GIG GUIDE: Kast-Off Kinks at Weymouth Pavilion

All the Rocky Mountain Highs and the Andy Fairweather-Lows, the hits, the flops, the tours, the bust-ups, the marital break-ups, the personnel changes, the tellies out the window and Rolls-Royces in the swimming pool, it all goes to make a great story.

But when you’re a band that’s been going on and off for more than FIFTY years and responsible for some of the greatest popular music ever made, you’ve got enough for an Encyclopaedia Britannica of stories and a boxed set of films to rival Police Academy 428.

The Kinks are quite rightly up there with The Beatles, The Stones and The Who as absolute untouchables of British popular music and in the God-Like Genius of Ray Davies, one of the most sublime songwriters to ever put Biro to back of fag packet And in a band in which the volatile relationship between Ray and brother Dave was pivotal, a lot of other musicians have come and gone.

The Kast Off Kinks have all had the privilege of playing with Ray and Dave and the honour of performing their fabulous catalogue of songs over the years, and they’ll be at the Weymouth Pavilion next Sunday, October 25.

Drummer Mick Avory was The Kinks original tub-thumper and played on all their hits from the 60s and 70s before packing it in in the 1980s.

Bassist Jim Rodford formed Argent with Rod Argent (ahh, that’s where they go the name from), played with The Kinks through the 70s and 80s and with Ray during his solo stints, and still tours and plays with The Zombies to this day.

Ian Gibbons played keys with the band during the 80s and still works with Ray Davies today, singer/guitarist Dave Clarke was a Beach Boy during the 70s and has been a Kast Off Kink for 20 years and while John Dalton stood in on bass for an injured Pete Quaife in 1966 and joined The Kinks permanently in 1969.

As you can imagine, that’s an awful lot of pedigree and it promises to be quite a night at the Pavilion. Tickets are £19 and available from the box office on 01305 783225.

Moving on, and it’s congratulations and a hearty woop to The Leggomen who have a landed a support slot on The Ordinary Boys’ tour when it stops off at the Brixton Jamm on October 30.

As the band’s Olly Coe tells me: “We have been gigging in London and trying to put ourselves about a bit, I guess.

“It’s been a bit of a slog, as London gigs are a bit of a trek!

“But there’s more of an original scene in London and most of the venues are geared for it so it’s literally turn up plug in and off you go.

“Since writing Missing the Middle (their recently released EP) we have got an original set that we’re happy with and we’ve been playing it all summer and at a few festivals.

“Luckily the hard work has paid off and we have a big opportunity to play with a big act.”

You can catch the hardest working band in Dorset tonight at the Royal Exchange on Portland and again later at the Lazy Lizard in Weymouth.

Good work fellas!

Till next time...

TONIGHT (16)

Southern Sinners (Finns, Weymouth)

The Crack (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Peacock Suit (Rendezvous, Weymouth)

Phil Denton (Weymouth WMC, Weymouth)

Finn (Park, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

The Riffs (Little Ship, Portland)

The Leggomen (Royal Exchange, Portland) followed by…

The Leggomen (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

Dr Robert (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

George Stevenson (Edinburgh HoS, Weymouth)

K and the Gang (Old Ship, Dorchester)

Chubby Faced Angels (Spice Ship, Weymouth)

Mark Stacey (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Lo Numbers (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Lewis Craven (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Boy Le Monti (Ropemakers, Bridport)

SATURDAY (17)

The Dolmen (Finns, Weymouth)

Stereoironics (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Blazing Strings (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

Mike Walker (Conservative Club, Weymouth)

Haywire(Wyke Regis WMC, Weymouth)

Leanne (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Stevie M (Weymouth WMC, Weymouth)

Remix (Park, Weymouth)

Splinter (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Haze (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Milk and Two (Market House, Weymouth)

Compass (RBL Club, Portland)

Freak Circus (New Star Inn, Portland)

Frank E Finn (Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth)

The Unpredictables (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Skinful (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Average Wyke Band (The Star, Weymouth)

Quinn’s Quinney (Ropemakers, Bridport)

SUNDAY (18)

Karen (Royal Oak, Weymouth) 3pm.

Gale Force (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Georgie Broad (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 7pm.

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.

Jam Night (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth)

Open Mic Surgery (George, Dorchester)

Compass (Three Compasses, Charminster)

The Deep End (Three Horseshoes, Burton Bradstock) 4pm.

Remix (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Foo Foo (Royal Portland Arms, Portland) 4.30pm

Tinker’s Cuss (Ropemakers, Bridport)

TUESDAY (20)

Leggomen (The Boot, Weymouth)

Martin Freed (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (21)

Blazing Strings (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth) Jam night.

Finn (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Danx’s Open Mic (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Dave P’s Open Mic Night (Rendezvous, Weymouth) From 8pm.

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Open Mic Night (Little Ship, Portland)

THURSDAY (22)

Johnny Coppin, Louise Jordan (Sunray Folk Club, village hall, Broadmayne)

Leggomen (George, Weymouth) ..followed by…

Leggomen (Aura, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Open Mic Surgery (Tom Brown’s, High East St, Dorchester)

Steve’s Singalong (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, St Nicholas St, Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

FRIDAY (23)

The Mighty Fine (Finns, Weymouth)

Darren H (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Matt Black (Royal Oak, Weymouth)

Mike Walker (Weymouth WMC, Weymouth)

Rob Ryan (Park, Weymouth)

The Riffs (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Haze (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

The Shakespearos (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Mutter and Chums (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Shelby’s Elbows (Ropemakers, Bridport)