King Stingray guitarist Roy Kellaway is driving through Ballina in northern New South Wales when he cheerfully answers the call from Tone Deaf. Pulling over to have a chat, he’s still on a high from the band’s recent tour of the US.
“It was great,” he enthuses. “We had a tour of US festivals starting around New York and New Jersey, then making our way from Connecticut down to Washington DC, playing festivals along the East Coast.
“We finished the run at an amazing festival in Northern California, in a redwood forest. We camped under these big, beautiful trees, and it was awesome – a nice, tidy little run. It’s been so good to get back and keep building our audience.”
The tour was indeed King Stingray’s fifth visit to the US, with the band enhancing their profile show-by-show in the tried and true Australian-band-takes-on-America tradition.
“There’s a real curiosity about us over there,” Kellaway says. “Americans seem very interested in our band and our sound, particularly the didgeridoo and the songs we do. We’ve had a really good response every time we’ve gone over, and we love our time there. It’s obviously a long way from home.”
With familial ties to Yothu Yindi – who themselves broke big in the US in the ‘90s – and The Warumpi Band, Kellaway notes that while they don’t make a big noise about that in the States, there is some awareness of that lineage.
“There is some awareness, although that history may not be as well-known over there,” he explains. “We’ve had people come up and say, ‘I remember seeing Yothu Yindi here in the US in the ’90s,’ and share their stories.
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“It’s exciting to be there, and coming from a small, remote community, it’s such valuable professional exposure. It gives us a great perspective on what other people are doing musically around the world. US festivals are stacked with amazing bands from everywhere, so it’s a great experience for everyone to see some brilliant music as well.”
As Kellaway says, it’s a long way from home and a long time down the line since forming late last decade in the north east Arnhem Land town of Yirrkala, on Yolŋu country.
“For me, there was always the inspiration of Dr M (Yunupingu) and Yothu Yindi, as well as my dad (Stuart Kellaway, Yothu Yindi bassist/co-founder) and our family,” he explains of King Stingray’s origins. “That band inspired us to keep the fire burning and to celebrate multiculturalism and culture in our own unique way.
“There was always an aspiration to play music. As a kid, I loved everything about creating a song, sharing it and performing it. I had my own goals and ambitions, and started out with big hopes and dreams, while also seeing how things unfolded. You never know how music and the industry will pan out; no one has cracked the code. You just roll with it. As ambitious and passionate as I am, I’ve always tried to go with the flow, live in the moment and have fun.
“Music is something I feel very comfortable doing. We’ve always wanted to share stories and play music throughout our lives. We’d do it regardless of whether it was a hobby or became our work. We were brought up around music – our parents, family, peers and community include musicians and artists – and we’re inspired by the amazing artists who came before us. Being raised in that world makes you want to do it.”
It’s one thing for a young outfit to leave home and enter the wider music industry, but when a band has such a strong connection to culture and Country – and sharing those stories – it’s important to somehow keep that purity in a world of commerce and jet aeroplanes.
“That’s interesting, performing and playing music is part of who we are,” Kellaway states. “I don’t know whether it’s in our bloodstream, but something deeper drives us… something beyond the individual. Like Yothu Yindi, this band celebrates inclusivity and is mindful of bringing people into the party.
“Larger themes drive us, too. The environment is a major source of inspiration, and we want to share how much we care about culture and the preservation of language, including Yolŋu Matha. It isn’t just the music. Mateship, family, inclusivity and having a voice for Aboriginal people, young people and Australians all motivate us to get on aeroplanes and travel long distances.
“We want people to unite and celebrate togetherness, which will always be important as we move forward. That’s also something Dr M and Yothu Yindi instilled in us. We’re all sailing in the same boat, with a shared identity.”
Kellaway says that King Stingray have also been busy of late writing and recording their forthcoming third album. Thus far there has been a pleasing evolution of both the band and its signature sound.
“We’re playing with different ideas while keeping our natural King Stingray flavour of Yolŋu surf rock,” Kellaway explains. “We have more experiences to share, and those come into the songwriting. We can’t give away any release dates yet, but we’re excited to be working on the tunes and can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks.”
King Stingray’s next show is in February as part of Twilight at Taronga. Proceeds from the event will continue to support Taronga’s new Wildlife Hospitals in Dubbo and Sydney, Australia’s first specialist wildlife teaching hospitals. It clearly means a lot to the band to be supporting the cause with their first performance for 2027.
“Absolutely,” Kellaway says. “That’s very important to us. We’re nature lovers and animal lovers, and Yolŋu people are, in some ways, the original conservationists of this country. We have a lot to learn from those ways of caring for Country and practising sustainability. That’s a big part of how we want to operate, and caring for wildlife is extremely important.
“It’s great to be involved in something like this. We love animals, so we’re really excited for that show. It’ll be a great one. I can’t wait.”
King Stingray perform at the Twilight at Taronga Summer Concert Series on Saturday, February 6, 2027. Tickets are on sale now from twilightattaronga.org.au
