The QPAC ‘On the Banks’ series began last Wednesday with King Stingray rocking out a small crowd. Their distinctive blend of surf rock and traditional First Nations music transcends cultural and language barriers, bringing a touch of paradise to the skyscraper-lined Brisbane River. 

Fans cheered at the start of every song, drifting off into nostalgia land as they let King Stingray’s distinctive sound squeeze the stress of city life out of them. Mid-set the band diverged into an impromptu jam session, showcasing the immense talent the young men have. It is easy to see why they captured the nations hearts. Even this early in the year, I am certain the five-to-ten-minutes of improvised fuzzy wah-funk will echo in my mind as a significant highlight.

It was hard to tell who felt more gratitude as the band took us through a collection of old and new. Interspersing the set with a collection of personal tales that told their journey from West End share house hell to national treasures. Their tales of humble gratitude and philosophical wisdoms gifted the crowd a knowledge that made a mockery of the paltry seventy-five-dollar ticket price.

“Where I grew up there are no strangers, we know everyone eventually. That’s why it was weird for me to come here to Brisbane all those years ago and see how everyone treated each other like strangers. I never knew that word, we never had that word. We don’t have to be strangers.” - Ngalakan Wanambi

New lead vocalist Ngalakan Wanambi provides a potent and poignant path out of the lingering depression that afflicts city dwellers. Forcing the audience to look around at each other with a new and profound knowing. Letting the audience travel, albeit lucidly and astrally, to distant wooded paradises where the citiy’s isolation and solitude vanish. 

It was this that truly showcased the worth of watching King Stingray live. The chance to see the young men whose dream was to be recognised by the city they were living in when they met.  The chance to move beyond simplistic consumption of catchy, relaxed surf rock tracks. The chance to open an understanding with yourself, the world you live in, and the world you truly want. 

Words and Image By Jimbo Baggins