The Meltdown Festival is renowned for serving up thrilling one offs, Patti Smith performing Horses in it’s entirety, or unlikely returns, Morrissey enticing the New York Dolls back to the stage (sadly for the last time with bassist Arthur Kane).
Each year the RFH invites a different artist to “curate” the 10-day festival on London’s Southbank, traditionally the curator gets to open and close proceedings, so the selection of Ray Davies immediately raised anticiptation for some special Kinks related event, thankfully confirmed when it was announced that two gigs would take place, one with Ray and his current band and the second featuring a performance of the entire The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society album, with Ray and band accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Singers.
Village Green was a resounding flop on release in 1968, (granted it was up against The White Album, Electric Ladyland and Beggars Banquet, all released around the same time!) but has rightly grown in stature in the intervening years. Ray originally wanted an orchestra involved but Pye Records penny pinched and vetoed the suggestion, so this seemed like a good opportunity to see what might have been.
First things first, Ray and his band gave us a hugely entertaining two-hours and 20 minutes’ worth of Kinks hits, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s dives into album tracks and b sides plus selected Davies solo cuts.
Could it get better? Well wait 10 days and yes, Village Green with orchestra and choir was as amazing as you could have hoped for. The danger of songs being swamped was avoided with highlights like “Big Sky” and “Do you Remember Walter” soaring. Amazingly most songs unplayed for 40 years or never performed before! All this followed by a further selection of gems from Ray’s jewel box of a career.
The rumoured Kinks reunion failed to materialise, but no matter because these gigs made you feel privileged to attend. Davies is a touchingly generous performer, whose ability to skewer moments in everyday lives and turn them into great art, is still not quite as appreciated as it should be. As sentimental as it sounds, when the orchestra carries “Waterloo Sunset” into the heavens and Ray confirms, he IS in paradise, you can’t fail to feel the same.
