Cast

Cast are a British indie band from Liverpool, formed in 1993 by John Power, formerly the bassist of The La's. The group is active from 1993 to the present and is associated with Britpop, indie rock, jangle pop and power pop. The listed members are John Power, Pete Wilkinson, Keith O'Neill, Liam Tyson and Peter Wilkinson. They record for Cast Recordings and Polydor.

Career

Cast release four albums between 1995 and 2001 and are most prominent during the mid-1990s Britpop period. At that time they are often viewed as one of the lesser-known bands of the scene, alongside better-known acts such as Blur, Oasis and Pulp. Their name is said to come from the final line of the last song on The La's only album, where the line “The stone is cast, the glass is smashed” appears in “Looking Glass”.

After the commercial failure of their final studio album, Beetroot, the band split in 2002. A greatest hits release, The Collection, follows in 2004 but does not chart. It is criticised for omitting the hit singles “Alright” and “Walkaway” from All Change and for relying mainly on album tracks. John Power later releases a solo album.

After the split

Peter Wilkinson records and tours with a number of other artists after 2002, including Ian McCulloch and the reformed Echo & The Bunnymen. He leaves Echo & The Bunnymen in mid-2005 and then rejoins Shack, the Liverpool band signed to Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label.