Band · United Kingdom
Big Big Train
Formed in 1990
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Tour dates elsewhere: Bandsintown · Songkick
About
Big Big Train are an English progressive rock band formed in Bournemouth in 1990. The current line-up includes band founder Gregory Spawton (bass, guitars and keyboards), along with Nick D'Virgilio (drums, vocals, guitars and keyboards), Rikard Sjöblom (guitars and keyboards), Clare Lindley (violin, keyboards, guitars and vocals), Alberto Bravin (vocals, guitars, keyboards and drums), Oskar Holldorff (keyboards and vocals) and Paul Mitchell (trumpet, percussion). Until 2009, the band were active as a predominantly studio project led by Spawton and co-founder Andy Poole (bass, keyboards and guitars), who departed the band in 2018, with changing line-ups and guest musicians. They have released sixteen studio albums and six EPs.
After starting out as an independent band, Big Big Train were signed to Giant Electric Pea from 1993 to 1998 and distributed their releases through their own website. After their sixth album, The Underfall Yard, which received critical acclaim from the progressive rock community, a more stable line-up was established, and the band performed their first live concerts in 17 years at Kings Place, London, in August 2015. The gigs were voted Event of the Year by the readers of Prog magazine. Stone & Steel, a Blu-ray featuring the 2014 rehearsals at Real World Studios and four of the songs performed at Kings Place, was released on 21 March 2016. Big Big Train were the winners of the Breakthrough Award at the Progressive Music Awards held at Kew Gardens, London on 3 September 2013, and have been nominated in several other categories in recent years.
The band's latest studio album, Woodcut, was released in February 2026, as a follow-up to The Likes Of Us, released in March 2024. Their previous studio album, Welcome to the Planet, was released in January 2022. Ingenious Devices, a compilation album of re-recorded material with David Longdon's original vocals and one live track with their new singer Alberto Bravin, was released on 30 June 2023.
Big Big Train embarked on their first UK tour in October 2019. Scheduled dates for the band's first ever North American and European tours in 2020 were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following a European and UK tour in autumn 2023, their first US tour finally took place in March 2024, and included two appearances at Cruise to the Edge. The band then embarked on a limited tour of the UK and Europe in late September/early October 2024, predominantly featuring tracks from their album, The Likes Of Us.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Big Big Train est un groupe de rock progressif anglais formé à Bournemouth en 1990. Le line-up actuel comprend le fondateur du groupe Gregory Spawton (basse, guitares et claviers), Nick D'Virgilio (batterie, guitares et claviers) et Rikard Sjöblom (guitares et claviers). Jusqu'en 2009, le groupe était actif uniquement en tant que projet studio dirigé par Gregory Spawton et le cofondateur Andy Poole (guitares, basse et claviers), qui a quitté le groupe en 2018. Le groupe a connu plusieurs changements de line-up et de musiciens invités.
Après avoir débuté en tant que groupe indépendant, Big Big Train a signé avec Giant Electric Pea de 1993 à 1998 et a distribué ses albums via son propre site Web. Depuis leur sixième album, The Underfall Yard, acclamé par la critique de la communauté du rock progressif, un line-up plus stable a été établi, et le groupe a donné ses premiers concerts live au bout de 17 ans à Kings Place, Londres, en août 2015. Les concerts ont été élus événement de l'année par les lecteurs du magazine britannique Prog. Stone & Steel, un Blu-ray présentant les répétitions de 2014 aux Real World Studios et quatre des chansons interprétées à Kings Place, est sorti le 21 mars 2016. Big Big Train a remporté le Breakthrough Award aux Progressive Music Awards qui se sont tenus à Kew Gardens, à Londres, le 3 septembre 2013, et a été nommé dans plusieurs autres catégories ces dernières années.
Big Big Train a entamé sa première tournée au Royaume-Uni en octobre 2019. Les dates qui avaient été prévues pour les premières tournées nord-américaines et européennes du groupe en 2020 furent annulées en raison de la pandémie de coronavirus.
Les derniers albums studio du groupe sont:
Welcome to the Planet, sorti en janvier 2022,
Ingenious Devices, sorti le 30 juin 2023,
The Likes of Us, sorti le 1er mars 2024,
Woodcut, sorti le 7 novembre 2025.
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Discography
Albums
- 1994 Goodbye to the Age of Steam
- 1997 English Boy Wonders
- 2002 Bard
- 2004 Gathering Speed
- 2007 The Difference Machine
- 2009 The Underfall Yard
- 2012 English Electric, Part One
- 2013 English Electric, Part Two
- 2016 Folklore
- 2017 Grimspound
- 2017 The Second Brightest Star
- 2019 Grand Tour
Show all (16)
- 2021 Common Ground
- 2022 Welcome to the Planet
- 2024 The Likes of Us
- 2026 Woodcut
EPs
- 2010 Far Skies Deep Time
- 2013 Make Some Noise EP
- 2015 Wassail EP
- 2017 London Song
- 2025 Scop
Singles
- 2017 Merry Christmas
- 2018 Snowfalls
- 2018 Swan Hunter
- 2019 Alive
- 2019 Theodora in Green and Gold
- 2021 Brew and Burgh
- 2021 Common Ground
- 2021 Apollo
- 2021 The Strangest Times
- 2021 The Connection Plan
- 2021 Lanterna
- 2021 Made From Sunshine
Show all (21)
- 2021 Proper Jack Froster
- 2021 Bats in the Belfry
- 2023 Oblivion
- 2024 Miramare (single edit)
- 2024 Love Is the Light
- 2024 Brew and Burgh (Winter version)
- 2025 Inkwell Black / The Artist
- 2025 The Sharpest Blade
- 2026 Counting Stars