By Harry Mottram: The Bootleg Beatles, Brit Floyd, Bohemian Queen, The Iron Maidens, The Real Diamond, Counterfeit Kylie, Chic to Chic – yes there are plenty of tribute bands out there treading that fine line in some cases between passing off and being a true tribute to the original band. Some are so good you could think they were the real thing in a concert – I’ve heard from friends who have attended concerts by tribute bands of The Eagles, Elvis and Genesis that they were hard to tell the difference. While others are shall we say less successful.
A true tribute band not only pays homage to their idols but gives some of their story – which is where the Upside Down Kinks come in. The tribute band to The Kinks and in particular the songs of Ray Davies are playing Axbridge Town Hall on September 29th, 2024, in a show where they promise not just to perform some of their greatest hits but tell the story of the Davies brothers and how the band came about along with its many changes of personel.
Formed in 1963 as the Ray Davies Quartet having performed at their school in London the band went through myriad changes of name before settling on The Kinks in order to attract attention. In a period from 1965 to the early 1970s the band of Ray and Dave Davies, Mick Avory, Pete Quaife and John Dalton with contributions from Bobby Graham, Rasa Davies and Nicky Hopkins amongst many others enjoyed a string of hits including You Really Got Me, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset, Lola, Apeman and All Day and All of the Night.
Ray Davies (now Sir Raymond Davies) born in 1944 was the primary songwriter and together with his brother were the glue that kept the band together for so long – eventually splitting up in 1997 when solo projects became the various band members’ preoccupations. The Brit Pop boom of the 1990s gave the band an autumn in the sun and there was also the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics when Ray Davies performed Waterloo Sunset live to millions of viewers. It was a quantum leap from the 1960s when the band were rivals or perhaps competitors with The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Small Faces, The Yardbirds, The Who and The Hollies.
Now there is a chance to get a taste of The Kinks with The Upside Down Kinks as Steve Bullimore on vocals, Jeff France on drums, Matt Tucker on keyboards, Alan Drew – vocals and guitar, and Pete Willey on bass guitar bring those hits to life along with the extraordianry story of the band. On their website the band describes themselves as: “We are five seasoned professional musicians coming together in admiration of Ray Davies’s songwriting skills, Dave Davie’s Brilliant musicianship Mick Avory’s fabulous drumming and Pete Quaife’s superb Bass lines. We bring all The Kinks hits and classic tracks to new and remembering audiences alike. God Save The Kinks!”
The Upside Down Kinks bill the evening as ‘An intimate evening of Kinks’ songs and stories.’ And as part of the 55th Year Anniversary of The Village Green preservation Society – in tribute to one The Kinks’ hits.
For more on the band visit https://www.upsidedownkinks.com/
Barry Walsh is the Axbridge man behind the gig and he writes: “A fab evening of music entertainment is coming to Axbridge Town Hall on Sunday 29th September 7.15pm. The ‘Upside Down Kinks’ play all those Kinks hits we all love. Tickets are £12 each from Axbridge Post Office or Online at https://wegottickets.com/event/625357”
Axbridge News is edited by Harry Mottram and is published for the interest of himself and fellow residents.
Harry is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc
Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk
You must be logged in to post a comment.