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Thread: Big BIG Train - Wassail, new EP out june 1st 2015

  1. #51
    I was at Friday's inaugural event too, and wow, it was just sensational. This is a band in perfect balance and harmony, and an audience in thrall to the emotion and dynamism in these songs. I know it has been a long road to get to here, but they really have arrived at something very special. Every member contributed so much and the brass enhanced the sound. David Longdon was a very charismatic frontman, perfect singing and a theatricality that has obvious antecedents. Dave Gregory is one under-rated guitarist, I know he gets loads of love in our occasional XTC threads, but not many mentions outside of this. I only wish I had tickets for the other gigs, but more than that I really hope they can get it together to play some more shows before too long.

  2. #52
    Yeah, Dave Gregory is a terrific musician. Was thrilled when he became a permanent member of BBT, and always loved his work in XTC. Top notch guy.

    Still haven't heard Wassail yet. I need to remedy that...
    "what's better, peanut butter or g-sharp minor?"
    - Sturgeon's Lawyer, 2021

  3. #53
    The band in its current incarnation is an incredible combination of talents. I'm glad the concerts seem to go down well, as I also feel they have arrived at someting special. English Electric is a remarkable achievement in itself IMHO.

  4. #54
    Indeed English Electric is a high water mark, I'm surprised they do not get more attention around here because of it. I think perhaps it is so English in subject matter that it doesn't speak to all, but these gigs have shown that the emotion in these songs can burst forth in a live setting. I hope more people get to climb on board as the journey continues.


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  5. #55
    Quote Originally Posted by Sunlight Caller View Post
    Indeed English Electric is a high water mark, I'm surprised they do not get more attention around here because of it. I think perhaps it is so English in subject matter that it doesn't speak to all, but these gigs have shown that the emotion in these songs can burst forth in a live setting. I hope more people get to climb on board as the journey continues.
    I love the "englishness" (if there is such a word) of EE, and the booklet for the Full Power edition adds to that charm imho. I also like the fact that their lyrics are based on real life stories. But I understand it may not speak to all indeed.
    And there probably are people who dismiss them on the basis of their early albums. The obvious Genesis influence can also lead some to regard them as clones, which is undeserved imho.

  6. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by Interstellar View Post
    I love the "englishness" (if there is such a word) of EE, and the booklet for the Full Power edition adds to that charm imho. I also like the fact that their lyrics are based on real life stories. But I understand it may not speak to all indeed.
    And there probably are people who dismiss them on the basis of their early albums. The obvious Genesis influence can also lead some to regard them as clones, which is undeserved imho.
    Just listen to the song Judas Unrepentant and I hear a never heard before concoction of neoprog emotion, instrumental genius reminiscent of Genesis and 70's prog, beautiful composition and vivid lyricism, all delivered in a non-live recording that sets the bar for a recording that sounds "live".

  7. #57
    Weekend gigs now complete, Sunday's afternoon gig was even better than Friday's if that was possible. The band seemed tighter and more relaxed at the same time. The setlist was the same for all three nights and was:

    @Set[Set 1]
    Make Some Noise
    The First Rebreather
    The Underfall Yard
    Uncle Jack
    Victorian Brickwork

    @Set[Set 2]
    Kingmaker
    Wassail
    Summoned by Bells
    Drum solo
    Judas Unrepentant
    Curator of Butterflies
    East Coast Racer

    Hedgerow

  8. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progtastic View Post
    Weekend gigs now complete, Sunday's afternoon gig was even better than Friday's if that was possible. The band seemed tighter and more relaxed at the same time. The setlist was the same for all three nights and was:

    @Set[Set 1]
    Make Some Noise
    The First Rebreather
    The Underfall Yard
    Uncle Jack
    Victorian Brickwork

    @Set[Set 2]
    Kingmaker
    Wassail
    Summoned by Bells
    Drum solo
    Judas Unrepentant
    Curator of Butterflies
    East Coast Racer

    Hedgerow
    Awesome list. I will have to cross the pond one day.

