John Power

2:50pm Thursday 3rd January 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

"I FEEL like I am on top of my game now, la, for the first time in my life. The wind is in my sails and I've found a groove."

"I don't want to be a parody of what I did and I don't want to write pop songs.

"I've been writing more soulful stuff, which is going down great, more blues and rootsier stuff, that Beefheart sound.

"The more mature you get you can express it a bit more - when you're a bit wet behind the ears you haven't maybe earned the right to play this kind of music..."

John Power pauses for breath, considering for a second what he has just said.

"No, that's rubbish isn't it!

"I just think my voice has matured, it's more gruff and my music has gone full circle - it's back to rock and roll.

"I feel more at home, more ready to be tied to the cause than in the past."

The former Cast frontman and bassist with The La's is refreshingly frank in discussing his journey over the past 20 years - from reuniting with Lee Mavers for the 2005 tour by The La's to his current aspirations ahead of his date at the Pyramid this Saturday night.

The singer has turned 40, but he says he has lost none of his desire to keep moving forward with his music - having recorded a new album, Stormbreaker, with Jay Lewis (The La's/Cracatilla) and Steve Pilgrim (The Stands) in just a fortnight this summer.

He said: "We recorded Stormbreaker in about two weeks, which is unheard of really - normally you're just twiddling your thumbs or starting to lay down the drums. It's a merit of the band really.

"It opens up with a mad 70s kind of old funk backbeat and then a soul chorus.

"The first four tracks are quite grimy, quite bluesy. Then there's Good Life, which will probably be the single.

"There's a track that's pure Laurel and Hardy... and then it finishes with some yodelling, cause I had to get that in somewhere!"

Stormbreaker is released on January 28 through Tanuki Tanuki records.

Tickets for Saturday's show, which cost £10.50, are available from the Pyramid box office on 442345.

Doors open at 7.30pm.