Kink Ray hails music’s show of defiance
KINKS frontman Ray Davies has spoken about music as a show of defiance and resilience in the wake of recent terror attacks.
The musician’s latest work is being played at the end of each episode of BBC1 drama Broken, set in a city in the North of England.
Ray, 72, who was knighted earlier this year, said: “The human spirit has to prevail. If you look at the One Love concert in Manchester, we had to do this. It makes people band together and show their resilience.
“And I think Brexit might have had an influence when I wrote Broken, it’s a pivotal time in our history.
“I think courage, resilience and defiance are important things to carry with us and understating as well. I think music can be a show of defiance.
“It’s like the song Broken. You are not beaten by it, and that’s the secret and if music can help do that, it’s worthy.
“The whole point of songs of this nature is to show the fight, that people aren’t defeated. I always try to give them an upbeat, optimistic feel. It’s defiant and that’s important to me.”
Part of the song’s production meant Ray had to visit Liverpool to work with the choir featured in it, a city he played at the start of The Kinks’ career.
And he added: “People warmed to The Kinks in Liverpool and Manchester particularly and I’ve always found these people to be sincere and to the point, more so than a lot of others.”