  9. #59
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    I've been extolling the musical virtues of BBT to anyone who will listen and predicting they have the talent and depth to become a mainstream act. Unfortunately I haven't got much support. Perhaps it is their English context that others can't identify with but their recent body of work proves they are a very talented group. At least two strong songwriters and two strong lead vocalists, a drummer extraordinaire (I suspect Nick's departure from Spock's Beard had less to do with working at Cirque du Soleil than creative differences - Spock's Beard has gone in a harder edged direction while BBT remains nuanced) and a backfield of musicians, each a standout soloist. It's been exciting to watch this group come together and grow methodically over the years. Next up - the DVD release in the Fall!

  10. #60
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jondon4 View Post
    I suspect Nick's departure from Spock's Beard had less to do with working at Cirque du Soleil than creative differences - Spock's Beard has gone in a harder edged direction while BBT remains nuanced
    Wrong.

    Nick had signed a contract with Cirque. They weren't going to then allow him to take as much time as he needed to record and tour with Spock's Beard. Nick was fortunate to be able to record/tour for X in 2010. It is no different than why he couldn't remain touring with Tears For Fears.

  11. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    Wrong.

    Nick had signed a contract with Cirque. They weren't going to then allow him to take as much time as he needed to record and tour with Spock's Beard. Nick was fortunate to be able to record/tour for X in 2010. It is no different than why he couldn't remain touring with Tears For Fears.
    I was surprised that NDV had the time for BBT, but I really don't know how the Cirque schedule overlapped with BBT.

  12. #62
    Quote Originally Posted by Jondon4 View Post
    I've been extolling the musical virtues of BBT to anyone who will listen and predicting they have the talent and depth to become a mainstream act. Unfortunately I haven't got much support. Perhaps it is their English context that others can't identify with but their recent body of work proves they are a very talented group.
    I recently "converted" my wife and six year old daughter to some of the more accessible songs on EE (Uncle Jack, Upton Heath, Hedgerow...). Even those songs have depth and subtle musicality, unlike some of the radio-friendly songs produced by prog bands in the 80s for instance. EE is, to my ears, a perfect combination of progginess and accessible melodies.

  13. #63
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    Here's a selection of reports of Friday's show from The Progressive Aspect:-

    http://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog...big-big-train/

  14. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by Firth View Post
    I was surprised that NDV had the time for BBT, but I really don't know how the Cirque schedule overlapped with BBT.
    Take into consideration that BBT has just played their first live gigs! It's much easier to manage schedules with a studio band.

  15. #65
    Quote Originally Posted by Lo-Fi Resistance View Post
    Take into consideration that BBT has just played their first live gigs! It's much easier to manage schedules with a studio band.
    Indeed it is. NDV had to give up a couple of weeks though to get across, rehearse for a week at Real World, then play the shows. I suspect his schedule was the one the band had to accommodate the most to get this together.

    I was thinking about first gigs by name bands. I can't imagine there have been many more auspicious debuts. Most bands start low down the bill in some pub toilet! I certainly can't think of any band I've seen debut before that hasn't been an un-recorded, un-released or a one-off.

    Perhaps the highest profile I ever saw was The New Barbarians at Knebworth supporting Zeppelin, but this was a one-off event of course.

  16. #66
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    I attended Saturday evening and it was excellent, a real triumph for the band to sell out such a classy venue with the vast majority of fans travelling far and wide at much expense I would imagine. the performance was definitely a fine reward for the fans investment. I was very happy with the set list there was a good mix of the epic prog tracks and the more easy listening EE tracks. highlights for me were the underfall yard and Victorian brickwork (which was very emotional) but it was all good.

    A few things were clear- David Longdon seriously cuts it as both a live vocalist and frontman, he was stunning. Rachel Hall made a bigger impact on violin than I appreciated. similarly Rickard played a far bigger role than expected taking a good number of guitar solo's - I already knew what a talented guy he was but a lot of people were impressed and hopefully beardfish will do well from the connection. Greg and Andy were very wise to work with a number of professional musicians with years of gigging experience between them. The brass section were beautifully worked into the mix. Oh and Dave Gregory had a great selection of vintage guitars on show.

    BBT have set a massive bar for themselves, where can they go next? I would expect the next performances to be a series of stripped down shows in the regions possibly. As mentioned above its NDV's availability that is the key I wonder if they would consider using a session drummer like Craig blundell for example?



    BB

  17. #67
    Quote Originally Posted by Lo-Fi Resistance View Post
    Take into consideration that BBT has just played their first live gigs! It's much easier to manage schedules with a studio band.
    To be accurate, their first live gigs for 17 years. They did some limited gigging in the 90's.

