Ray Davies, vocalist and songwriter for iconic UK rock act The Kinks has stated that he is ‘in negotiations’ with fellow Kinks vocalist and younger brother Dave Davies to possibly reunite the band, with the prerequisite that they record new material.
The brothers, who formed the Kinks in 1964 in Muswell Hill, London, have not played together since 1996, and have not released original material together in two decades, since 1993,’s ‘Phobia’. The turbulent relationship between the two was well-publicised, and has been cited as a leading cause in the eventual deterioration of the band.
The members have continued independent musical careers since the 1996 break-up – Ray recording four solo albums, the last of which, ‘Working Man’s Café’ was released in 2007, and Dave releasing six albums, the most recent, ‘I Will Be Me’, earlier this year. Five of the remaining former Kinks members, including co-founder and drummer Mick Avory, have been involved in a spin-off band The Kast-Off Kinks.
Rumours of a Kinks reunion have been circulating for a number of years – in the early 2000’s both brothers expressed interest in performing together again, but these hopes were delayed when Dave suffered a debilitating stroke in 2004. They again expressed positive interest in a reunion in 2011, though their still rocky business relationship and Ray’s insistence on recording fresh material has proved an obstacle thus far.
In BBC Breakfast interview, Ray stated that he had discussed the possibility on a number of occasions with his brother this summer and that:
‘There’s got to be new music involved. I’m proud of that back catalogue and I play it when I do shows. I was talking to my brother about two weeks ago. As long as there’s something new to go forward with rather than stay in the past, I’m interested. We’ve negotiated. In sporting terms, he’s talking to his agent.”
It is not yet clear how many Kinks members would be involved in the reunion, though the death of bassist Pete Quaife in 2010 has made the prospect of an original line-up impossible.
