Getting Kinky

Bassist John Dalton played his first live gig with The Kinks on York Road in Kings Heath in 1966. Fifty years later he’s returning with The Kast Off Kinks to bring the band’s hits back to Birmingham. But this time round it’ll be a very different experience for John.

“Back then it happened so quickly,” he explains. “I met the band on Thursday, had Friday to learn the music and then played with them on Saturday night. I didn’t know any Kinks songs before that, but the set was only about thirty minutes so I just about got through it! Nowadays we normally play for around two hours and we obviously know the numbers really well.”

John is also no stranger to Birmingham. “My dad’s family lived in Balsall Heath and I used to spend my summer holidays there. We went to the Lickey Hills, Cannon Hill Park and saw the cricket at Edgbaston. It was really nice to be coming back to play.”

John toured the world with the Kinks for seven years at the height of their fame and, after a long and successful musical career, joined The Kast Off Kinks in 1994, along with other ex-Kinks Mick Avory, Ian Gibbons and Dave Clarke.

“The four of us are having such a good time. I still get as much of a kick playing ‘You Really Got Me’ as that first time in 1966. To still be playing at this age, enjoying myself so much and coming back to where it all started is unbelievable. I consider myself very privileged.”

The Kast Off Kinks will be headlining at Kinks Heath Fest on 12th June. The festival will also include local musicians playing their favourite Kinks songs and a ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ costume competition.

For more information go to http://www.kingsheathwalkoffame.org.uk

Published in My Moseley and Kings Heath, June 2016.