Big Big Train v. "The Likes Of Us" OUT NOW; European Tour Sept/Oct 2024!

[The Letter M]

I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).

I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!

-Marc.

[HOF]

I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).

I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!

-Marc.

I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.

[The Letter M]

I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).

I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!

-Marc.

I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.

Specifically mentioning trumpet seems like "Victorian Brickwork" is a shoe-in for the set list given its prominent trumpet solo at the end.

-Marc.

[HOF]

I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).

I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!

-Marc.

I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.

Specifically mentioning trumpet seems like "Victorian Brickwork" is a shoe-in for the set list given its prominent trumpet solo at the end.

-Marc.

Yep. Maybe East Coast Racer too since that's sort of an essential set piece.

[Kram]

Ugh, closest show is a 4 hour drive. Probably not.

Closest for me is about a 4 hour flight - so gonna be tough to say the least.

[Kram]

I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).

I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!

-Marc.

I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.

Specifically mentioning trumpet seems like "Victorian Brickwork" is a shoe-in for the set list given its prominent trumpet solo at the end.

-Marc.

Was thinking the same thing when I read they'd have a trumpet player on the tour.   

[goo-goo]

Going to try and hit the Ft. Wayne show.

[The Letter M]

https://youtu.be/QW97Yd_3i-4?si=bLQ2fIruTYLsXf3a

The 2nd "Answering Fan Questions" video has gone up. Haven't had a chance to watch this or the first one yet.

-Marc.

[Zydar]

"Miramare - the second single from the new album The Likes Of Us - coming 17th January".

[HOF]

Really nice all instrumental mix of East Coast Racer (appears to be the Ingenious Devices version) up on The Passenger's Club today. Really powerful even without the vocal. Quite nice.

[Zydar]

New song, Miramare, released today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--9KjIGmNcU

Gregory Spawton comments of the track:
"BBT is known for its story songs, and I was keen to find a story which is set in Italy. Alberto lives in Trieste and mentioned the story of Maximilian and Carlotta, which was both a romantic (but doomed) love story and also a tale of the end of empires. Miramare was their castle home, a castle of dreams, set on the shore just outside Trieste. It turned out to be a grand folly and a place of madness and nightmares. Alberto had written a lovely piece of music and melody to set the words to and so it was simply a process of reading some books on the history and finding the way to tell the story".

Alberto Bravin adds:
"Having grown up in Trieste, and recently returned here after living for some years in London and Milan, the Miramare castle has been a backdrop for most of my life. Putting the story of Maximilian and Carlotta into music with Greg has been hugely satisfying for me. It was very fulfilling to co-write this song together and create what will hopefully be regarded as a Big Big Train future classic. With all its twists and turns as the story progresses, Miramare should be great to play live as well".

[The Letter M]

A stunning song and beautiful video as well. There's a lot to digest after multiple listens but I'll wait til the full album in a few weeks to listen again. Every new song gets me more hyped for this album!

-Marc.

[HOF]

Gave it a listen, but I think I’m gonna try to hold out for the album before listening again. Sounded pretty nice though. Really great solo at the end. Curious if that was Rikard, Dave, or Maria (I believe she was in the studio with them some, and given the subject matter it would make sense for her to play on that track). Doesn’t quite sound like Rikard’s tone so I’m thinking Dave or Maria.

[HOF]

Also, for those seeking physical copies of the back catalog, Greg just posted this comment on FB:

We’ll be working on a series of re-issues starting later this year. We’ll be aiming to re-issue (with bonus tracks where available) every CD / vinyl release which has become hard to source.

[Kram]

Gave it a listen, but I think I’m gonna try to hold out for the album before listening again. Sounded pretty nice though. Really great solo at the end. Curious if that was Rikard, Dave, or Maria (I believe she was in the studio with them some, and given the subject matter it would make sense for her to play on that track). Doesn’t quite sound like Rikard’s tone so I’m thinking Dave or Maria.

I usually can tell Rikard's playing by the tone as well, but I'm holding strong and not gonna listen to another note until the album's released lol.

[ProfessorPeart]

Also, for those seeking physical copies of the back catalog, Greg just posted this comment on FB:

We’ll be working on a series of re-issues starting later this year. We’ll be aiming to re-issue (with bonus tracks where available) every CD / vinyl release which has become hard to source.

Yes please!

CD/Vinyl of Folklore and at least vinyl of Grimspound (already have CD).

Oh, ignoring everything new until I have the album.