  18. #68
    Quote Originally Posted by Sunlight Caller View Post
    Indeed it is. NDV had to give up a couple of weeks though to get across, rehearse for a week at Real World, then play the shows. I suspect his schedule was the one the band had to accommodate the most to get this together.

    I was thinking about first gigs by name bands. I can't imagine there have been many more auspicious debuts. Most bands start low down the bill in some pub toilet! I certainly can't think of any band I've seen debut before that hasn't been an un-recorded, un-released or a one-off.

    Perhaps the highest profile I ever saw was The New Barbarians at Knebworth supporting Zeppelin, but this was a one-off event of course.
    Nick doesn't work for Cirque Du Soliel anymore, but yes, his schedule is of a more "straight gig" these days.

    As for bands making live debuts (though I've been corrected about BBT playing live prior to this), I would've loved to have seen Them Crooked Vultures when they played a handful of shows before the album came out!

  19. #69
    17 years ago BBT were a completely different proposition to today, and the band have been styling these as their debut gigs, so that's good enough for me.


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  20. #70
    Member Jondon4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    Wrong.

    Nick had signed a contract with Cirque. They weren't going to then allow him to take as much time as he needed to record and tour with Spock's Beard. Nick was fortunate to be able to record/tour for X in 2010. It is no different than why he couldn't remain touring with Tears For Fears.
    Oh, Spock's Beard tours? If you look at the output of both bands, it would seem Nick has been busier recording with BBT than he would have been with Spock's Beard. Now touring is another story. SB occasionally does short tours. The one coming up in support of The Oblivion Particle make be the longest one they've done but most of the time it's a one-off gig in the States and a few dates in Europe. So, It still doesn't jive for me.

  21. #71
    If you look at the songs Nick wrote for SB 2.0, it would seem he was also at least partly responsible for their move toward a "harder edge" in their sound.

  22. #72
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jondon4 View Post
    Oh, Spock's Beard tours? If you look at the output of both bands, it would seem Nick has been busier recording with BBT than he would have been with Spock's Beard. Now touring is another story. SB occasionally does short tours. The one coming up in support of The Oblivion Particle make be the longest one they've done but most of the time it's a one-off gig in the States and a few dates in Europe. So, It still doesn't jive for me.
    It doesn't have to jive with you.

    You just don't get it, and that's ok, also. If you can't accept the truth, from people who know the truth, then there's nothing more to say.

    However, to look for drama where there is none, is another thing.

  23. #73
    Member Jondon4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    It doesn't have to jive with you.

    You just don't get it, and that's ok, also. If you can't accept the truth, from people who know the truth, then there's nothing more to say.

    However, to look for drama where there is none, is another thing.
    No need to get defensive about it. The only one who knows the truth is Nick and I don't have any reason to believe you do. But this thread is about BBT and for whatever reason Nick has decided to get onboard, it is one of the reasons this group's music is special as his nuanced drumming was largely wasted with SB after Neal left.

  24. #74
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Yeah, Nick never tells me anything.

  25. #75
    Quote Originally Posted by Orcopian View Post
    I attended Saturday evening and it was excellent, a real triumph for the band to sell out such a classy venue with the vast majority of fans travelling far and wide at much expense I would imagine. the performance was definitely a fine reward for the fans investment.

    BB
    I attended Saturday too, and it was an excellent event on many levels
    I'll admit, I was a little worried when I first heard that BBT were contemplating some live gigs, mainly because of the logistics and the costs involved in putting this music on without compromising the high quality levels the band had set with their recent cd releases. It just seemed like a high risk endeavor ... so much to lose, so many things to potentially go wrong.
    As such, I was actually pretty stressed during the first half of the show, almost like I was playing every note with them on stage ... willing success with every fibre. It was only during the second half that I was actually able to relax and enjoy the performance.

    On the surface, it was a great gig in front of a sizeable crowd of fans that enjoyed every minute ... a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Beneath the surface it was the latest triumph in a series of successes from a modern prog band that really seems to have figured out how to do things properly. Quality songs, quality players, quality recordings, and a real respect for (and engagement with) their fan base.

    Hats off to you, guys

    Phil.

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