Dave Sweetmore - 8th August

Legendary Liverpool band Cast tonight (Thursday August 8th) play at Holmfirth Picturedrome, following the release of their seventh studio album 'Love Is The Call'. The band, who formed in 1992, were one of the most important bands in my life growing up, and to this day remain one of the best live bands around.

Original members John Power the iconic frontman and guitarist, lead guitarist Liam 'Skin' Tyson, and drummer Keith O'Neill, joined by bass player Jay Lewis, will be rolling into the amazing historic venue set in the stunning surroundings of Holmfirth, for a night full of the band's anthems sprinkled with tracks from more recent years.

After forming, Cast were signed to the Polydor label, where in 1995 they released their debut album 'All Change', an album which became a key part of the Britpop movement, and still sounds as good as ever. It is without a doubt one of the most important British albums of all time. It's an album that I still listen to constantly, and being 17 years old when it was released, was a life changing album for me. It became the biggest selling debut album for the Polydor label, and quickly turned the Liverpool four-piece turn into an integral part of the British music scene. The band went on to release three more albums, 'Mother Nature Calls', 'Magic Hour', and 'Beetroot', before splitting up in 2001.

The band members continued in music taking on different projects, before a much-needed reunion took place in 2010, and since then they have been an ever-present part of our music world. After reforming, the band released their fifth studio album 'Troubled Times', followed by 'Kicking Up The Dust' in 2017, and this year's excellent 'Love Is The Call'. The bands recorded music has always sounded amazing, and Cast have given us so many anthems over the years, including 'Alright', 'Finetime', 'Sandstorm', 'Walkaway', 'Guiding Star', 'Beat Mama', 'Live The Dream', and so many more, but it is also their live performances that have kept them as one of Britain's most popular bands.

They were once called 'The Who of the 1990's', and Noel Gallagher described watching the band live as 'a religious experience'. That I can agree with. I'm lucky to work with, meet, and watch a huge number of bands with my job as a concert and festival DJ, but Cast really do remain something special when it comes to live shows. Straight back off an Arena tour with Liam Gallagher as part of his 'Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary Tour', Cast have another busy summer with festivals and gigs, and long may it continue. I'll be at tonight's gig and genuinely can't wait to once again watch one of my favourite bands of all time.

At the time of writing this, there are limited tickets remaining for tonight's gig at Holmfirth Picturedrome, which are available from the venue website. Support comes from the brilliant Madame Claude, who were a band of the week on Tameside Radio's Local Music Spotlight feature in April last year, and well worth checking out if you are not already familiar with them. If you've no plans tonight, get yourself to Holmfirth Picturedrome to see Cast live. It's an experience you won't forget.