Entertainment
19 September, 2026
Queen tribute ‘one of best’
KILLER Queen will return to BAR36 as part of their 30-year celebrations at The Reef Hotel Casino for two nights of live music on 30 and 31 October 2026, with performances starting at 9pm.
The Queen tribute band will bring its two-hour live show, The Killer Queen Experience, to Cairns for the Halloween weekend, performing Queen’s best-known songs, including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’ and ‘Another One Bites The Dust’.
Killer Queen manager and bass player Wayne Vitale said the band’s previous Halloween appearance prompted another visit.
“We did it last year on Halloween, so that worked well. And the venue entertainment manager wanted to do it again, so we thought we’d give it another run,” he said.
Mr Vitale said the band had been returning to the casino for at least a decade and had consistently received a strong response from Cairns audiences.
“Hopefully the same. They usually get pretty rowdy. We get a few dress-ups along the way. We get a few pretty good impersonators turning up in some bizarre gear, but yeah, it’s usually a pretty good night,” he said.
Killer Queen has toured internationally, performing in the UK, Norway, Singapore, Russia and India, as well as in cities across Australia. The band has also shared the bill with Jeff Beck, Foreigner, Journey, Twisted Sister, Thin Lizzie and Kelly Rowland.
Frontman John Blunt is known for his resemblance to Freddie Mercury and has portrayed the Queen singer on screen.
Mr Vitale said the 2018 film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ helped introduce Queen’s music to a new generation. “We had our biggest year in 2019 because of that movie,” he said.
Casino entertainment manager Bruce Stewart said that Killer Queen was regarded as one of the world’s leading Queen tribute bands.
The free shows will be held on Friday 30 October, from 9pm and on Halloween night, Saturday 31 October 2026, also from 9pm.
