon grew to twelve dates with a double header needed in every location. Many a punter across the land wanted a taste of the fabled Kings of Sting. I somehow hitched a ride amongst this troupe of ruffians and watched as the red dust faded into a collage of sold-out rooms filled with adoring fans. Nine months on and the band are prepped and ready to do it all again, albeit in venues more than twice the size. In celebration of this milestone amongst a myriad of others (winners of awards from the ARIA’s, NME, Australian Music Prize, Rolling Stone, National Indigenous Music Awards and J awards, plus countless other feats) I worked alongside the boys on a short film that documents their maiden voyage into country wide admiration and asked lead guitarist Roy Kellaway a few questions about being an A-list celeb in the Top End.

Nearly a year has passed since that debut album tour. How does it feel looking back at this retrospective of that time on the road?

It's such an awesome feeling looking back at this video, it was such a fun tour and such a memorable one for us. The capturing of these moments has somehow helped preserve these amazing memories. As a band we get a bit nostalgic quite often and I can see us watching this video in the future and reminiscing on some bloody good times. 

You’re about to embark to on the follow up tour to this one. More headline shows across the country however, the venues have yet again increased in size. Must be pretty exciting knowing you’ll be hitting iconic Australian stages like the Enmore Theatre?

It's so unreal honestly. Such beautiful venues and definitely a level up for us. We're so excited and just can't wait to turn it on for all our fans. Really just so thankful for everyone buying tickets and rocking out with us. We've been working really hard on creating a really special show and it's been so much fun creating this show. Can’t wait for it to start! 

I’ve heard on the grapevine that there is a new song about the hit the airwaves. Any insight on that?

Yeah we've got a bag of new tunes. Possibly three to four newies that'll get their first run on this tour. We've also got a brand new single dropping in a few weeks which we are thinking is our favourite song we've written so far! Super keen for that to come out. 

Travelling the way you blokes do must be a serious undertaking. Airports, vans, hotel rooms, sound checks, green rooms and the occasional hangover. Have you got any advice or travel hacks for the aspiring bands out there?

Take a footy on the road! We bring one wherever we go. It's in my pedalboard case ready for any moment. Footy kicks at the park, getting outside and moving the body. Also try to eat healthy too. Sneaking in some sort of exercise and eating well is key. I try to go for a surf in the mornings if we're on the coast, love checking out different beaches. But we always do a fun activity together. Whether it's a bush walk, checking out the beach or when you took us Salmon fishing with your old man in Tassie. That was too damn good. We always try to do a fun activity in nature. We're lucky enough to travel all around Australia. The environment really gets us stoked and so getting out and seeing the country really fuels us up. 

These venues you’re about to play are little bit fancy. What’s the rider looking like for this 2023 tour? Yimi and Dima gonna fit it out with oysters and prawns or are we sticking with the ham sandwiches and soft drinks?

Good question! I think we'll keep it simple. Probably not much of a rider to be honest. Might just go out for dinner beforehand and get a nice pub feed. And maybe a late-night feed put on by the master chief himself Dima. He can cook up a storm. The other day in Melbourne he roasted a fresh duck. His specialty curry is bloody good too. 

Catch the lads on their ‘That’s Where I Wanna Be Tour’ on the following dates and buy tickets here.

24/5 – Enmore Theatre, Warrang (Sydney) NSW

29/5 – Astor Theatre, Boorloo (Perth) WA

30/5 – Hindley St Music Hall, Tarndanya (Adelaide) SA

1/6 – The Forum, Naarm (Melbourne) VIC

7/6 – The Tivoli, Meanjin (Brisbane) QLD