Sunny Afternoon – Leeds Grand Theatre

Book: Joe Penhall

Music and Lyrics: Ray Davies

Director: Edward Hall

If you’re a fan of The Kinks then you can’t fail to be impressed by this eulogy of a show which showcases their extraordinary talent, starting with the first of their fourteen top ten international hits You Really Got Me in 1964 and going on to chart many of their subsequent hits: All Day And All Of The Night, A Well Respected Man, Waterloo Sunset, Sunny Afternoon, Dedicated Follower Of Fashion, Tired Of Waiting For You, Lola and many more.

The four band members Pete Quaife (Harry Curley), Mick Avory (Zakarie Stokes), Dave Davies (Oliver Hoare) and Ray Davies (Danny Horn) all brilliantly portray their alter egos and are very convincing as a British pop group of the 1960’s. All can certainly play their various instruments and sing – drummer Stokes performing an extraordinary solo in the second half that brought the house down – and Horn in particular knits the whole thing together in an extremely demanding role that requires him to demonstrate his vocal and acting talent pretty much for the duration of the show. He is brilliant in the part and demonstrates his wide theatrical and singer-songwriter experience. 

The Kinks have been described as the original bad boys of pop and this is mainly based on Ray and Dave, the two brothers of the group, regularly resorting to fisticuffs and fallings out with each other and also the group’s reputation as hellraisers (particularly on their tour of the United States in 1965). It’s interesting that the Gallagher Brothers, Liam and Noel, have taken on the mantle of rival siblings long after these original incarnations. Long before the US tour, however, fallouts between members of the group and resulting violence were evident with one incident leading to Dave ending up in hospital after Avory had hit him on the head with a cymbal. The origin of the bad blood between the two brothers dates back to their childhood. They had six elder sisters. Ray was the baby of the family until Dave came along, and he then proceeded to hog all his sisters’ attention. Ray always resented this, even as the band were enjoying chart success and critical acclaim. In the show Dave is the more flamboyant of the two, always seeking attention and winding the other members – and outsiders – up with his antics and behaviour. Hoare is a bundle of energy throughout and exhibits all the quintessential characteristics of the sixties pop icon, from the long hair and colourful clothes to the onstage antics. He counterpoints Ray’s more thoughtful persona who was the heartbeat of the band, writing the music and providing the creative spark that was required for the band to flourish and evolve.

The first half sees the establishment of the group from their humble origins as support artists – The Ravens – from Muswell Hill in North London, the release of their first megahit You Really Got Me that changed the course of pop history, the accruing of various managers and contracts right up to the brink of their first US tour. This first half takes a little while to really get going – excuse the pun – with the introduction of several fringe characters but soon hits its stride with the iconic riff that starts off the hit song. Dave apparently came up with the riff by slashing a speaker cone with a razor blade which is effectively done on stage. Ray claimed it was his idea all along, although the actual truth will probably never be known. The incident provides one of the show’s iconic moments.

The stage to this point has basically resembled a giant recording studio, with ample scope for variation and amendments from the Davies’s living room to a concert stage venue to a hotel room. All the second half is mainly concerned with the US tour so that the stage is transformed to one big American stars and stripes extravaganza, with lots of gum chewing and American accents on show. The set, designed by Miriam Buether, leaves you in no doubt where you are and is simply but effectively done. This half sees the band descending into all the excesses and trappings that have tempted so many pop icons of the period and been the downfall of many. But what really caused the band to “fail” on this tour was the fact that a falling out with US Musician Union officials led to one of them being decked backstage by Ray and the band being banned from the US for the next four years.

All the cast are convincing from the English managers to Ray and Dave’s parents to the various groupies and backing singers and dancers, but credit should be given to Lisa Wright as Rasa, Ray’s wife, the girl from Bradford who won his heart and who stayed at home with a new baby whilst Ray and the band were causing mayhem in the States. They share a couple of gentler ballads which are very heartfelt and contrast with all the raucous and vibrant energy of the band’s songs.

There is a liberal sprinkling of other big names of the era throughout, such as The Stones, The Beatles, The Who and Elvis Presley which adds to the atmosphere and feel of the period.  

This is a thoroughly stomping, loud, toe tapping extravaganza of a show that is sure to please the myriad of Kinks fans and send them all home with a multitude of tunes ringing in their ears.

Runs until 28th February 2026, before continuing on tour