Depending on the age of the crowd, a lot may be expected of a John Power gig. For those of us near or over 30, one can't escape that he was in early 90s Liverpool band The Las and then went on to form Cast, who enjoyed much success but finally called it a day in 2002.
 
Tonight he makes us wait 45 minutes for him to arrive on stage. Some of the crowd shift about impatiently, hoping the wait is worth it. Finally, the man himself, his hair longer and curlier than ever, appears on stage to a couple of whoops and whistles, and mumbles a quick "Alright?" and starts strumming his accoustic.
 
Alot of Power's solo work is much more folky than Cast, but its well written and his band members are fine musicians, who all fit comfortably together and play a tight set. The last album, Willow the Weeps ws released last year and it features strongly in Power's set. This is a good thing, as its his best solo album to date. Happening For Love, the first album, had some nice moments but was a bit hit and miss. Power has been quoted in interviews lately as saying his writing has matured and improved as he has with age.
 
He could be right.

Words / Photos: Rebecca Lee www.rleephoto.co.uk