The American electronic musician Moby has sparked a row with British rock legends The Kinks after branding their 1970 classic Lola as "gross and transphobic" in a new interview.
Speaking to the Guardian for their Honest Playlist feature, the 60-year-old producer was asked to name a track he could no longer bear to hear.
"Lola by the Kinks came up on a Spotify playlist, and I thought the lyrics were gross and transphobic," Moby told the publication.
"I like their early music, but I was really taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are."
The Kinks' Ray and Dave Davies in 1996
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The song, which topped the UK charts upon release, tells the story of a young man's encounter with a trans woman or cross-dresser at a Soho nightclub.
The Kinks' guitarist Dave Davies, 79, responded sharply on X, rushing to defend his brother Ray, who penned the track.
"I am highly insulted that Moby would accuse my brother of being 'unevolved' or transphobic in any way," Mr Davies wrote on the social media platform.
In a separate post, the musician warned that Moby "should be careful what he says," recalling how the pioneering San Francisco LGBTQ+ theatre troupe The Cockettes and their associates would follow the band during tours.
Moby called The Kinks classic Lola 'transphobic'
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"We appreciated them," Mr Davies noted.
The guitarist expressed bewilderment at the criticism, writing: "Why is Moby being so rude about this simple song? We're not transphobic. Why does he have to have a go at us?"
Mr Davies accompanied his response with a letter from transgender punk icon Jayne County, who fronted the proto-punk outfit Wayne County & the Electric Chairs and began identifying as a woman in 1979.
County, whom Mr Davies described as a "dear friend," was full of praise for the track in the message to the brothers.
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I don’t wanna show the guy up, but Moby should be careful what he says. the cockettes
— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) March 23, 2026
And their friends used to follow us around on tour. We appreciated them. Why is Moby being so rude about this simple song? We’re not trans phobic. Why does he have to have a go at us?
"When I heard the song I was both thrilled and amazed that The Kinks would be singing a song about a trans person and wondered if anyone else had picked up on it!" County wrote.
County described Lola as a track that "broke the ice" and dismantled barriers by bringing a previously taboo subject into the mainstream.
"Being trans myself, this will always be a very special song for me," County added.
The track, penned by frontman Mr Davies for the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, reached number one in Britain and climbed into the American top 10.
Dave Davies has hit back at Moby
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Mr Davies has previously explained the song drew from genuine experiences, telling Classic Rock: "It was a real experience in a club.
"I was asked to dance by somebody who was a fabulous-looking woman."
In a 2020 interview with the i Paper, he stated the track was written "out of admiration more than anything else" and expressed support for trans rights, describing the album as a celebration of artistic freedom and the right "for anyone to be gender free if one wishes."
Trans rights activist Mara Keisling told NBC in 2020 that the song was "life-saving."