The Kinks are back in the studio

Dave Davies, brother of Ray and founding member of The Kinks

Dave Davies lifts the lid and teases details of what the band is working on, now they are back together

For the last 10 years, there have been whispers of a Kinks reunion. This was finally confirmed in June 2018, when Ray Davies announced that he was reforming The Kinks alongside Dave Davies and original drummer Mick Avory, and the band would be entering the recording studio to write new material.

This week, Dave Davies let slip that The Kinks are in the studio working on songs for the 50th-anniversary reissue of the album Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire). The band has also begun reworking old and unreleased material.

“That’s [Arthur] virtually done,” Dave said. “It’s a really, really interesting package that’s going to have other songs from that time period like my solo song Hold My Hand.”

“We keep going backwards and listening to a lot of old stuff. Some of that is very good, and some of it needs a bit of work,” he said. “Some we recorded but never used. Others don’t have finished vocals or they need other embellishments.”

Dave went on to say, “They are really just in demo form now. But good demos. Ray is still dissecting various other material we might use. The intention is to get the work out, but it’s not a done deal.”

Also involved in the sessions is Avory’s replacement on drums Bob Henrit. The band is currently yet to confirm a bass player for the project. Original bassist Pete Quaife and his successor Jim Rodford have since passed away.

The Kinks’ self-titled album was released in 1964. They went on to produce another 22 albums before their final studio record Phobia hit the shelves in 1993. Their R&B style developed becoming louder and heavier, partly due to Dave Davies slashing his amplifier’s speaker cone in a quest to find a better, more interesting sound after becoming bored with amplifier limitations of the time.

Like many rock & roll bands, The Kinks have had their fair share of drama. On stage fights, nervous breakdowns due to being overworked, suicide attempts and long-running feuds all took its toll on the four-piece. The Davies brothers parted company to pursue solo projects in the mid-90s.

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