INSIDE OUT: New album coning down the tracks from BIG BIG TRAIN (1st March, 2024)

Preliminary thoughts of what I have available to me of the upcoming release of “The Likes of Us” on 1st March. The BIG BIG TRAIN line-up for the album is: Alberto Bravin (ex PFM), the new frontman; the ever-present Gregory Spawton on bass; Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard etc) on drums, and the line-up is completed by Rikard Sjöblom (Beardfish), Dave Foster of the Steve Rothery Band, Clare Lindley of Stackridge and keyboardist Oskar Holldorff (Carly Bryant’s successor). Following on from their top 40 album success “Common Ground”, Big Big Train have performed 17 concerts in 9 European countries, including two nights at the Cadogan Hall in London. Concert-goers at Marillion concerts (including Glasgow last year) will be used to see fans wearing Big Big Train t-shirts as their popularity grows. The two tracks showcased on BANDCAMP are ‘Oblivion’ (5:27) and ‘Miramare’ (single edit) (8:55). It will be interesting to hear what the full-length version will sound like!

Needless to say, fans of melodic prog all over the world are looking forward to it, and Gregory Spawton’s words are most reassuring to Prog devotees, who have got used to hearing their preferred genre ‘dissed’ over the years:

“We are very conscious of the traditions that we follow; we have never dissed them and we never will. The fact that we put classic-sounding prog back into the charts is absolutely fantastic.”

And this on www.loudersound.com:

“Nick D’Virgilio and I had both seen Alberto perform with PFM and were very impressed with his abilities as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. We know that David Longdon is irreplaceable; we miss him deeply both musically and personally. We wanted someone who could do justice with their own musical skills and personality to the songs that David sang for Big Big Train as well as being able to help to drive the band forwards."