John Power interview: Allerton-born singer talks The La’s, Cast, Jamie Webster and LFC

After a lockdown period in which he admits he was struggling for inspiration, John Power’s creativity has re-emerged once more.

The Allerton-born singer-songwriter embarks on a nationwide tour with Cast later this year and is working on plenty of new material.

Words by Tom Beattie

Has writing songs been a release for you during lockdown or have you been left feeling uninspired?

There was all the frustration and anger at first of feeling like I’d been sent into early retirement [by the pandemic] but these last few months I’ve been finalising both a Cast album and a solo record. I love to hear myself within the song and for a long while I just kept looking at my guitar.

I wrote a song for Adidas which got me going again. I must say, though, prior to that I couldn’t be bothered getting involved. I didn’t feel it, I couldn’t feel that inspiration without that ritual of playing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve recorded solo but I also love to be in the presence of people with my guitar.

The corruption of those in power, Brexit and the general shock of the pandemic we all felt meant I just didn’t feel like writing anything that would’ve felt best placed for that kind of moment – like a protest song.

Working on the new music, what has been your process? Does it differ between Cast and your solo stuff?

At the moment I’m writing songs that reflect what we are longing for. What I wished for as a younger lad, and also my consideration of injustice, has never changed. I feel empowered again and turned on. The songs might not be protest songs but there is certainly a lot in there about having that connection with people. That’s what the albums will be about, whether it’s Cast or solo.

But to tell you the truth, I never sit down and think ‘I’m going to write this kind of song, that kind of song’. From day one, I’ve picked up my guitar and tried to find something which interests me. If I’m lucky enough to hit upon something interesting, then I go from there. But ultimately, I’m always trying to find something that stays in my head.

With this new Cast album, I feel I’ve got a direction and focus. I’ve got them demoed and know what I want them to be like. There are other songs that maybe won’t be on the album but that maybe means they’re more suited to my solo work.

What do you hope to achieve with these new records?

With this new Cast record, if I do it right, I’ll never make another record again. Perhaps solo I will, but the Cast album goes back to where we started. That presence and focus is something I’m so determined to get to as an artist.

Uptown rock and roll – if I get it right, it might be Cast’s full circle.

Looking back at your days with The La’s and then Cast, how great was it to be part of a scene like that? When you think back to the era of Britpop, do you feel that was maybe the last great movement for music in some ways?

The story starts with The La’s for me. At the time there were some bands like The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, but we didn’t know that many people in a collective ‘scene’. The difference with Cast was that we did form part of the Britpop era.

[Britpop] captured the imagination and across the country, most kids felt part of it. They really supported their bands in a way that you don’t see as much nowadays. I feel you maybe wouldn’t get that anymore as people don’t follow bands as tribally. There’s so much choice through downloading and streaming, whereas back then you built up a following through touring which brought so many people together.

It’s now become like a golden era, a mythical land almost. When Britpop ended, it felt like Cast were almost branded as that but I think people look back on it with real fondness. Young people still listen to The La’s and Cast, and I’m really proud of that.

 

 

Are you excited to get back out on the road after what’s been such an odd year for the music industry?

I’m delighted to be getting back out there. It’s been a right drag for everyone who is involved in performing. Although we keep in touch, for many of us, we really only see each other when we’re gigging and rehearsing. I’m really looking forward to it.

I get cabin fever like the rest of us and there’s only so many times you can clean the kitchen tops down before you want to get back out there. I don’t mind being the househusband as long as I get out and play gigs! All being well, we’ll put all the energy of the past couple of years into the performances.

The style and energy of fellow Liverpool singer-songwriter Jamie Webster has been likened to that of The La’s. Is that something you have noticed as well?

I do hear it; a lot of people say it to me. I remember when Jake Bugg came out it was similar where people would say, ‘I thought that was [The La’s]’. I think music rightfully is passed on. The baton is passed on. Whatever music you feel speaks to you, feels local to you, is something that is always an influence. Maybe it’s been that way for Jamie [Webster], I’d like to think it is!

There’s a certain cut to musicians from Liverpool, a certain feel. It gets expressed in different ways. We’re all not the same, whether it be The Coral, Cast or anyone, but there’s something there that binds us, sparks us up. Music is bigger than localities, fads and fashions, but it gets reinterpreted as well. It was the same for us in The La’s.

And finally, you’re famously a big Liverpool fan, are you excited for the season ahead?

Last year was just a crazy year for us with Virgil van Dijk being injured and I think for a club that feeds so much off the crowd, the players looked like they’d done a stint in Vietnam. They looked shell-shocked towards the end of the season. And, on top, the players would’ve had to keep up the form of the two years before which was just setting the bar so high.

This year, I’m feeling positive. There’s still a fantastic team there. The machine that is Manchester City is a threat but the past three or four seasons have all come with their own achievements. You’d be hard pressed to find better Liverpool sides than this, but I’m hoping we can rediscover that spark this year. I think we will!

Cast play O2 Academy Liverpool on Friday 14 January 2022, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album All Change