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Back on tour after a decade, the musical telling the rise of The Kink’s, Sunny Afternoon, returns to Scotland this week.
Across a mammoth two hours and forty-five minutes, the production is in no rush to tell of the rise of a working-class bunch from Muswell Hill. This is no sickly, glitzy story – it’s got guts, and a bit of blood along the way for good measure.
The payoff for this gentle simmer of song and story is a deeply emotional finale built on a tortured artists’ struggle that brings the house down, with a building ‘Waterloo Sunset’ that would bring a tear to a glass eye.
Taking the time to endure the struggles of Ray Davies (Danny Horn, who impeccably embodies the oddity and genius of the songwriter) – and his head-butting with his bandmate and brother Dave (Oliver Hoare) – bucks the trend of other biopic musicals that blast along with frantic energy, but this slow burn echoes the struggles of a band that burst into the charts in the 60s – with no plan for what happens next.
A superbly talented cast of actor-musicians play every note live, cranked through a series of stacked Vox amps to give a deliciously nostalgic authenticity to the soundtrack of the sixties.
Set in Miriam Buether’s sky-high walls of speakers, changing from a rocking wall of sound to the oppressive solitude of the recording studio as the pressure mounts for the next big hit, the sights and sounds of the 1960s are in full swing – platforms and all.
Ensemble pieces are a delight – ‘Dead End Street’ and the titular ’Sunny Afternoon’ are a joyous celebration of The Kinks at their best. Phil Corbitt’s multi-character performance deserves mention of its own, full of charisma and humour when the moment calls for it.
Sunny Afternoon really gives audiences a new appreciation for the genius songwriting of Davies. An acapella ‘Days’ rises to new heights and ‘A Strange Effect’ works beautifully as a duet.
Only a crescendo moment involving a comeback hit single – tied to the outcome of a certain football game in the summer of 1966 (yes, that one… see above) fails to impress the Glasgow audience.
For fans of the band, or just fans of the warts-and-all story of how an iconic band got there, Sunny Afternoon is a long stint – but it’s worth it!
Sunny Afternoon at King’s Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 1st November 2025, then touring
Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan
