David Vass enjoys reliving the many hits of The Kinks

Posted on 23rd September 2018

Resolutely not a tribute band, The Kast off Kinks are essentially the real thing without the Davies brothers, and have been performing their considerable back catalogue for well over 20 years. Obviously pleased to be back at the Corn Hall, Mick Avory, John Dalton and Ian Gibbons had a fine old time working their way through a seemingly endless checklist of hits, ably assisted by the guitar and vocals of Dave Clarke from the Noel Redding band.  

Kicking off with Where Have All the Good Times Gone, the band rattled through Sunny Afternoon, Dead End Street, David Watts, Lola, and still had time for lesser known gems such as,  Victoria and Shangri La. With Clark and Dalton sharing frontman duties, this was a companionable, jolly evening a world away from the testy, on stage punch-ups The Kinks were known for back in the day.

After the inevitable Waterloo Sunset, the band closed on You Really Got Me with an encore of All of the Day, and All of the Night. Notwithstanding an excellent cover of the Kingsman’s Louie Louie, it was a reminder that the Kinks were fundamentally masters of the three minute single in all its catchy splendour.

By David Vass