Big Big Train, the award-winning, international progressive rock band, will issue their 16th studio album, Woodcut, via InsideOutMusic on February 6th, 2026. Woodcut marks their first ever full-length conceptual piece, a continuous narrative exploring creativity, sacrifice and the thin line between inspiration and madness.
They have released the first single from the album, ‘The Artist’, which is accompanied by a stunning video created by Crystal Spotlight. Watch it now here:
In August and September 2023, multi-national progressive rockers BIG BIG TRAIN undertook their longest ever tour to date, performing 17 shows over 21 days across nine countries in the UK and Europe, and concluding with two triumphant concerts at London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall. Those two concerts are now immortalised as A Flare On The Lens, released on September 13th2024 via InsideOutMusic.
The band are pleased to launch a live video for the track ‘Love Is The Light’, taken from their most recent studio album The Likes Of Us. Watch it now here:
Following this year’s Cruise To The Edge, Big Big Train travelled to Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana to take part in a recording and mixing session run by Sweetwater chief engineer, Shawn Dealey. This session gave the band an opportunity to record an alternative version of Last Eleven, the closing song on this year’s acclaimed The Likes Of Us studio album. You can listen to the Sweetwater version of Last Eleven, which has been mixed by Shawn, here: https://bigbigtrain.lnk.to/LastEleven-SweetwaterLiveVersion
Shawn has previously worked with artists including Steve Hackett, Spock’s Beard, Animals As Leaders, Counting Crows, Jared James Nichols, Bootsy Collins, Beth Hart and many more. You can read more about Shawn here: https://sweetwaterstudios.com/about-us
Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin comments: “Having rehearsed at Sweetwater before our USA shows and Cruise To The Edge in March, it was wonderful to return there for a recording session. It was interesting to take an alternative approach to Last Eleven, which differs significantly from the version released on The Likes Of Us album. We really enjoyed working with Shawn in Sweetwater’s amazing studios and hope to return there again in the future.”
Drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds: “I really get into how songs make me feel and this version of Last Eleven, with its mellow beginning, has such a great vibe to it. Not that the original has anything wrong with it at all! I just like how the story in the song now comes across. It starts mellow, revs up and gets powerful, then ends mellow again. It also showcases some wonderful vocals.”
Guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom says: “We had this idea to take it down in the first verse, which I think turned out really sweet! I ended up doing the intro on acoustic guitar, with Oskar [Holldorff, keyboards] on Fender Rhodes and Clare [Lindley] adding some nice violin lines, which turned Last Eleven into a different song for me. I also played some electric baritone guitar later in the song too, which added some further flavour to the overall sound. I think I like this new version even better than the original!”
Big Big Train headline the final Night Of The Prog festival in Germany on 21st July before making their debut at the renowned Cropredy Festival in the UK on 9th August. The band then undertake their own headline tour in September and October, playing 13 shows across the UK and Europe, before returning to co-headline Cruise To The Edge in April next year.
21st July – Night of the Prog, Loreley, Germany 9th August – Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire, UK 17th September – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, UK 18th September – The Riverfront, Newport, UK 19th September – Playhouse Theatre, Whitley Bay, UK 21st September – Queens Hall, Edinburgh, UK 22nd September – Palace Theatre, Newark, UK 24th September – Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK – SOLD OUT 25th September – The Stoller Hall, Manchester, UK – SOLD OUT 27th September – Stadthalle, Weinheim, Germany 28th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 29th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 1st October – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway 2nd October – Viften, Copenhagen, Denmark 5th October – Cadogan Hall, London, UK
The award-winning progressive rock band Big Big Train will release their 15th studio album ‘The Likes Of Us’ on 1st March 2024. Today, on Valentine’s Day, the band are pleased to reveal the video for ‘Love Is The Light’, filmed in May 2023 during their time recording the album in Trieste, Italy.
