Nearly forty years on, a peek into The Kinks' treasure chest

Ray Davies in fine fettle with songs old and new

print this

CONCERT
      Ray Davies and Band, Finlandia Hall, October 16th
      By Jarkko Jokelainen
     
      It is all of 39 years since Ray Davies and The Kinks first played on these shores. The year was 1965, and then the frenzied fans in Turku were so overcome they tipped over the band's van after the gig, not once but twice. In Helsinki, the show ended in a riot as girls leapt onto the stage and mobbed the band-members after the last number.
      It is quite possible that a few of the wild Finnish rrriot girls from the mid-1960s were in the audience in Finlandia Hall this time around, but it was surprising to see so many younger faces among the grizzled veterans.
     
There was no need for riot police on Saturday night, but few could have gone away complaining about what they heard. At 60, Ray Davies is in uncomfortably healthy shape and he was up for the gig. The backing band was just that, remaining somewhat faceless, but they did their bit very competently and after the nearly two-hour show it was hard to grumble at a set-list like this one.
      With the exception of four new numbers, it was a night of one smash hit after another. Of course it would have been nice to hear Stop Your Sobbing. Or Till the End of the Day. Or A Well Respected Man, for that matter. Davies is a songwriter with hits to go round. In a couple of hours he only just gets going.
     
Another thing that left an impression was the intimate, spontaneous feel. After Davies took a swig from a beer bottle, pausing to read the Lapin Kulta label, a firm Finnish voice from the stalls yelled out "Demon Alcohol!"
      Without batting an eyelid, Davies strapped on his guitar and played the song. It came straight from memory - at least it had not been heard in the other Scandinavian concerts this autumn.
     
The Finnish audience was also treated to another speciality, since Davies had heard that Celluloid Heroes had been a big seller here. To be fair, the piece is better known in these parts in the Finnish translation made by Juice Leskinen, under the title Paperitähdet, so it was perhaps understandable that the audience did not respond as well as they might have to Davies's efforts to get some community singing going on the "Hollywood Boulevard" choruses.
      Here was one of the problems, too. From time to time it seemed as though the gig was missing one important additional element.
      Davies had nobody onstage doing back-up vocals, and he seldom needs any assistance in this department, because back in England he is used to raucous support from the audience. Finns are a more diffident breed, and it was only towards the end of the show that the fans loosened up enough to take part.
     
Right from the start, Davies threw in a couple of nice dramatic turns. I'm Not Like Everybody Else kicked off in an acoustic, almost laconic version. It may have given some to believe we were in for a quiet night of oldies featuring a greying gent with a guitar and microphone.
      Then the three-piece backing band ripped in at full blast and the song was bouncing off the walls. In an instant the image was transformed to one of a noisy and energetic rock'n'roller, whose vitality was in no doubt. This impression was only reinforced by The Hard Way, which came next and in a version that clearly outgunned the original.
     
From there on, Davies rang the changes with abrupt shifts of mood. The numbers from The Village Green Preservation Society were played as an acoustic duo with Mark Johns and led into a quieter, more moody phase, segueing via some new compositions into the closing cavalcade of hit numbers.
      Of the individual performances, Set Me Free came over particularly well in a more subtle and touching rendition. At the other end of the spectrum, the "barking dog" riffs of You Really Got Me (heavy metal from 1964!) were run through with a suitable ragged edge to them. On the other hand, Victoria seemed to slide by almost carelessly.
     
As part of his tour material, Ray Davies was able to try out tracks from his new solo album, which is all but complete. Particular attention was paid to the new numbers, which are the first he has produced after a dormant period of nearly a decade.
      The four tracks we got left a slightly conflicting impression. Next Door Neighbours was the familiar Davies with its restrained melodies and above all the quintessentially English suburban lyric line. Stand Up Comic showed off a more ironic side and was musically one of the heaviest numbers of the night. The other two did not generate any particularly profound first impressions, but then again they were in pretty tough company squashed up alongside the 60s classics.
      We shall therefore just have to wait until the album's release for a closer hearing. The prognosis is nevertheless good - Davies himself seems as sharp as he ever was.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 18.10.2004
     
     
Set List:
      I`m Not Like Everybody Else
      The Hard Way
      After The Fall
      Autumn Almanac
      Village Green
      Animal Farm
      Dedicated Follower of Fashion
      Sunny Afternoon
      Dead End Street
      Next Door Neighbours
      Stand-up Comic
      The Morning After
      Victoria
      20th Century Man
      Alcohol
      Tired of Waiting For You
      Where Have All The Good Times Gone
      Set Me Free
      All Day And All Of The Night
     
      1st encore
      Celluloid Heroes
      Completely (in the background of the Storytellers piece)
      You Really Got Me
     
      2nd encore
      Waterloo Sunset
      Days
      Lola


Links:
  An unofficial Ray Davies/Dave Davies/Kinks website
  The Official Ray Davies Site

JARKKO JOKELAINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
jarkko.jokelainen@hs.fi