As is the case with so many of us, for John Power, football and music have always been closely entwined.
Power, who would serve as The La’s guitarist during the 1980s before fronting Britpop act Cast in the mid-1990s, grew up immersed in the culture of Liverpool FC, spending his childhood growing up on the Kop during one of the most iconic periods in the club’s history.
And the game has always remained with him, from those early days on the terraces right up to trading verbal spars with Liam and Noel Gallagher on tour decades later.
John Power on his spiritual home of Anfield
“You’d look out onto this perfect vision of these heaving masses of people,” Power tells FourFourTwo when asked what he remembers about his time on the Kop as a child.
“This was the early ’70s, so a lot of big hair and denim. There was still a real working class, so it was fans who had jobs in the docks, factories, labourers, and they all went to the game en masse.
“The singing had a massive impact on me, the sheer depth and scale of the choir. Anfield was my spiritual home, and I could feel the songs passing through my body.”
Plenty has changed inside English football stadiums since then, with Power admitting that the experience these days does not quite match up the ’70s and ‘80s.
“Back then, people would take a breath and you could hear the bass notes and baritone,” he adds. “People were more adept at singing in the ’70s and ’80s. I get angry when people shout – they aren’t singing. I sometimes say, ‘Slow down, lads. Stop squeezing it out and sing the song.’
Another staple of his footballing youth that remains with him is his superstitious nature.
“Of course!” he exclaims when asked if he has any superstitions. “I believe in something beyond logic to get through this world and do what I do. I’ve personally changed the will of a game through my incantations and invocations. If I’d just sat and done nothing, Liverpool would have lost. I’d think most passionate fans are like that.
“If you want to believe in reason, you should move into science. We channel things. I don’t have a lucky mojo or anything like that, but I believe in the frequency and energy of people. I’m superstitious – you’ve got to believe in something, for a better world, a better version of yourself, otherwise you get lost in the crowd.”
Power was on the bill for Oasis’ comeback tour last year, alongside Richard Ashcroft, which provided the perfect opportunity for some Merseyside-Manchester barbs.
“I get a few texts from Liam and Noel on City – they had it tough for many years,” he says. “Liverpool’s rivalry was always United, and probably still is deep down, but we like to stick it to City for many reasons now. Richard is United. You can’t be perfect, but there’s nothing for him to crow about there at the moment. There were good chats on the tour – Richard, Liam and Noel are all deep guys. I think I’m going to need therapy now it’s over.”
