Do It Again

This hugely entertaining documentary follows Boston Globe writer Geoff Edgers as he embarks on a mission to get his favourite underappreciated rock band - The Kinks - to reform.

In an age when a string of bands are getting back together either for tours or one-off gigs - like Led Zepellin, Pink Floyd, The Police - our likeable narrator reckons he has a shot at making a reunion happen.

Sadly, it may be mission impossible. The rivalry between brothers Ray and Dave Davies developed into downright loathing and they have barely spoken for decades.

The Kinks formed in north London in 1964 by the brothers, with Ray as lead vocalist and chief songwriter. The rest of the quartet comprised Pete Quaife on bass and drummer Mick Avory.

The band were one of the most influential rock acts of the era alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, spawning classic hits such as You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset and Lola. In the UK, they had 17 top 20 singles and five top 10 albums, plus five top 10 singles on the US Billboard chart and nine top 40 albums.

But as Edgers shows by stopping people on the street, few people know the band, although they recognise the songs.

It is evident Edgers is a superfan and his enthusiasm and love for the band is infectious - you root for him throughout as he desperately tries to make his dream come true. But you do get the impression there may be a touch of mid-life crisis prompting this mission and with so many other things going wrong in Edgers’ life - the threat of closure at the Globe and how he is forced to take a 23 per cent pay cut - this is something he has control over and could taste success with.

Despite an initial flurry of rejections, Edgers soon lands interviews with former Kinks members from the original and unrivaled line-up plus rock stars such as Sting, Paul Weller and Yoko Ono. He also meets the band’s former record label boss Shel Talmy and travels to London to meet fans at the annual Kinks Konvention, where Ray Davies himself makes a surprise appearance.

All of them would love The Kinks to reform but tell him he has no chance of getting Ray and Dave to make peace. Even Dave concedes that “it’s a good idea but I don’t know if you’ll reach the goal you’ve set yourself”.

Edgers’ interviews are intercut with footage of the band on stage and most feature our narrator performing a Kinks song with his subject. It may be a little self-indulgent but any music fan will appreciate and share his joy at these moments, plus they demonstrate how music brings people together.

We also see Edgers’ family, with his wife worrying about their finances given the thousands he has ploughed into funding this film, and his adorable daughter singing along to Kinks songs with her dad.

I won’t spoil the film by revealing the outcome but it doesn’t really matter - Edgers’ journey as he tries to make it happen is entertaining enough.