[HOF]

So the band are making a push on Facebook to get people to spread the word about the New Jersey shows as well as the Fort Wayne show (they were really asking about all the shows, but it looks like Boston is about sold out and Buffalo just got added yesterday). I just checked and it looks like the first night in NJ is only about half sold, and night two is only about a third sold. I hope they don't end up having to cancel one of the nights or something. There are only general admission tickets left for Fort Wayne, so you can't see how many of those are left. But I imagine there is a good bit unsold there as well.

It is going to really stink if this tour loses them a ton of money. Really wish there were a way to get the word out, but I just don't think there is a ready made audience for the band in any one locality (I'm nowhere near any of the shows, and I'd rather just give the band $100 than pay for travel, hotel, and tickets).

[DTA]

Two nights in NJ seems a bit excessive and they’re competing with Haken touring the same time too. I’m seeing them Saturday but wonder why they didn’t schedule a date somewhere else instead of the same place.

[The Letter M]

Two nights in NJ seems a bit excessive and they’re competing with Haken touring the same time too. I’m seeing them Saturday but wonder why they didn’t schedule a date somewhere else instead of the same place.

They might just wanted to offer folks a chance to see all the songs they'll end up playing on the Cruise by doing two nights since they'll probably have two shows on the Cruise. I think they said both shows in NJ will feature different setlists each night with several songs swapped. And perhaps the venue gave them a deal to do two shows back to back? I'm not sure, but you could probably ask them on the FB group why they decided to do two shows there.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Yeah, I think the idea was to do a multi-night stand like they’ve done in the UK to film a concert and give US fans the chance to hear a broader range of songs. And I imagine Proghouse was just the promoter who was willing to do it.

[ProfessorPeart]

Sweetwater is very odd. They have several performance stages but when I go to there site I can't find a concert list anywhere. The only way I get any idea where to buy tickets is to go to BBT's website.

If I were to go to the Ft. Wayne show I would need to get a hotel since there is no way I would drive back home after the show.

Kind of funny that Sweetwater is on Route 30. I'm looking out my front window at Route 30 right now. I live right off it, just 4 hours away.

I really would love to go. Maybe I'll think more about it. The venue only seats 235 so it is really intimate.

[Orbert]

I watched the video, and listened to the song of course.  The song is pretty cool.  Nice to get a listen to Alberto singing but not trying to emulate David, which it always sounded to me like he was doing on the older songs.  I mean, obviously a big reason he was chosen as the new lead singer is because of how he sang the back catalogue.  But he really sounded different here, and I have to figure it's because he's not channeling David, but doing his own thing, so to speak.

The video itself I thought was pretty boring.  The animation was pretty basic and didn't do a lot for me.  Maybe if I knew the story it would have meant more, but it was basically just something to watch while listening to the song, and I found my eyes wandering a lot.

[MinistroRaven]

The new album is available for review

[The Letter M]

The new album is available for review

Oooooh, I'd love to review it, if I have the time. What's the deadline for having the review written? I haven't done a properly written review in awhile, but I recently started a BBT binge a week and a half ago in my car during my commutes, and I've just gotten up to TUY today. It's great hearing the band evolve from their early demo albums (From The River To The Sea, Infant Hercules), through the Martin Read and Sean Filkins albums. There's no jarring changes and everything sounds like a logical next step album to album as the band's sound slowly morphed into what it bloomed into when David Longdon joined. It's been some time since I've binged BBT so I'm excited to get into the thick of it these next few weeks as I spin through the past 15 years of BBT music!

-Marc.

[MinistroRaven]

PM sent Marc

[MinistroRaven]

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY ALERT:

***Alberto, Gregory, and Nick, are now available for interviews.

If anyone wants to do it, please contact me ASAP

[DTA]

Looks like they’re doing a crowdfunding type deal for the upcoming shows with some unique items:

www.bigbigtrain.com/shop/2024-tour-patron/

If I wasn’t already gonna sign up for drum lessons with Ray Hearne before the Haken show, I’d probably do this to help them out.

[Zydar]

News for fans in the US, the band is doing their first ever US tour in March.

https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain

We know that it's been a very long wait, but in under 4 weeks Big Big Train will perform for the first time ever in the USA. We've called this short run of shows "A Mead Hall In America Tour" as per the front cover of the new 68 page tour programme here. As we've said previously, whether we can return to North America (including Canada) in the future depends entirely on fans turning out for these five mainland USA shows which take place prior to the sold out Cruise To The Edge. While the Fort Wayne show is sold out, tickets remain available for the Rutherford/New Jersey, Arlington/Massachusetts and Buffalo/New York shows.