The band have also just announced UK & European tour dates for September/October 2024. The full list of dates is below: 17th September – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, UK 18th September – The Riverfront, Newport, UK 19th September – Playhouse Theatre, Whitley Bay, UK 21st September – Queens Hall, Edinburgh, UK 22nd September – Palace Theatre, Newark, UK 24th September – Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK 25th September – The Stoller Hall, Manchester, UK 27th September – Stadthalle, Weinheim, Germany 28th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 29th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 1st October – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway 2nd October – Viften, Copenhagen, Denmark
The band will also perform for the first ever time in the USA in March 2024, including an appearance on Cruise To The Edge. The full list of shows can be found below:
1st March – Sweetwater Performance Theatre, Fort Wayne, Indiana (sold out) 2nd March – Rivoli Theater at the Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey 3rd March – Rivoli Theater at the Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey 5th March – Regent Theatre, Arlington (Boston), Massachusetts 6th March – Electric City, Buffalo, New York 8th-13th March – Cruise To The Edge (sold out)
The band have also confirmed two summer 2024 festival appearances at the final Night of the Prog Festival in Germany on 21st July, and Cropredy Festival in the UK on 9th August.
InsideOutMusic is delighted to announce that it has signed BIG BIG TRAIN to a multi-album deal for new studio releases. The band are currently working on a new studio album, expected to be released in spring 2024, and have recently been recording in Trieste, Italy, where lead vocalist Alberto Bravin is based. Big Big Train bassist/founder Gregory Spawton comments: “We have ambitious plans for Big Big Train and are very pleased to have signed this deal with InsideOut.
Having run our own record label, English Electric Recordings, for a lengthy period, it’s clear that the music industry has changed enormously in recent years and we believe that we are best positioned to grow BBT further by becoming an InsideOut band. Over the last decade we had received offers from various labels. When we considered the different options, signing up with the premier label for progressive music was the logical choice. We’re very excited about this new era for the band and working with InsideOut/Sony.”
BIG BIG TRAIN have released the animated video for “Proper Jack Froster”, the latest single taken from the forthcoming WELCOME TO THE PLANET album. Proper Jack Froster is based on a story from Gregory Spawton’s childhood in the Midlands in the UK in the 1970s.
Work on the video by Swedish animator Love Andreas Gson Fagerstedt began before the untimely, tragic passing of Big Big Train’s singer David Longdon on 20th November 2021. David’s partner and the band have decided that the video should still be released to help to promote the forthcoming album to the fullest extent possible.
Big Big Train’s March 2022 UK tour will now not take place; ticket holders should contact their point of purchase for information on refunds. Prior to David’s death the band had been on the verge of announcing a North American tour consisting of over 20 shows in May and June 2022. This projected North American tour will also not be taking place.
The band will be making an announcement next year about its future, including regarding the September 2022 shows that are scheduled to take place in the UK. Ticket holders for these September shows are encouraged to retain their tickets for the time being pending that further announcement. No further comment will be made about the band’s future before next year.
The release of WELCOME TO THE PLANET will continue on 28th January 2022, six months after the band’s critically acclaimed top 40 album COMMON GROUND.
As with COMMON GROUND, WELCOME TO THE PLANET sees Big Big Train retain their progressive roots but also take influence from all spheres of music. The four recent singles “Proper Jack Froster’, ‘Made Of Sunshine ‘The Connection Plan’ and ‘Lanterna’ are also included along with keyboard player Carly Bryant’s first Big Big Train writing credit and lead vocal on the captivating title track. The album is completed by the delicate acoustic ‘Capitoline Venus’, the beautiful ‘Oak And Stone’ and a pair of dazzling instrumentals, ‘A Room With No Ceiling’ and ‘Bats In The Belfry’, written by guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom and drummer Nick D’Virgilio respectively.
BIG BIG TRAIN – ‘WELCOME TO THE PLANET’ Part One Made From Sunshine The Connection Plan Lanterna Capitoline Venus A Room With No Ceiling Part Two Proper Jack Froster Bats In The Belfry Oak And Stone Welcome To The Planet
‘WELCOME TO THE PLANET’ is released 28th January 2022 on English Electric.
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