Cast frontman, John Power, approached the soon-to-be-released 7th studio album ‘Love Is The Call’ with the mindset that “if you are going to do something, make sure you do it right.” Having listened to the new album, it’s safe for us to say that the group made good of this ethos, creating a record that combines the energy and aspirations of a newly-formed band with the maturity and wisdom amassed from the better part of three decades of success.
The genesis behind ‘Love Is The Call’ lies in a conversation Power had with Alan McGee, the legendary founder of Creation Records, who suggested that Power ought to go and make “a fantastic album and to ignore all of the bullshit.” Taking McGee’s advice to heart, a penny quickly dropped and Power tapped into a fertile moment he’d left untouched between the The La’s calling it quits and the creation of Cast that found him exploring a rich vein of creativity; something that culminated in him composing some of the best material of his life. This realisation was only strengthened even further when the band headed to Space Mountain Studios in Granada, Spain to join forces with Grammy-winning producer Youth.
In anticipation of the LP’s imminent release, CinemaChords’ Howard Gorman sat down with Power who revealed exactly how he tapped into that aforementioned ‘fertile moment” between The La’s and Cast, what McGee was referring to when he told him to ‘ignore all the bullshit’ and why he believes he’s finally written the album that Cast was destined to make; an LP that’s guaranteed to enamour fans who first fell for the likes of ‘Finetime’, ‘Alright’ and ‘Walkaway’ back when they first started out…
‘Love Is The Call’ is available to pre-order here. In addition to its digital release, Cast’s official store offers a green vinyl with a signed print as well as a pink vinyl and a signed CD, while Rough Trade offers a limited edition blue vinyl edition.
The band will be celebrating the album release by embarking on an extensive record store tour, which mixes intimate performances, album signing sessions and meet-and-greets. The album’s impact will be heightened by bigger live plans as 2024 unfolds: a full UK headline tour in March, before they join Liam Gallagher’s ‘Definitely Maybe’ arena shows in June – a reunion after Cast were part of the bill during Oasis’s iconic Knebworth shows in 1996. Their summer festival schedule is also taking shape. Remaining tickets for the shows, listed below, are available here.
FEBRUARY – RECORD STORE TOUR
16th – Southampton, Vanilo
17th – London, Rough Trade East
18th – Liverpool, Jacaranda Baltic (4.30pm)
18th – Liverpool, Jacaranda Baltic (7.30PM) – SOLD OUT
19th – Edinburgh, Assai (1pm)
19th – Glasgow, Assai (6pm)
20th – Newcastle, Reflex – SOLD OUT
21st – Leeds, Crash (6pm)
21st – Leeds, Crash (8pm) – SOLD OUT
22nd – Bury, Wax and Beans (5pm) – SOLD OUT
22nd – Bury, Wax and Beans (7.30pm)
MARCH – HEADLINE TOUR
1st – Glasgow, SWG3
2nd – Manchester, O2 The Ritz
8th – Birmingham, O2 The Institute
9th – Leeds, O2 Academy
15th – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
16th – Liverpool, Mountford Hall
JUNE – SPECIAL GUESTS TO LIAM GALLAGHER
1st – Sheffield, Utilita Arena
3rd – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
10th – London, The O2
11th – London, The O2
15th – Manchester, Co-op Live
16th – Manchester, Co-op Live
23rd – Dublin, 3Arena
24th – Dublin, 3Arena
27th – Manchester, Co-op Live
28th – Manchester, Co-op Live
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