Cast – Live Review – Wardrobe, Leeds
By David Schuster, January 2026
Last summer, as part of the much anticipated Oasis reunion, Cast performed at Manchester’s Heaton Park in front of 80,000 people. Tonight, a lucky 400 or so of us got to see them play a stripped down launch set for their latest album, Yeah Yeah Yeah, in the far more intimate setting of The Wardrobe in Leeds. It turned out to be a very special opportunity.
After a cheery greeting, the band started the show with ‘Poison Vine’, the first track on the new record and also the first single. It’s a good choice, both as a single and as an opener for tonight. It’s instantly recognisable as Cast circa mid-90’s. That’s not by chance. With Aviator sunglasses and denim bucket hat pulled down over his curly hair, there’s no doubt that frontman, John Power, recognises the value of last year’s wave of Britpop nostalgia. By contrast, guitarist ‘Skin’ Tyson is rocking his trademark look that I’m going to call ‘Viking Chic’; long hair and plaited beard. Take him back to York eleven-hundred years ago and he’d fit right in. Long time drummer, Keith O’Neill, completes the trio on stage tonight.
“Note perfect”
It’s easy to forget the time, skill and effort that goes into playing live, but it’s brought home to me at the end of the second song, ‘Don’t Look Away’. The singer pauses and reflects that this is the very first time that they have performed it on stage. I wouldn’t have known that, and for a debut outing it’s note perfect, as far as I can tell. Ironically, ‘Play Something New’ also feels reassuringly familiar. Power’s smoothly distorted acoustic guitar gives their whole sound a convivial warmth on a cold January night. It’s the audio equivalent of the Scandinavian concept of hygge.
Renowned soul singer P. P. Arnold provided backing vocals to the first two singles from Yeah Yeah Yeah, ‘Poison Vine’ and ‘Way it’s Gotta Be’. In my review, I expressed a slight concern whether the group would be able replicate the sound of the album on stage. Well, they don’t. However, that’s not to the detriment of the songs. The studio version of ‘Way it’s Gotta Be’ is sharp and staccato, heavy rock in the style of Led Zep. On stage it’s softer, more true to the band, more uniquely Cast.
“Feel-good”
The musicians exchange quips with each other and the audience, and the whole show has the relaxed feel of seeing a bunch of mates do a gig in your local. Altogether, they play the majority of the new record. A full seven of the ten tracks. I’m pleased to say that this included my favourite, ‘Teardrop’. There’s a moment of confusion, where Power forgets whether it’s teardrop or teardrops. “Is it singular or plural?”, he quizzes Tyson and O’Neill, to be laughingly berated by them and the crowd. It sets the mood perfectly for the song, which is a lovely, simple bit of feel-good pop rock. Coincidentally, they follow this with ‘Free Love’, which the singer says is the group’s favourite from the album. They finish the new material with the quietly beautiful folk-rock ‘Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’.
To be honest, they could have left it there and I’d have gone away happy. Yeah Yeah Yeah fits that well into the past catalogue of their work, there’s no jarring juxtaposition between old and new material. I’m sure that the band must have been reassured by it’s reception. From that point of view, it was job done. It’s nice than that they chose to perform two fan favourites as an encore; ‘Live the Dream’ from 1997’s Mother Nature Calls, and perhaps their best known hit ‘Walkaway’ from their iconic Britpop album All Change.
Seeing Cast play live is a different experience to listening to the records. But, both are well worth it. Judge for yourself. Buy Yeah Yeah Yeah, out now, and catch them on tour this year.
Tour details: castband.co.uk/tour
images : David Schuster
David Schuster describes himself as an “adventurer, collector, musician and writer. Not necessarily in that order.” Growing up west of the Pennine hills of the UK and living his adult life east of them, he’s inclined to think that the Wars of the Roses were a mistake. David loves discovering new bands and musicians and is happiest listening to live music. He has travelled extensively in the UK and is fascinated by the variety, history and landscapes of the thousands of islands that comprise the British Isles. David is always reassured when online shops confirm that he’s not a robot.
