You people know I love love love The Kinks and I've been reading a not-so-great book on them which mentions their local as youngsters being The Clissold Arms, in the Fortis Green section of London. This being 2021 and the internet being the internet I decided to check in to see if the pub still exists, and 1) it does and 2) it quite wisely leans heavy into their history with the band:
We are proud to call ourselves the 'Birthplace of The Kinks' being the venue where brothers Ray and Dave Davies held their debut performance. We have a huge array of Kinks memorabilia on display in our aptly named Kinks Room, which welcomes fans from all over the world throughout the year. Among them is a signed copy of the Kinks' first single, a cover of Little Richard's Long Tall Sally, a wall of photographs and other Kinks treasures and a brass plaque which reads: Site of the 1957 performing debut of Ray and Dave Davies. Founding members of the Kinks.
In Dave Davies's song 'Fortis Green' he sings: "Mum would shout and scream when dad would come home drunk, When she'd ask him where he'd been, he said Up The Clissold Arms, Chattin' up some hussy, but he didn't mean no harm".
The Kinks were all local boys to this pub.
For my next trip to London (fingers crossed!) I do believe I'll be spending some time on the Kinks Room at the Clissold Arms!
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