The current Fan Club team have been active now for some 11 years and it may surprise some fans that the club has direct links to the original fan club formed in March 1964.

The Kinks' initial success came before the days of global marketing and merchandising and, although the Kinks were working a global market with record sales, there was no 'industry' backup for fan clubs or other areas of promotion.

Having said that, fan clubs do receive bulk copies of authorised record company promotional photos to distribute to members (free of charge!) and club secretaries would be the 'clearing house' for all group personal fan mail.

There has only ever been one Official UK fan club throughout the group and solo careers. Worldwide, strong Kinks fan clubs and followings have emerged across Europe and, in particular, several in the USA.

It is, perhaps, surprising that the US fan clubs all folded as, certainly in the 1970s through to the late 1980s, North America was the group's strongest market sales-wise and the focus for the majority of touring activity and record company promotion & marketing.

It is ironic that we took over the fan club in 1996, as it proved to be the last year of any live Kinks performances, but it has proved an interesting time with extensive touring from Ray Davies and, until recent illness, Dave Davies, and some really enjoyable shows with Kast Off Kinks.

Our fan club meetings in London - initially at The Archway Tavern and over the last four years at The Boston Arms - have raised over £25,000 for Leukemia Research.

So, it's not quite the end of the road yet and, good health permitting, we 'still have a way to go'.