Cast at The Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh: Britpop legends, back in Edinburgh, support their claim to being far more than an opening act 

I know what you did last summer…

You were at the Oasis reunion shows – which was the comeback none of us expected but all of us wanted. And, if you got there early enough, you caught Cast in support.

There’s a reason the band fronted by John Power were chosen to kick off each night of the most eagerly anticipated shows since The Stone Roses buried the hatchet. Trust. The Gallaghers knew they could rely on one of Britpop’s finest to deliver. Those performances reminded us not just how good Cast are as a live outfit, but also how much quality they’ve got tucked away in their back pocket.

Which brings us to this. The kind of bitter February night that has you yearning for the two days of sunshine we’re typically rationed to in Scotland.

Cast were in the middle of a short promotional run, pushing their new release Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! as high up the album charts as possible. And while geographically The Liquid Rooms is only just along the road from Murrayfield, they were a million miles away from last year’s stadium support slots.

This was intimate. No balcony open, robbing me of my usual safe space of hugging the mixing desk. No merch stall loaded with branded T-shirts and paraphernalia, denying my banking app the chance to raise a worrying eyebrow and an alert.

Just Power, drummer Keith O’Neill and guitarist Liam Tyson, standing on a low-down, battle-scarred stage.

They were also without P.P. Arnold, the powerhouse soul vocalist who features on a couple of tracks on the new album, but it didn’t hold Cast back.

‘Poison Vine’, the opening track on Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, kicked things off superbly even without Arnold in attendance. The album nods towards the bluesy swagger of the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and sounded even more epic in the flesh than it does on record. ‘Free Love’ and ‘Way It’s Gotta Be (Oh Yeah)’ kept the momentum rolling, though it wasn’t all foot to the floor. The folk infused ‘Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’ brought a welcome grounding to proceedings.

Between songs, Power did what he could to plug the new release, trading witty banter with the crowd and admitting his love for being north of the border on more than one occasion.

The set may have been svelte, but there was still time for a couple of classics. The country-tinged ‘Live the Dream’ had the crowd hollering back the words before they finished on ‘Walkaway’ which is the kind of anthemic ballad a certain Mancunian songwriter would have been proud to have penned.

And that was that. The band left the stage to a crowd eager for more, and for any souvenirs they could get their hands on, from set lists to drumsticks.

Cast left in a confident mood, having proved they’re still more than capable of putting on a show without the hype of their famous mates.

Set List (3rd February 2026)

Poison Vine

Don’t Look Away

Say Something New

Way It’s Gotta Be (Oh Yeah)

Teardrops

Free Love

Devil and the Deep

Live the Dream

Walkaway