The list of mainland USA shows is:

1 March 2024  Sweetwater Performance Theater, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
2 March 2024 Rivoli Theater, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA*
3 March 2024 Rivoli Theater, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA*
5 March 2024 Regent Theatre, Arlington (Boston), Massachusetts, USA
6 March 2024 Electric City, Buffalo, New York, USA**

*The two New Jersey shows will feature significantly different set lists.
** The Buffalo show is the only mainland USA show currently scheduled to feature the BBT four piece brass section.

[The Letter M]

BIG BIG TRAIN - THE LIKES OF US TOUR
12 UK/EUROPEAN SHOWS ANNOUNCED FOR SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2024

Big Big Train are delighted to announce 12 shows to take place in September and October 2024 in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

At these performances the seven piece band will be promoting their The Likes Of Us album, their first for the InsideOut label, which will be released on 1st March 2024.

Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin says: “We’re really looking forward to getting back on the road this autumn around the UK and Europe. Following the success of last year’s The Journey Continues tour, we can’t wait to do it all again. On this tour in autumn we will be playing a significant amount of The Likes Of Us as well as some Big Big Train classics and a few surprises.”

Drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds: “Last year’s Big Big Train shows were so much fun. We made some changes to the set list every night. It was very challenging but it kept things fresh for both us and the audience, so we’re going to take a similar approach on this tour to make every show genuinely unique.”

Bassist Gregory Spawton continues: “For this tour we’ve decided to return to some of our favourite venues as well as visiting some parts of the country where Big Big Train hasn’t played before. While some fans travel vast distances to see us live, we recognise that others aren’t able to do so and therefore we’re trying to bring the show to them.”

Guitarist Rikard Sjöblom concludes: “In an ideal world, we would play everywhere! Scheduling is always challenging and so while we couldn’t organise a Swedish show this time around, I’m delighted that we will be performing in Oslo and Copenhagen again for my fellow Scandinavians. And I’m particularly looking forward to our weekend at the Boerderij where we plan to play two very different shows.”

BIG BIG TRAIN – THE LIKES OF US TOUR

TUESDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2024              Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, UK
WEDNESDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 2024       The Riverfront, Newport, UK
THURSDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 2024            Playhouse Theatre, Whitley Bay, UK
SATURDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2024             Queens Hall, Edinburgh, UK
SUNDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER                            Palace Theatre, Newark, UK
TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER                          Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK
WEDNESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER                   The Stoller Hall, Manchester, UK
FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2024                    Stadthalle, Weinheim, GERMANY
SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2024            Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NETHERLANDS
SUNDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2024                 Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NETHERLANDS
TUESDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2024                       Cosmopolite, Oslo, NORWAY
WEDNESDAY 2ND OCTOBER 2024               Viften, Copenhagen, DENMARK

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10am UK/11am central European time on Friday 9th February. A pre-sale open to members of the band’s Passengers Club for all shows except Copenhagen, Oslo and Zoetermeer opens at 10am UK/11am central European time on Thursday 8th February. The pre-sale for Whitley Bay opens at 5pm on Thursday 8th February.

See www.bigbigtrain.com/live for ticket links.

Good news for European and UK fans!

-Marc.

[HOF]

Can't believe we're only three weeks out from release day for The Likes of Us. Went by fast.

[Pebsie]

Really cool to see them purposefully playing places they haven't before. Unfortunately the nearest show to me - Milton Keynes - is a 3 hour drive. Did that drive to see Spock's Beard last week and due to road works on the A12 and A14 despite the show finishing at 10pm I wasn't home until 1:30am. With the risk of that it'd need to be a hotel job... but at £54 I can't afford to book all that in until payday and looks like MK is selling out fast. I think this sadly might be the first BBT show I'll miss since 2016.

Not to their discredit though; I love that they're playing in "weird" places to get to more fans. Really good stuff.

[Zydar]

New BBT single, "Love Is The Light", out February 14.

[Orbert]

Ha, "Love Is The Light" on Valentine's Day.

[ProfessorPeart]

Well, this sucks. I've had a rough couple of weeks and am watching Live at King's Place right now and decided - screw it - I want to see them at Sweetwater. Freaking show is sold out. 

[HOF]

Well, this sucks. I've had a rough couple of weeks and am watching Live at King's Place right now and decided - screw it - I want to see them at Sweetwater. Freaking show is sold out. 

That stinks. If you're on Facebook, they have subgroups for the individual shows, and occasionally people will post tickets there if they can't go for some reason. Might be worth keeping an eye on.