Now Ray Davies’ life story will be acted out at the area’s famous landmark Alexandra Palace.
The jukebox musical Sunny Afternoon was first staged at Hampstead Theatre in 2014 and follows the highs and lows as Ray and brother Dave founded their band The Kinks and pitched for global fame.
Featuring hits such as Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me, Days, and Lola, the Olivier award-winning show is on a UK tour that arrives in Muswell Hill in January.
The brothers grew up in Fortis Green, played their first gig at The Clissold Arms in 1960, before rising to nationwide fame in 1963.
Later, in 1971, the four-piece released their album Muswell Hillbillies which made their old stomping ground famous.
Ray now lives in Highgate and spoke about what it’s like seeing his songs and story on stage – after collaborating closely with writer Joe Penhall.
It was, he says “daunting at first.”
“I was working on the storyline on and off for three years, but in many ways the story is contained within the songs,” he says.
“They were written in such specific moments of my life and now they’ve been reinterpreted, given new context.
“It’s humbling, and sometimes a bit surreal, to see the audience connect to those moments as if they’re happening now. It’s proof that the music still has a pulse.”
Ray approached turning The Kinks’ history into a musical with caution – not wanting it to be just a nostalgia exercise.
“So I pretended it was about somebody else. I didn’t want it to be just another jukebox musical. I wanted Sunny Afternoon to have heart, to show what it really felt like to live through that madness.
“We approached it as a piece of storytelling, not nostalgia. I went back to the songs and the memories behind them and tried to weave them into something honest. It wasn’t about polishing the past, it was about exploring it with the rawness that inspired the songs in the first place.”
Working with director Edward Hall and Joe Penhall made him look at some events afresh.
“When you’ve lived something, you think you know the story inside out, but Edward and Joe held up a mirror to it,” he says.
“They’d ask questions I hadn’t thought about in years and that made me reassess a lot of things. They didn’t rewrite my version, but they did expand it.”
The show captures both the highs and the struggles of The Kinks’ journey and Ray says it’s the contrast that stands out the most.
“One day we were scraping by in Muswell Hill, the next we were banned from America. There were moments of absolute chaos, and others of beautiful clarity.
“Although we didn’t appreciate it at the time, the band celebrated being at the height of British culture, everything felt bright and exciting after coming out of the darkness of the Second World War.”
With its themes of youthful ambition and creative freedom in a fast changing era, the show still feels quite timely.
“Every generation goes through its own version of rebellion,” observes Ray.
“For us it was a turbulent time of change, the class system was still there, but it began to feel that working class kids could also start to move up the social ladder.
“The 60s were our revolution, but the spirit of that time – questioning authority, chasing authenticity – that never really disappears. I think people see themselves in that struggle, whether they’re forming a band or just trying to figure out who they are. That’s timeless.”
He adds that being able to showcase his back catalogue in one place has been “a gift”.
“Songs like ‘Lola’ or ‘Days’ have their own lives, but when you hear them alongside ‘Dead End Street’ or ‘Sunny Afternoon’ you see the full picture. The musical gave me the chance to connect those dots for people, to show how the songs talk to each other. And it reminded me too, why I wrote them in the first place.”
Asked what he wants the Alexandra Palace audience to take from the show, he says: “The hope is that audiences will get a glimpse of our history while enjoying a great night out.
“If people walk out humming the songs, that’s lovely. I hope they leave with a sense of joy, but also reflection. It’s a story about resilience, really, about keeping your head when the world’s spinning too fast.”
Sunny Afternoon runs at Alexandra Palace Theatre from January 15 – 31, 2026. www.uk.thekinksmusical.com
