Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Like the name New York, something’s are worth repeating twice in the same breath or in the same excited tone, like the return of local heroes to a treasured venue after only a couple of months and with the same stirring set and the same quality of music being performed by band and orchestra alike.
For Cast and their fans, twenty years seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye, however as the band repeated their much valued night at the Philharmonic Hall and the 20th anniversary of the debut album All Change, it is always worth remembering that the spirit of their home city, artistically, never wavered during the time when it was arguably under siege from all sides, when it was the by word for all that seemed wrong and desperate and out of that artistic freedom came bands and musicians to whom this day are still enjoyed and worshiped over.
It was a kind of worship that greeted the band and the orchestra as they came on stage, a hushed reverence that was keenly observed and followed as the years were swept away like leaves from a playground, each turned over leaf revealing an in depth revelation about the music after so many years since the songs were first played.
For John Power, having recently performing as one of the most celebrated icons to ever come out of Liverpool, John Lennon, this was an experience that was arguably more nerve racking, the adulation of an audience inside Liverpool’s prestigious venue making the hair on the neck stand up and shimmer vibrantly, perhaps more shaking of the soul than appearing as a favourite son. Yet as the night progressed, as the orchestra’s hold over the intricate detail and the band’s joy at performing well versed music became apparent, there really was no stopping the applause or the calls of genuine affection from being audibly heard.
With the evening spread over two sets, songs such as I’m So Lonely, Magic Hour, Living The Dream, Tell It Like It Is, Walkaway and Alright all fired the imagination, all were as finely tuned as the recently restored Flying Scotsman in full flight, all were piston firing and engine humming, the cohesion between orchestral arrangement and Liverpool pop angst firmly placed down and revelled in.
A night when to repeat something impressive, in itself became just as cool. All Change perhaps but some nights are best left being superb in the eyes of their fans without altering a single moment.
Ian D. Hall