The Kinks’ Dave Davies Says ‘Never Say Never’ on Reunion with Brother Ray Davies Decades After Band’s Breakup

Rachel DeSantisFri, July 24, 2026 at 5:26 PM UTC

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Ray and Dave Davies in a 2022 Instagram post.Credit: Dave Davies/Instagram -

Dave Davies of the Kinks said “never say never” when it comes to a reunion with brother Ray Davies

The brothers are collaborating on a London art exhibition

They last performed together in 2015 when Ray surprised Dave at a solo show in London

It’s been more than a decade since The Kinks’ Ray and Dave Davies last shared a stage — and the jury is still out on whether they ever will again.

The British rockers and brothers are currently collaborating on an art exhibition in London, though Dave, 79, told The Times he’s unsure what their future holds.

“I don’t know [if we’ll ever reunite], but never say never,” he said. And as for another art project? “I don’t like to think about that.”

Guitarist Dave and singer/songwriter Ray, 82, last performed together in December 2015 in London, the only time they’ve shared a stage since the band split in 1996. Ray made a surprise appearance at one of Dave’s solo shows to sing The Kinks classic “You Really Got Me.”

The Kinks (including Dave and Ray Davies) in London in 1978.Credit: George Wilkes/Hulton Archive/Getty

In 2022, Dave shared a photo of him and Ray to Instagram, writing, “I worked with Ray today. He made me a cuppa tea. We had a good time. We were looking through early 70s footage from a Kinks tour.”

Since forming the band in 1962, the brothers have had their ups and downs, with Dave telling the Times there were stretches where he “couldn’t stand” Ray, and would storm “out of the studio.”

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The Kinks released their last album, To the Bone, in 1994, and 10 years later, Dave suffered a debilitating stroke. He told Rolling Stone in 2013 that the health scare actually helped him reconcile briefly with his brother.

“I have to thank him, because if he wasn’t so f---ing horrible to me, I wouldn’t have understood more about life,” Dave told the outlet. “When he was a real c--t to me all those years ago I took up astrology so I could understand why people behave like that… It’s like that old cliche — you can choose your friends but you’re stuck with your family. I think we were thrown together to try and teach each other something, and hopefully help some people that listen to us.”

The Kinks in London in May 1967.Credit: David Redfern/Redferns

Dave’s girlfriend Rebecca Wilson told the Times that they’d posted some of Dave’s paintings to Instagram and Ray took notice, which “kind of brought them together.” The brothers’ exhibition, The Kinks: Brothers, is currently on display in collaboration with artist Christian Furr.

“It’s miraculous, really, how we’ve become so bonded… We enjoy each other’s company,” Dave told the outlet. “We were getting on great. We have fluctuated between getting on really well and not getting on at all over the years but there’s always been telepathy, since childhood.”

The idea of a reunion has long been discussed, though the brothers often play coy. In 2023, Ray told NME that a reunion was “in the lap of the gods,” while Dave explained that the two musicians are “just different animals.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”