On Thursday evening October 6th 2016 I went to
the Empire Theatre Sunderland to see the musical on the life of the Kinks, Sunny Afternoon, and which proved to
be an unexpected experience in two ways. First the maximum amps were turned up
for short spells, fortunately only twice, reminding the U2 Tribute band concert
at the Customs House a few years back and here I met the band in a van lost on
the hill where I live overlooking the mouth of the River Tyne, in search of
their B and B. I went down and purchased a ticket just before the concert. It
was so loud that some of the audience including younger members left at the
interval. The only other memorable instance of intolerable loudness was an Elkie
Brooks concert also some years back. Sunny Afternoon was both great as a
musical and also provided important insights into the lives of rock musicians
and the interactions between band members and their other relationships.
I set off to arrive when I anticipated the theatre would
open, parking at the Bridge Shopping Centre Car Park just before 6.15 and where
the cost for the evening was only £1 because of the Thursday night late opening
session. I had brought the novel The Season Ticket but left it in the car and
decided not to not to bother to go back once going out of the shopping Centre towards
the theatre having buttoned the coat on a chilly evening. I was early for 7.30
show start as I wanted to get a ticket for the Tommy Steel playing of Glenn
miller in the show already seen at the Theatre Royal. I also had a glass of wine with the ticket
and a large glass with a third filled plus a small carton of Pringles original
crisps for £2. I took a bar stool seat at a window in the circle bar keeping my
coat on as it was evident the heating had only recently been switched on in
this area although the main auditorium was fine.
On arrival there was just me entering and half a dozen
staff selling programmes and checking tickets at the two entrance and there was
a choice of seating in the circle bar so I wondered about the audience response
on this first night. By the time of curtain up the stalls were full and look
back up so appeared the upper tiers. My aisle seat was closer to the stage as
anticipated as there was an extension into the auditorium enabling singers and
dancers to perform with the first rows having to look across sideways and the
main set a full stage rectangular room filled on three sides with attractively
autumn warm coloured loudspeakers which I assume represented the Konk recording
studios and which covered over, I thought rather drab, for what became the
ill-fated USA tour.
The Musical provides the opportunity to go through the
Kinks song book and there is now the statutory ten-minute demand for the
audience to stand join in sing and dance as a finale but this is a rare event a
musical which also tell the raw and frank truth of the band together with the
impact of the fame and fortune but also of every member, their separate lives
as well as interactions. Some of the aspects are applicable to most bands of
young men, the temptation to party to success with teenage girls, drink and
drugs, and to rebel at the
nature of the industry with managers and agents taking their percentage
although nothing compared to palms to be crossed when performing in the USA.
The story, the lyrics were created by the principal singer song writer Ray
Davies but he repeatedly makes the point of the collective nature of their
success, consistent with the socialism upon which his life is based. What is
contentious is the claim that the band should be viewed alongside the Beatles
and the Rolling Stones in terms of their artistic and playing abilities. What
is clear is that Ray Davies attempted throughout to create music with lyrics
which reflected his changing experiences of the changing society around him.
The
band was originally created by the youngest brother Dave who became ranked as
one of the top 100 guitarists of all time, was a sometime lead vocalist and lyricist
lyrics with six older sisters and older brother Ray. The family who lived in
Muswell Hill North London were music in the music all tradition was an active
part of all their childhoods. A three bedroom two storey terraced House with a large
100-yard garden is selling for £1.35 million the cheapest from one online
estate agent rising to £3m with the average property over £2m. Dave became a larger than life character on
and off the stage, expelled from school because of a relationship with an
underage girl who became pregnant a where separated by the two families he did
not meet with their child until three decades later. He had been twice married
and had other relationship, cross dressing at times and bisexual and altogether
eight children. He had stroke in 2004
but continues to make news.
Dave
originally formed the band with Peter Quaife who visited the family home and was
at school with Ray and remained a key member for the for six years and in the
Musical the reason given for his departure was a combination of wanting to lead
a more stable life and because of relationship problems between the drummer
Mick Avory and Dave, although in fact Peter went on to lead his own band the
Mapleoak with two Canadians and members and playing for a time in Denmark. His
involvement with the band and the music industry was short lived and spent
nearly two decades in Canada and then back in Denmark. Peter suffered renal
problems and was dependent on dialysis for ten years dying in 2010. He remained
a loyal supporter of the Kinks the appearance if the band at Glastonbury was
dedicated to him
The
outstanding drummer Mick Avory remained with the band for two decades, a record
second only to Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, mentioned because in fact
it is said that back in in 1962 Mick rehearsed at a pub in London with
musicians who formed the original Rolling Stones. It is said he played with the
Stones at their first gig at the Marquee, a venue where I attended its opening
when the John Dankworth band and singers performed. When his playing career
with the band ended Mick commenced to manage the Konk recording studios founded
by the Davies brothers and which they still use to this day with the recordings
of the 29 Musical show numbers created on disc. The feuding between him and Dave
was legendry but long since resolved.
Ray
Davies is the first to acknowledge the debt he has to his younger brother,
Peter and Mick and also their first two managers but his work as a songwriter
justifiably led to his induction in the USA Hall of Fame and to C.B.E here in
the UK. Like his brother, at times he has had a dramatic personal life married
three times and with other significant relationships including with Chrissy
Hinds. In the musical he makes reference that his first wife was a school girl
of (Lithuanian?) Catholic family background and the political background of her
parents was an issue when in the United States as well as his commitment to
socialism. The pregnancy of his wife coincided with the USA tour so she was
unable to accompany and where she was a backing singer at times with brother
Dave and also could play the guitar. It is not clear when Ray was first
diagnosed as bipolar but would have been a factor in his admitted suicide
attempt following the breakup of his first marriage with whom he has two daughters,
another with Chrissy Hinds with a fourth daughter from his marriage to an Irish
Ballet dancer. When in the USA in 2004
he was shot in the leg while chasing thieves who had stolen the bag of his
companion in the French Quarter of New Orleans and in 2011 he spent six months
recovering from blood clots on the lungs.
He
and the band are justifiably famed for a long series of records which
achieved success in the, UK, the USA and
worldwide and which are familiar those of my and subsequent generations and
to a new generation who attend performances of the musical although the
majority those in stalls at Sunderland appeared to be aged between 40 and
80: You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon,
Lola, All Day and All of the Night, Waterloo Sunset and two of my favourites Follower of Fashion and Where have
all the good times Gone. It is noteworthy that it was Dave, dissatisfied with
the sound of the opening chords of You Really Got me who worked out the idea of
creating the raw sound by cutting into the amplifier and increasing the volume
to the maximum amps. I share those who argue that it is this aspect of the
recording together with blues background which catapulted the band from
obscurity into transatlantic attention and success and which also had great
influence on rock, heavy metal and punk.
What
struck me most during the Musical is the contrast between the deafening sound
of hard rock and the tender and profound insights of the ballads. Despite a
huge list of books to read and review I will add Ray’s biography to the
purchase of the CD. A special mention for the cast of this touring production
and while that of Ray was impressive I am singling out the young man who played
Dave who given my close up position seat I have never before seen someone put
so much into an acting and sing role, but every one contributed to giving the
audience a great time. The contrast between their energy and commitment the age
and evident infirmity of their audience is the best way to end given that I
count eight other members of the audience with walking sticks.
I
made the mistake of purchasing the ticket online where the premium is unusually
high in contrast to going to the Box Office. I do not begrudge paying £46
though.
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