John Power (musician) - The La's

The La's

Having previously struggled to find a permanent bass players since their formation, The La's recruited then 18 year old John Power in July 1986 after he met Mike Badger at a course for unemployed musicians. Whilst still quite inexperienced on bass guitar, Power was mentored by Lee Mavers (a former bass player himself) and the core trio of Mavers, Badger and Power rehearsed and performed extensively until December 1986 when Badger left the band. The La's fanbase grew rapidly after the arrival of Power and the group recorded some of the demos which helped them gain a record deal the following year.

For the remainder of The La's' history, the band's line-up would change frequently with a constant duo of Lee Mavers (guitar, vocals) and John Power (bass, backing vocals) and various other guitarists and drummers. Power played on the band's early singles "Way Out" (1987) and "There She Goes" (1988) and was part of the recording of the band's debut album The La's released in 1990.

Whilst in The La's, John Power emerged as a songwriter himself and two Power-written songs "Alright" and "Follow Me Down" were performed live by the band during 1991. Following increased tension between Power and Lee Mavers, John Power left The La's in December 1991 and he went on to form Cast the following year.

It was then announced in 2005, that The La's were to reform for a series of headline and festival appearances in the UK, Ireland and Japan. Following these gigs and with no sign of new La's material, Power returned to his solo career.