{"id":4565,"date":"2025-08-18T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/john-power-explains-how-cast-landed-the-most-coveted-support-slot-in-music\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T14:00:00","slug":"john-power-explains-how-cast-landed-the-most-coveted-support-slot-in-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/john-power-explains-how-cast-landed-the-most-coveted-support-slot-in-music\/","title":{"rendered":"John Power Explains How Cast Landed the Most Coveted Support Slot in Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/leadDSC08433-Editcredit-Paul-Husband.jpg\" width=\"\" height=\"\" alt=\"Cast. (Credit: Paul Husband)\"><\/figure>\n<p>The last time I saw John Power, frontperson of <a href=\"https:\/\/castband.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cast<\/a>, was at a mutual friend\u2019s wedding, where he was throwing up out of the hotel window. That was 24 years ago. When I remind him, he says, \u201cWell, you know, those were hedonistic days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Power doesn\u2019t look any worse for wear. Cast just finished opening for Oasis on the first 10 dates of the <em>Live \u201925 Tour<\/em>, and in a few days he\u2019ll resume that role for the rest of the shows. These include Oasis\u2019 New York (that is, New Jersey) and Los Angeles dates, plus a <a href=\"https:\/\/castband.co.uk\/tour\/\" target=\"_blank\">headlining slot<\/a> at New York City\u2019s Sony Hall September 3.<\/p>\n<p>More from Spin:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/08\/mtv-vma-performers\/\">First MTV VMA Performers Include Sabrina, Busta<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/08\/reliably-explosive-mac-mccaughan-on-36-years-of-superchunk\/\">Reliably Explosive: Mac McCaughan on 36 Years of Superchunk<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/08\/5-albums-i-cant-live-without-steve-jones-of-the-sex-pistols\/\">5 Albums I Can\u2019t Live Without: Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Being in the most coveted support slot in music isn\u2019t where Liverpool-born and -bred Power expected to be four decades into his career. He started as bass player in the La\u2019s, best known for their perennial \u201cThere She Goes,\u201d arguably the first Britpop song before the movement had a name. He left after five years, switched back to rhythm guitar and formed Cast. Their debut, <em>All Change<\/em>\u2014marking its 30th anniversary\u2014emerged at the height of Britpop, became the fastest-selling debut on their label, and was certified double platinum in the U.K. But they didn\u2019t keep up the momentum. The group disbanded and reunited more than once, releasing seven albums. Power put out three solo records and briefly rejoined the La\u2019s. This is Cast\u2019s third reformation, perfectly timed with the \u201990s revival, not unlike the \u201960s resurgence three decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s become something more than a show,\u201d Power says of the Oasis tour. \u201cIt\u2019s a vicious world out there, and there\u2019s so much joy in the gigs. People are going ape shit. I\u2019ve watched many of the shows to the end because it\u2019s an amazing, uplifting vibe all the way through. Oasis, to give them their due, are on top form. Liam is singing amazing. His voice is better than I\u2019ve heard in a decade or more. It\u2019s got a brightness that reminds you of Oasis in their heyday. Watching Noel\u2019s expressions and nuances, he\u2019s having the time of his life. As a musician myself, who\u2019s perceptive, I\u2019m picking up on little things the band seem to be doing different. You do these loose moves when it\u2019s fucking happening. They\u2019re in a really good place.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/CAST3682Jim-Mitcham.jpg\" alt=\"(Credit: Jim Mitcham)\" class=\"wp-image-470331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/CAST3682Jim-Mitcham.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/CAST3682Jim-Mitcham-340x227.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/CAST3682Jim-Mitcham-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/CAST3682Jim-Mitcham-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/CAST3682Jim-Mitcham-498x332.jpg 498w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Credit: Jim Mitcham)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s strange how things come around, but they do. The timing, fucking hell, you couldn\u2019t mention Britpop at the end of the \u201990s. You\u2019d get tarred and feathered. It was a burden. Now it\u2019s the coolest thing again. It has to lie dormant for life to come back into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cast supported Oasis at their landmark Knebworth shows in 1996. Last year, promoting their 2024 album <em>Love Is the Call<\/em>, they opened for Liam Gallagher on his <em>Definitely Maybe 30 Years<\/em> tour. Power got a call from Liam soon after.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was really excited,\u201d Power recalls. \u201cHe was like, \u2018John, I\u2019ve spoken to Noel, and we want you to open.\u2019 He went through loads of contemporary bands and said, \u2018I don\u2019t want all this. I want this tour to open with a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll chord.\u2019 He started singing \u2018Sandstorm.