King Stingray would like a public holiday for their debut album, thanks very much.
On Instagram, the Northern Territory rockers posted a comical ‘change.org’ petition that had over 26 million signatures (with a goal of 27 million), demanding that Australia gets “another public holiday this Friday for King Sting Day.”
“Someone started this petition and now we are getting SO MANY messages saying we need to do King Sting Day again this year,” the band wrote in the caption.
The reason? This Friday marks one year since the release of King Stingray’s all-conquering self-titled debut album, a record the led Rolling Stone AU/NZ to hail them as “one of the most exciting rock bands to emerge from this country in a generation.”
“We will need to get approval again though, I wonder who we can call…” the band added in the caption.
Sticky Fingers’ Paddy Cornwall helpfully tagged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the comments – of all recent PMs, Albanese feels like by far the likeliest to create a new public holiday in honour of an indie rock band.
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King Stingray haven’t just been reflecting on old music – they released a new single, “Lookin’ Out”, in June, their first new material since their debut album.
The song captured the universal feeling of being awestruck at the magnificence of Mother Earth. It was inspired by the band’s own experiences of days spent gazing into the ocean and nights gathered around the campfire.
As King Stingray know, the future of our planet is hugely uncertain. “We have no idea what our future holds, but if we can find a way to work together, we’ll be on the right track!” guitarist Roy Kellaway said about the song. “We are a band from a small place and we’re singing about big things!”
After a busy period of touring, their busy 2023 isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon. “It’s going to be a busy year for us writing, recording, and getting in front of as many people as we can. That’s what we love!” the band told Tone Deaf in February.
The band are also in with the chance of winning big at the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards – they’re up for Song and Film Clip of the Year for “Let’s Go”.
