John Power feels like there’s a renaissance going on. He’s calling from London after performing two back-to-back nights at Wembley Stadium with his band, Cast, who were the chosen ones to open up for Oasis on their absolutely mad reunion tour. (Richard Ashcroft, of “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and the Verve fame, is the other.) “Yeah, I’m a little bit knackered,” he says with a laugh. “But things are flying for us at the moment.” Power — who has long been a contemporary and peer of the Gallagher brothers thanks to their overlapping Britpop careers — will be riding this high for as long as possible. Cast will continue to open for Oasis for the first leg of their dates across the pond, and they’ll also be performing their first American show in nearly 30 years at Sony Hall on September 3. But until then, Power can’t believe just how well everything is going. “It’s like a congregation. It’s so beautiful how music unifies,” he says of the crowd. “In a world that’s pretty vicious these days, it’s great to just bring everyone together.” And because we know you’re curious: Noel and Liam are getting along like gangbusters.
Noel once described listening to your band’s music as a “religious experience.” Do you recall your first meeting with each other and why he was so moved by your work?
That’s a high compliment. It’s a funny old journey, really. I met Noel and Liam 30-odd years ago. It’s very apt that right at this moment, we’re on this tour with them, because Cast started with Oasis. We got signed at a show when we were opening for them in London. My first meeting with Noel was when he was a roadie and a guitar tech for the Inspiral Carpets and I was the bass player in the La’s. We did a gig with the Inspirals and I more meaningfully met him a little later when Cast got signed. I played him my demos at a little show when “Supersonic” burst on the scene. He loved them and gave us a show in London to open. I also met Liam before Oasis. He came to a La’s gig and we’ve always been there or thereabouts ever since. The intention when we got offered this show was, Liam had spoken to Noel and they wanted the show to open with a rock-and-roll chord as opposed to whatever else was out there. They authenticate our legacy and it’s something that I’m very thrilled about.
I’d love to know how Cast got this gig. Who approached you and how many compliments were you showered with?
There were lots of rumors about who was going to support them. Was Oasis going to do it like a festival with different lineups every night or something? We played with Liam about a year earlier when he did the Definitely Maybe arena tour. I thought we might have our name in the hat and all that. Cast was up in Scotland for our own tour, and it was about an hour before we were going onstage when Liam started tweeting — all these sorts of cryptic tweets saying, “All we need now is to cast away on this merry journey.” He kept putting these innuendos in. To be honest, I had made my peace that we weren’t getting the gig. You’ve got to Zen within yourself. You can’t really look for the external things to bring you what you need. You’ve got to have that yourself. But then I started getting a few butterflies and thought, This is all getting a bit cosmic, maybe we have a chance?
Then I got a phone call from a number that I didn’t recognize. I don’t normally pick them up because you never knew who’s on the other end. But I picked it up. My gut feeling said, “John, answer this call.” I answered it and it was Liam. He was really buzzing and really excited. He said he just got off the phone with this kid, Noel, and they wanted us to open for Oasis. He asked, “John, do you want to open for us?” And I was like, “Are you kidding me, man? Do I want to open for you? Um, yeah!” We had a great conversation. Liam was like the way Liam is. He’s kind of abstract, but he’s genuine. He was going on about how important it was for us to open the tour. He started singing my song “Sandstorm.” When I hung up, the dressing room just erupted. Every band would’ve wanted to open on this tour. These gigs have become more than just a show. It’s a happening. It’s a gathering. They’ve been absolutely wild.
Are you anticipating a different crowd for the American shows?
There’s going to be a lot of people who are going to see Cast for the first time, regardless of seeing Oasis, who are absolutely on fire at the moment. But on a personal level, it’s an amazing opportunity. Cast is a real rock-and-roll band with melodies. I’ve got a real good feeling about playing to American audiences. I think you’re going to really dig what we’re doing. It’s not as fab and fickle as the British musical press can be. Everything’s in place, and we’re rolling and riding the surf all the way to the shore. I don’t know where that shore is, but we’re surfing that wave. It seems like the universe is on my side at the moment. Going to New York is a bit of a dream for a band from Liverpool.
