C is for Cast. And incidentally, C also stands for Crap. Witty eh?
v - to throw or hurl; or incidentally, a really terrible Liverpudlian Britpop band...
So bad, it can’t even be called Dad-rock. In fact, if I implied that my Dad listened to Cast, I would certainly get a clip round the ear. As I was researching for this piece, I heard that Cast in fact reformed and are now due to tour this November. It brought a shiver to my spine.
Cast were of course formed from the ashes of two earlier acts, Shack and The La’s, and comprised of John Power, Peter Wilkinson, Liam Tyson, and Keith O’Neill. They bothered the charts during the mid-90s, and despite my aforementioned hatred of this group, they were actually pretty successful with their first album “All Change”, a high seller for Polydor, and achieved subsequent success with "Mother Nature Calls" and "Magic Hour".
You'd recognise the band from their hits, "Guiding Star", "Fine Time", "Walkaway" and "Alright" (not "There She Goes", that was a Las one..), most probably from wedding discos or lift music. It seems the band hit an ideal market for their back catalog of bland and repetitive dirge in providing non-offensive background noise.
The comeback must be a relief for Cast's most active member - John Power, who since the original split has been wandering from door to door offering Scouse renditions of old folk numbers*. I was unlucky enough to catch him back in 2005 at the Godiva Festival in Cov, where he performed a few old Las/Cast combos on a lonely stage against the backdrop of two thousand disinterested Datsuns fans, who were trying to get a good spot for the headliners. So now at least he has some friends to face the world with again once more.
Of course people will buy the tickets - 30something blokes with a Weller cut, a Fred Perry polo and a Madchester attitude (..despite working in Sales at a reputable insurance firm). And then they'll be doing the little festivals next year, coming back as retro "heroes". With another "best of" or heaven forbid, another album with "new material" on the way too. Well no thank you. Stay out of the Midlands ta.
My advice for Cast? Release a Karaoke album, cash in big time and then retire to Alicante. Its the most humane thing for you.
Until next time 90s fans, A x
*evidence of this activity has not yet surfaced.But its probably true. Please don't sue.
