Original Kinks Drummer Mick Avory Returns to Twickenham
Original Kinks drummer Mick Avory is no stranger to the Eel Pie Club – and he cannot wait to perform there again next month.
Now playing as part of the Kast-off Kinks, Avory, the only original Kink in the group, plays alongside former band members Jim Rodford and Ian Gibbons.
The only non-Kink is Dave Clarke, who previously performed as part of the Noel Redding Band.
And for Avory, who lives in Kew, playing in Twickenham is something of a homecoming – he even performed on Eel Pie Island with the West Molesey Scouts in 1957.
He says: “We have played the venue three or four times over the years and always enjoy our nights there.
“They get a good crowd down the Eel Pie Club, plenty of regulars who are up for a good time.
“I’m from West Molesey originally and have spent a lot of time in north London over the years but I have always been a river boy at heart.”
Avory joined the hugely successful band at its inception in 1964 with brother Ray and Dave Davies.
The Kinks enjoyed a string of hits throughout the decade and beyond, such as the critically-acclaimed You Really Got Me, All of the Day and All of the Night, Long Tall Sally, Sunny Afternoon and David Watts.
He describes playing live in 2014 as re-capturing the “old spirit of the 60s”.
The drummer says: “We went through the 80s and to be honest the 60s music and style wasn’t really appreciated – it was all disco and stuff like that.
“But these days, it has gone back to guitar bands and there are still some good ones knocking about such as the Stereophonics and Kings of Leon.
“I still enjoy playing all the old hits as well as some of the stuff that wasn’t as popular at the time.
“Take See My Friends, for example. It’s a fantastic song to perform, and although it wasn’t a huge commercial success, it is just a great song that everyone likes.”
And the 70-year-old, who left the Kinks in 1984, admits he would be well up for getting the old line-up back together in what is the 50th anniversary of the band.
He says: “A reunion has been on the cards for a while but it is really down to Ray and Dave.
“There have been offers on the table and we wouldn’t have to do an extensive tour, maybe just one night.
“People would come to see it and people want it to happen – it would be the sensible thing to do to celebrate 50 years of the Kinks.”
The Kast-Off Kinks; Eel Pie Club at The Patch, London Road, Twickenham; March 6, doors open 8.30pm; for more information and tickets visit eelpieclub.com