Only the bravest take on the Coldplay classic ‘Yellow’, and King Stingray offered a rousing rendition of the song for triple j’s Like A Version.
The Yolŋu rockers completely put their own spin on the 2000 anthem, adding in the sounds of the banjo, didgeridoo, and bilma to really enhance the sound.
Vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu performed the lyrics in Yolŋu Matha, his powerful voice more than a match for Chris Martin’s original.
Guitarist Roy Kellaway revealed the relation of the Coldplay song to King Stingray. ‘There’s a lot of significance for the colour yellow for the boys’ clan, Gumatj clan,” he said after their performance.
“From the season now, actually, is when the stingray are getting Djukuurr, which are getting fat. And so, that’s a big thing, culturally significant time for the Yolŋu people, and the colour yellow for Gumatj is representative of that fat, the richness.”
The band also had a considered take on the song’s lyrics. “We like the stuff about the stars and how they’re shining for you,” Kellaway added. “We don’t really know what (Chris Martin) wrote the song about, but our take on it was a really nice thing about we’re all under the same stars and there’s lots of stories that bind us.”
While stopping by triple j, King Stingray also performed their own single, ‘Let’s Go’, their second release of 2022. It’s set to feature on the band’s highly-anticipated self-titled debut album, which is set for release on August 5th (pre-order here). ‘Let’s Go’ was preceded by ‘Hey Wanhaka’, ‘Get Me Out’, ‘Milkumana’, and ‘Camp Dog’.
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King Stingray have been racking up the awards nominations recently. At this year’s Sailor Jerry Rolling Stone Australia Awards, the band were named Best New Artist, seeing off strong competition from Genesis Owusu, Peach PRC, and Teenage Dads.
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Check out ‘Yellow’ (Coldplay cover) by King Stingray:
Check out ‘Let’s Go’ by King Stingray:
