Cast

One of the most traditional guitar bands to emerge during the Brit-pop era of the mid-'90s, Cast have always adhered to the guitar gospel of the mid-'60s: they prized clarion hooks, chiming guitars, and candied melodies. Led by John Power, a vocalist/guitarist who played bass in the seminal 1980s indie group the La's, Cast colored their muscular jangle with a mystical, vaguely hippie sensibility, a combination that kept the band lodged in the top of the U.K. charts throughout the late '90s. They racked up seven Top Ten singles -- including "Sandstorm," "Walkaway," "Flying," "Free Me," and "Beat Mama" -- within the course of three years. The group split up after the release of Beetroot in 2001, spending a decade apart before reuniting in 2011 for Troubled Times. From that point forward, Cast have toured regularly and recorded the occasional album, such as 2024's Love Is the Call.