John Power is sitting on a couch, under low light, with an acoustic guitar within reach. It feels like we’re in his front room, having a chat.
He’s here on the back of his recent book, The Change Is Cast, but it’s far more than a promotional run. He doesn’t need anyone to bounce off, either, as he quickly creates an intimate spark with the audience.
Power goes back to his early roots in South Liverpool, and as a kid, he would hear The Beatles on the wireless, cutting through from what he imagined was some exotic place. When he discovers they were local lads from the very same streets, he can hardly comprehend it. Soon it begins to feel like a musical testimony, with Shankly’s Liverpool side thrown into the mix. These are not distant stars but attainable people, figures you can almost reach out and touch. The city gave him a way of seeing things: if it’s worth doing, then do it right.
His Liverpool Irish roots sit just beneath the surface. You hear it in the cadence, in the turn of phrase, and in the instinct to circle a point rather than go straight at it. Music, properly begins with Lee Mavers and Mike Badger. The La’s are both an opening and an education. He plays “Son of a Gun,” then “Over”, the co-write with Mavers, which summons the bond between the pair; something that clearly can’t be broken. So much so that it sits in the air tonight. He talks about Mavers in terms of songwriting standards; he avoids nostalgia, and he never makes the mistake of over-glamourising his time in The La’s. The difficulty was always the same: getting that sound out of the room (or Lee’s head) and onto tape. By the start of the 1990s, the journey was becoming a dead weight. You sense the atmosphere without him spelling it out.
Leaving leads straight to Cast and a new collection of songs. A new sonic energy is born that is less internal and more declarative. He moves through the early songs like “Fine Time” which is still direct, still carrying its first intent. Power brings things bang up to date with the recent Oasis tour. He was invited onto the Live ’25 dates by Liam Gallagher’s partner and manager, Debbie Gwyther; at one point during the conversation, Liam comes on the phone to sing a few bars of “Sandstorm”.
The humour is dry and quick. After an endless creaking from the seats, he suggests the hinges might need oiling. After a few chuckles, the creaking stops. He sits easily and plays when it suits the telling of a story. “Mariner” is a lesser played song that stands out on its own, a solo piece that deserved more the first time round.
In the Q&A, someone asks about Mavers: “Will there ever be another record?” Power would like that as much as anyone. He says he’d like to see him again, even if it’s just for a cup of tea. After that, you never know, but as Power suggests, “Don’t hold your breath; unless you’re a deep sea diver”.
The Change is Cast is out now.
