King Stingray part ways with lead vocalist ahead of Australia tour

King Stingray have announced the departure of lead vocalist Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu – find out more below.

• READ MORE: King Stingray: “We’re full of love in our heart – that makes us believe in ourselves”

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.

They wrote: “Hey everyone we’ve got some news to share – King Stingray and Yirrŋa have parted ways.” The band did not share a reason for the vocalist’s exit, but have confirmed that singer Ngalakan Wanambi, who has already performed with King Stingray on their recent US tour, will be taking place.

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.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KING STINGRAY (@kingstingrayband)

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.

King Stingray’s EU/UK 2025 tour dates are:

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

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KING STINGRAY (@kingstingrayband)

• READ MORE: King Stingray: Yolŋu surf rock band forged from lifelong friendship and family

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’.

The post King Stingray part ways with lead vocalist ahead of Australia tour appeared first on NME.