And with The La's contemporaries from the Madchester era, such as The Stone Roses,
Happy Mondays and The Charlatans, going on to achieve success they didn't have to feel like strangers.
With Mavers reunited with Power, and joined in the new line-up by Jay Lewis and Nick Miniski, expectations were high.
But could The La's still deliver? As the first chords of Son of Gun echoed around the theatre, any reservations about their ability to play live soon vanished.
Maver's voice seemed unaffected by his 10-year absence and the band's sound was tight and powerful.
As they went through old favourites, it was difficult to pick out the highlights. It hardly mattered that there was no new material and the only complaint was the shortening of their epic song, Looking Glass.
