Cast

britpop

As one of the most traditional guitar bands to emerge during the Brit-pop era of the mid-'90s, Cast have weathered negative criticism from certain quarters of the media, who labeled them mere revivalists. But the criticism didn't prevent Cast from becoming a very, very popular band within Britain following the success of Oasis and Blur. Led by vocalist/guitarist John Power, Cast carved out a sound that was heavily indebted to the British Invasion of the early '60s, yet it was infused with a mystical, pseudo-hippie lyrical sensibility, which Power expanded upon in all of his interviews. What really made Cast into a success was Power's gift for simple, classic pop hooks, as demonstrated on the hit singles Fine Time, Alright, and Walkaway. The roots of Cast lay in the La's, the seminal late-'80s British guitar pop combo led by Lee Mavers. John Power was the bassist in the La's from their inception in the mid-'80s to the early '90s, when the band had a major British hit with its eponymous debut album. Following the supporting tour for the record, the La's were scheduled to record a second album, yet it soon became clear that Mavers was not only not going to write a batch of new songs any time soon, but he wasn't going to allow Power to contribute his own material. Power left the band, forming Cast with guitarist Liam Tyson, bassist Peter Wilkinson, and drummer Keith O'Neill early in 1994. Cast received their first big break when Elvis Costello had the group open for him on his ...