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Has Oasis established any rituals or rules for everyone while on the road?
The only rule is that Liam is singing. I know Liam’s voice pretty well. I haven’t heard him sing as good as this for over a decade. It’s bright and roaring. The tone of his voice is very much heyday Oasis. Whatever he’s doing, he’s keeping it all fresh. He’s in a good mood and a good place. Noel looks Zen-like and expressive. Joey Waronker, the American guy who’s stepped in on the drums, he’s got the right feel. I wasn’t quite aware of his type of drumming, but he’s fitting in great with the band. With us, Richard Ashcroft, and Oasis, you’ve got three northern-soul rock-and-roll bands. Everyone’s loosening up for the occasion.
Yeah, I look at this bill and see three distinct sets of artists who have maintained a relationship, both personal and professional, after all of these decades. It’s really quite lovely. What has it meant to you to have this shared experience?
It’s strange because there’s a deep respect between all of us. We all come from a certain part of Britain in the northwest: Liverpool, Manchester, and Wigan. We’re all working-class guys. The lineup reflects the DNA of the whole show. I’m in the band, so of course I’m going to say this, but it just feels like the right lineup. Nobody feels like they shouldn’t be there. Oasis is picking up on that, Richard is picking up on that, and I’m picking up on that. I can’t think of a band since the Beatles who’ve made this impression. Oasis split up for 16 years. The absolute celebrational joy that’s going on at these shows is really something. But I’ve learned enough in life that these moments pass. This is going to be a legend to be told.
It’s interesting, because last year, enough people were griping at Liam on social media about Oasis’s choice in opener that he had to implore everyone to “show some fucking respect.” He stressed that elevating “middle-aged bands” was more important than supporting young acts. I’m curious if you understand and agree with his logic at all.
You’ve got to wear your stripes. There’s a lot of new bands around. Would they be right for this show? No, I don’t think so. Liam was basically telling the people who were moaning about a younger band to get stuffed. I don’t think many bands could do what we’re doing on that stage. We’ve had the highs. We’ve had the lows. We’ve been through the mill. We’ve rocked and rolled, we’ve partied, and we’ve cleaned up. We’ve done everything that you can imagine rock and roll offers. So I know what Liam means.
It’s very easy shouting, “Oh, give this younger band a chance.” I like the way Liam is sometimes. He’s honest. Because everybody wants to do the right thing in this sort of overtly PC sort of way. It’s like, “Oh, well, we’ve got to have a modern band to balance this out.” No. What we want, and as Liam said when he rang up on the phone and when he offered Cast the tour, was he didn’t want all these other acts. He said, and I quote, “I want the show to open with ‘Sandstorm.’” He wanted our songs. There’s something beautiful about authentic rock and roll. We’ve got some great songs. We’ve got great melodies. We’re like a tough band when we play live. So I think Liam nailed it when he told them all to get stuffed.
Liam hasn’t tweeted since the tour began. I miss his deranged musings.
He’s very, very focused at the moment. I know that this tour means a hell of a lot, if not the world, to him. He’s doing everything to make sure that he can go on. The worst thing is if you’re tired, because your voice gets knackered and a bit strained. He’s in top form at the moment. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing the right things because his voice sounds absolutely wonderful.
What have you observed about the current state of Liam and Noel’s relationship with each other?
Noel and Liam seem to be in an absolutely wonderful place. They both genuinely … well, of course they want to be there, but you can feel the positive energy. It’s all going hunky-dory.
How many bucket hats are accompanying you all on tour?
I’ve been wearing a bucket hat from day one. Firstly, because I’ve got messy hair and sometimes it contains the wayward head of hair that I have. Secondly, we’ve got this rock-and-roll militia vibe at the moment. It’s a bit like Apocalypse Now, a few fatigues and a bucket hat. Liam wore an amazing one the other day, actually, and he was very keen to let people know it was a jumbo-cord bucket hat. I’ve just got a very nice denim Japanese bucket hat. But there’s a lot of bucket hats knocking around in the audience as well.
