LIVE REVIEW: King Stingray set 'On The Banks' off to a powerful start

South Bank's new live events series, titled 'On The Banks', is a month long series bringing notable Australian and international names to the south side of the city. Particularly striking about this event is the location, on the outskirts of QPAC and sandwiched between the Brisbane sign and the Channel 7 Brisbane wheel. At this point of the riverside, you can feel as if you're drowning in the landscape of branded skyscrapers and the LED casino display, but standing in a crowd with a bright moon spotlighting the audience manages to make you feel alive nonetheless. This atmosphere creates a unique opportunity to connect with both nature and community in a little bubble away from the endless notifications and looming infrastructure of our lives.

The opening night of ‘On The Banks’ saw an exclusively Australian lineup, with The Buoys and Jack River supporting one of the country’s staple “must see” live acts, King Stingray.

The night started with a Welcome To Country performance with a formal Indigenous welcome to Jagera/Yuggera land, before The Buoys took the stage. The indie four piece asked the crowd “Who’s ready to hear some rock music?” before giving us a glimpse into their discography with a performance of tracks from their debut album and EPs.  They introduced their track ‘Lie To Me Again’ by sharing “I love seeing people sing along and hug their friends”, prompting the dance floor to fill promptly after the first verse. The title of their song ‘BDSM’ (‘Bring Down Scott Morrison’) was changed to ‘BDAA’ and ‘BDPM’ to reflect the band’s anger at Anthony Albanese calling Grace Tame ‘difficult’, before The Buoys closed their set with their latest single, ‘Bitch’.  

Jack River graced the stage next, with her ever-sparkling presence and powerhouse band. Cotton-candy coloured lighting illuminated the stage as she cycled through fan favourites from her Sugar Mountain album and her sing-along singles. Taking time to absorb the energy of the crowd, Jack River shouted out several fans who were giving it their all and dancing along. We got a throwback to 2016 with a performance of the first Jack River single, ‘Talk Like That’, before a wave of magic passed over the crowd with ‘Ballroom’. A cover of ‘She’s So High’ was dedicated to the women in the crowd, before the crowd was treated to a bonus performance of ‘Confess’ and the iconic set closer ‘Fools Gold’. Experiencing the back-to-back power of two female fronted acts who utilised their platform to speak on politics in this country was enough to certify the night a success, but there was still far more to come.

King Stingray are an act that are always best enjoyed live, with their performances elevating their recorded work to a whole new level. With instrumental jam breaks and feel-good dance moments in the crowd, the pure joy created by a King Stingray live show is incomparable. Theatregoers from QPAC were stopping on the stairs to catch a glimpse of the Yidaki infused rock, as crowd favourites including ‘Let’s Go’, ‘Get Me Out’, and ‘Milkumana’ lit up the South Bank Cultural Forecourt. There was an electricity flowing through the audience, with a dance pit forming in front of the stage and punters matching the band’s energy by singing each track lyric for lyric. A personal highlight of the night was hearing King Stingray perform ‘Lookin’ Out’, whilst taking a glimpse at the wholesome display of community at the event and truly believing that for the duration of the show, everything really could be alright.

On The Banks continues through March, with tickets for a variety of Australian and international acts available now.