'We split up, and now I'd like to think we're back'- Cast's John Power on their new record and why he didn't sing for a decade

Virgin Radio

25 Feb 2024, 11:09

Nearly 30 years after the release of their debut record, Britpop powerhouses Cast are back with their seventh studio album, Love Is The Call.

The band treated a small group of Virgin Radio listeners to a special intimate set at the Top of the Tower on Valentine's Day this year, and tonight (25th February) at 7pm, you can relive it all with Eddy Temple-Morris. 

Before they took to the stage, Eddy caught up with frontman John Power to talk about Love Is The Call and why the band have decided now is the best time for a reunion. 

Cast formed in Liverpool in 1992, right on the cusp of the Britpop movement they would become a massive part of. The band signed to Polydor Records, and their debut album, All Change (1995), was an enormous success, becoming the highest debut-selling album for the label. 

Their follow-up albums, Mother Nature Calls (1997) and Magic Hour (1999), were also hits, but the band's fourth album, Beetroot (1997), was met with poor critical and commercial reactions. This is speculated to have contributed to Cast's break-up. 

Speaking about their split, John told Eddy: "I think it came to the end of the Britpop vibe, and we were worn out. I was worn out. I was stressed, and I fell out of love with who I was; the honeymoon was over."

It was a time of his life that John tried to shut out, and he revealed he didn't sing any of his hits for a decade. 

"I couldn't bring myself to do it," he added. 

Looking back at the 90s, John explained: "It was a great time to be a band, but do I want to go back there? No. There's a place to be, and it's right here, and it's right now."

After experimenting with some solo albums, Cast re-formed in 2010 and released their fifth record, Troubled Times, the following year. 

However, John believes that Love Is The Call is a far more important album for them. 

"It feels like a seminal record again. I think when you get that feeling, you recognise it, especially at my age," he said. "They don't come around that often, and it's kind of amazing to be that inspired to get a record like that."

Not only is this a new chapter for Cast, but it also marks a new way of looking at success for John, who says he now feels "liberated from the circus of Rock and Roll."

He added: "You can work with people and just not have the right songs, or it can be the wrong time in your career. We all got the picture, and once we started recording, everybody dropped their egos, and it was all about making the best and greatest record we could at this present moment. I feel like it's the best thing we've done.

"We split up, and now I'd like to think we're back."

Relive Cast's special Valentine's Day performance at the Top of Tower with Eddy Temple-Morris on Sunday, 25th February, at 7pm on Virgin Radio UK.