Southbank Centre

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Lead singer and rhythm guitarist with The Kinks, acclaimed solo artist, actor, director and storyteller, Ray Davies has written some of the most enduring songs in rock and pop history. 

Feted by successive generations of musicians – from David Bowie and Pete Townshend to The Fall, The Jam, Blur and most recently Mumford & Sons – his prowess as a storyteller has also endeared him to auteur filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Wim Wenders. 

From the proto-garage rock of 'All Day and All of the Night' and 'You Really Got Me' to the beautifully observed songs such as 'Dead End Street', 'Lola' and 'Dedicated Follower of Fashion', Ray Davies, with The Kinks and as a solo artist, has chronicled British life for nearly half a century. 

He follows in the footsteps of past Meltdown directors David Bowie, Morrissey, John Peel, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Jarvis Cocker and other luminaries, curating a festival that will take place across the Southbank Centre site and reflect the diversity of his career and enduring influence.