Photo Credit: Anya Maya

After a hectic 2024, Liverpool quartet CAST continue to fill up their schedule for 2025 with various support slots, festival appearances and even a UK headline tour later this year. Their second show of the year was a sold out performance at Barnsley’s premier establishment, Birdwell Venue as CAST brought out all the big hitters plus tracks from their latest record ‘Love Is The Call‘.

The room turned into complete darkness, the crowd erupted and CAST soon emerged on stage. Kicking off with the usual ‘Sandstorm’ to get the audience singing along from the get go and ‘Fine Time’ continued the ‘All Change’ opening, hyping up their 30th anniversary tour coming later in the year. Keeping the ‘Love is the Call’ train rolling after its release last year, the title track received a huge singalong, showing that this album has resonated with their fanbase. Clear favourite ‘Guiding Star’ saw then energy continue throughout the room and arguably its loudest until the eventual finale later in the night.

Further material from ‘Love is the Call‘ soon followed, as ‘First Smile Ever‘ and ‘Faraway‘ allowed the crowd to allow their voices to be heard despite the sweltering head that filled the room. The emotional ‘Walkaway‘ saw a sea of raised hands, swaying side to side for this classic CAST track as the finale was looming now. The mind boggling guitar intro from Tyson for ‘History‘ is mesmerising, even thirty years on it is one of the most astonishing sounds to come from a guitar and set up perfectly for the crowd to use up their last bit of energy for ‘Alright‘ and give CAST the Barnsley welcoming they were more than likely not expecting, but with a sold out performance in South Yorkshire, what is there not to love?