King Stingray have announced the departure of lead vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu – find out more below.
The announcement, which was made by the Yolŋu surf rock band on social media on Wednesday (March 19), came just a day before they kicked off their national tour of Australia.
Additionally, King Stingray have also assured fans that “as always our main man Dima Burarrwanga will be bringing the energy as he always does. This ‘For The Dreams’ tour is gonna be something really special – same King Stingray spirit, same unstoppable Yolŋu rock and a whole lotta love.”
Their tour of Australia kicked off yesterday (March 20) in Sydney, and will see them perform four more shows across the continent between now and April 4, where they’ll wrap up in Fremantle.
Just days before announcing Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu’s exit from the band, King Stingray announced their first-ever tour of Europe and the UK, set to kick off in May. The first leg of the tour sees them supporting King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in Lithuania, Greece and Bulgaria before embarking on their own headlining run in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands and London.
Check out the full list of tour dates below and get tickets here.
MAY
29 – Lukiskes Prison 2.0 – Vilnius, Lithuania*
30 – Lukiskes Prison 2.0 – Vilnius, Lithuania*
31 – Lukiskes Prison 2.0 – Vilnius, Lithuania*
JUNE
04 – Lycabettus Theatre – Athens, Greece*
05 – Lycabettus Theatre – Athens, Greece*
06 – Lycabettus Theatre – Athens, Greece*
08 – Ancient Theatre – Plovdiv, Bulgaria*
09 – Ancient Theatre – Plovdiv, Bulgaria*
10 – Ancient Theatre – Plovdiv, Bulgaria*
12 – Trix – Antwerp, Belgium
14 – Bahnhof St Pauli – Hamburg, Germany
15 – Plan B – Malmo, Sweden
17 – Frannz Club – Berlin, Germany
18 – Hellios 37 – Cologne, Germany
19 – Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
21 – Village Underground – London, UK
* supporting King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
In a glowing five-star review of King Stingray’s 2022 self-titled debut album, Ellie Robinson wrote for NME: “‘King Stingray’ doesn’t sacrifice liveliness for poignancy, or vice versa. Cut live to tape, it’s driven by the band’s DIY spirit and youthful energy, with tight performances and sharp songwriting. It destroys the idea that a fun album can’t also feel powerful, and we can’t wait to see how King Stingray continue to build on what they establish with it in the years to come.”
Their most recent release was November 2024’s sophomore album ‘For The Dreams’.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
