The Kinks have enough material for “about 20” new songs, says Ray Davies
Ray Davies has discussed the potential of a full reunion of The Kinks, and revealed that they have enough material to create “about 20” new songs.
The rock veteran shed light on the hopes of new releases from The Kinks in a new interview with NME, which saw him reflect on his life changing moments and reveal the possibility of a full reformation with the classic line-up.
In the discussion, Davies reflected on the tumultuous relationship between himself and his bandmates – particularly the past feud between the members and drummer Mick Avory. When asked if he sees the latter as “a third brother” – as previously stated by Dave Davies – Ray recalled how the two were “always arguing”, but the tensions have since “mellowed down”.
He also reflected on previous comments he made back in 2018, which saw him pique fans’ interest by claiming he was in the process of reforming The Kinks and working on new material.
“Well, it got shelved because of… other issues,” he revealed when asked for an update. “But there’s still material there. When I get time.”
Davies later added that these ideas for new music stem from “home demos” he has been recording for around three decades – with some featuring contributions from Avory and his brother Dave.
“We’ve got loads of songs there in pieces,” he added, going on to confirm that they have enough material for “about 20” full tracks.
“There are about two or three songs I want to finish, and when they’re finished, I’ll put the whole thing together.”
As for the prospect of a full-blown reunion, Davies told NME that the idea remains “in the lap of the gods”, and would only come to fruition if they could lock in “a show that gives us the credit we deserve”.
He also revealed that he needs to “persuade [Dave] to come on” too, adding: “You’ve gotta be careful because he’ll run off in one direction and I’ll [run] in mine… He’s like that. He stays in control.”
“We’re just different animals,” he added. “We found ourselves at a very young age being in each other’s faces. And we had to work with it somehow.”
Elsewhere in the interview with NME, Davies shared his thoughts on the long-awaited “final” track from The Beatles, stating: “It’s alright, but it’s nothing really different for them”, and also revealed that he is a fan of ‘Hackney Diamonds’ – the latest album from The Rolling Stones.
In other Kinks news, the band are set to release the second part of their two-part anthology series, ‘The Journey’.
Set to arrive on Friday (November 19), the project celebrates the 60th anniversary of their formation, and compiles choice cuts from across their sprawling catalogue.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