\u2019 We wouldn\u2019t be on this tour if it wasn\u2019t for Liam. There\u2019s no doubt. It wasn\u2019t a business decision. We\u2019re there because Liam and Noel pushed and said, \u2018We want them on the tour.\u2019 That\u2019s such a massive nod from our peers. It really authenticates our legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Power has had plenty of ups and downs. The other day, he says, someone told him they\u2019d seen him walking through Bristol with his acoustic guitar and thought, \u201cThere\u2019s John Power, doing his thing. Nobody knows him anymore. He\u2019s still walking around with a guitar, troubadour vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/Cast_HP-14-1credit-Jim-Mitcham.jpg\" alt=\"Cast playing during the Oasis Live '25 Tour. (Credit: Jim Mitcham)\" class=\"wp-image-470332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/Cast_HP-14-1credit-Jim-Mitcham.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/Cast_HP-14-1credit-Jim-Mitcham-340x227.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/Cast_HP-14-1credit-Jim-Mitcham-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/Cast_HP-14-1credit-Jim-Mitcham-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/Cast_HP-14-1credit-Jim-Mitcham-498x332.jpg 498w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cast playing during the Oasis Live \u201925 Tour. (Credit: Jim Mitcham)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The \u201ctroubadour vibe\u201d is something he keeps returning to. \u201cYou dig deep when you\u2019re playing to 40 people\u2014or 15\u2014on a Tuesday night in a wine bar in Birmingham and nobody fucking gives a shit,\u201d he says. \u201cAfter having success, you realize you\u2019re singing, and it\u2019s not even to the audience. These songs are about me and my journey. You keep holding them embers, blow on them, and never let them go out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even before the Live \u201925 slot, Power was having a big year. He walked his eldest daughter down the aisle, which, he says, was \u201cthe biggest day of my fucking year.\u201d He completed a cathartic six-week theater tour of monologue and music, telling his life story through words and songs. He realized what he\u2019d thought of as separate chapters were all one story.<\/p>\n<p>Armed with this awareness, he began writing Cast\u2019s next album, <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.castband.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Yeah Yeah Yeah<\/em><\/a> (due January 2026) with Youth producing. The first single, \u201cPoison Vine,\u201d features \u201cLondon\u2019s first lady of soul\u201d P.P. Arnold, and shares its DNA with \u201cGimme Shelter.\u201d British radio has already embraced it. The follow-up single, \u201cWay It\u2019s Gotta Be (Oh Yeah),\u201d also with Arnold, arrives August 22, just before the North American Live \u201925 dates.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1513\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/john-2-credit-Paul-Husband.jpg\" alt=\"John Power of Cast. (Credit: Paul Husband)\" class=\"wp-image-470336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/john-2-credit-Paul-Husband.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/john-2-credit-Paul-Husband-340x429.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/john-2-credit-Paul-Husband-768x968.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/08\/john-2-credit-Paul-Husband-498x628.jpg 498w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Power of Cast. (Credit: Paul Husband)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAny one of these events would have been the biggest event of the year,\u201d says Power. \u201cBut to have them all running consecutively through to releasing the new album in January, talk about alignment. You couldn\u2019t fucking make it up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even with all the excitement, Power is, dare we say, zen. \u201cYou get to a certain age, and you recognize the present is where you\u2019ve got to remain,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s liberating. You know you\u2019re passing through. It\u2019s not a bad thing. It\u2019s the way it\u2019s meant to be. You couldn\u2019t tell a younger me\u2014who was fickle\u2014that. I\u2019m very happy to be in this moment. It feels sweeter than the big scale success we had in the U.K. before because I was too flippant. I was a young, nihilistic, immortal wannabe rock star. I appreciate things much more now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He adds, \u201cThe good old days are fucking right now. I\u2019m riding that wave. Ultimately, this wave is going to crash on the shore. But fuck me, what a wave, we\u2019re surfing it all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2021\/07\/the-greatest-rock-stars-of-all-time\/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=bottomlink&amp;utm_campaign=yahoolink\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The last time I saw John Power, frontperson of Cast, was at a mutual friend\u2019s wedding, where he was throwing up out of the hotel window. That was 24 years&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3368,31,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cast","category-features","category-pushly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4565\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}