25th February 2024
In late 2021, long-time Big Big Train vocalist David Longdon passed away after a tragic accident at home. The unexpected and traumatic loss left significant doubt as to the future of Big Big Train. “Initially, I wasn’t sure whether carrying on [after Longdon’s passing] was the right thing to do, though David and I knew each other so well that we did actually have a conversation during which he told me that should anything happen to him, the band had to continue,” bassist Gregory Spawton relates sadly. “BBT was a big part of David’s musical life and it was his wish that the songs he wrote should continue to be heard. We will never forget David; it goes without saying that he is a big part of our story.”
Although The Likes Of Us is being released more than two years after the loss of David Longdon, new vocalist Alberto Bravin has been a member of the band since the Spring of 2022. The album follows Big Big Train’s successful European tour, which concluded with two appearances at London’s Cadogan Hall. Bravin has been fully integrated into the band, not only as a vocalist but also as a songwriter, having co-written five of the eight tracks on the album.
Big Big Train have long been known for addressing folklore and tales of old Britain in their music. The majority of tracks on The Likes Of Us are more personal in nature than previous albums. “These are stories from our lives and we have a deep, personal connection with them,” Spawton states. “If there was blood on the tracks, we did everything possible to let that sink into the music.” Opening track, Light Left In The Day, immediately goes for the emotional jugular. We’re tailenders / Playing for time / If we stand together / We may hold the line / Face the danger / Take the strike / Who knows what may happen / Under darkening skies. With reference to the most English of games - cricket - and message of gentle but determined resilience, Big Big Train emphasise the importance of courage, solidarity and making the best of a difficult situation, relying on each other when the odds are against them. Imbued with pastoral and bucolic flourishes from the opening notes, Light Left In The Day builds steadily towards a truly beautiful section of music just one minute into the album. The interplay between guitar and keyboard is truly exquisite and many fans of the band will find themselves overwhelmed with tear-laden emotion. A mainly instrumental piece, Light Left In The Day is a sensational beginning to the album.
Oblivion is a more up-tempo song, which starts with true intent of purpose as Nick D’Virgilio’s drums and Sprawton’s bass combine dramatically. With a central theme of seeking escape and the nothingness that the protagonist may even see as desirable as a form of relief from his trials, the track allows Alberto Bravin to highlight his excellent vocal abilities to the full. Life was never easy / Walking uphill / Turning his cheek / It became his best skill / Was it something he said / Or could have done? / Fade into oblivion. Although his voice has to fit with the style of Big Big Train’s music, Bravin does not resemble David Longdon, and it is for the better that the band decided to not just recruit a soundalike. “I reached out to Alberto purely as a vocalist, not as a songwriter or a friend, but he has become all of those things,” Spawton comments. “I always need somebody to bounce ideas off, and for the second time in my life, after David, I have another musical companion. Finding Alberto, who pays respect to the band’s traditions but also brings his own ideas and amazing energy, has been a miracle. I’m incredibly blessed.”
Two tracks on, the album breaks the ten-minute mark, with third track Beneath The Masts reaching seventeen minutes. An epic tale linked to Sprawton’s childhood, the song grows and evolves in traditional Big Big Train fashion. Spawton was born in Sutton Coldfield, in the midlands of the UK, and close to where he grew up there existed two huge radio masts. “For the best part of my youth they were there, lights blinking on and off, to the backdrop of my early formative years,” he explains. In later years, the bassist moved to the south coast of England, and it wasn’t until returning to the area of his childhood that the subject of the two masts returned to his consciousness. A multi-part full-on progressive rock track, Beneath The Masts allows each member of the band time in the spotlight; Dave Foster’s fervent and exciting guitar, Clare Lindley’s lamenting and captivating violin and Nick D’Virgilio’s varied and thoughtful drumming all add different tints and shades to the music. Full of reflective, introspective lyrics, the protagonist enters deep into contemplation about their life journey and the inevitability of change. A sunburst breaks through the clouds / For a moment / The air is still / And I take in the view / I am lost up here / I am bruised and broken / Hold my hand, dear / Don’t let go. A wonderfully executed track, Beneath The Masts will delight fans of the lengthier pieces by the band. “That visit, to see my beloved stepfather who was suffering from a terminal illness, triggered the song,” Spawton explains. “The hospice in which he was being treated was between those masts. Being tethered to the ground, I realised they are symbolic of my Midlands roots,” It’s a sad song but it has a surprisingly upbeat ending that reminds us we are always part of a bigger whole.”
The Likes Of Us is the culmination of a band that were left wounded slowly beginning to recover as a team. In May 2023, six members of Big Big Train left their homes in England (Spawton and Lindley), the United States (D’Virgilio), Sweden (Sjöblom) and Norway (Holldorff) to gather for a week in Bravin’s hometown of Trieste in North-Eastern Italy, at Urban Recording, a studio recommended by Alberto, to lay down the basic tracks. The process would prove emotional. “There were some tears; I cried a few of my own,” recalls Nick D’Virgilio, the band’s drummer since 2009. “There are many reasons to explain why we hadn’t worked that way in quite a while, but the process brought out the best in everybody.”
Skates On is a simpler, brighter track, which serves as the perfect palate cleanser between the album’s two longest songs. Miramere is another track initially inspired by a childhood memory but this time it is Bravin’s, displaying just how integral he has become to the band, not simply as vocalist. “I had no idea whether or not the guys would be interested in the other things that I felt I was capable of doing,” Bravin adds. “But luckily they did, and everything has progressed so naturally.” Miramere was inspired by Braven’s memory of a 19th Century castle in Italy built at the order of Archduke Ferdinand and putting forward the concept to the band’s bass player resulted in their collaboration on the track. Buying three giant books on the castle’s former residents, Spawton transformed Alberto’s musical sketch into a full-blown musical novel. Miramere paints a poignant picture of leaving, the struggle to forge a new path, the enduring hope for a better future. However, there is also a darker side to the song. “It’s like a Shakespearean tragedy, with madness involved, and he ends up before a firing squad,” Spawton states. Some elegant, harmonised vocals, a recurring feature of the album, begin the epic story. Imbued with magnificent moments, Miramere weaves its magical spell with the dextrous qualities of old hands. Lindley’s moving and impassioned violin, particularly during the central instrumental section adds fire and intensity, as does a soaring guitar solo and sophisticated keyboards towards the end of the track. It is also another opportunity for Bravin to show the extent of his range and some of best vocals within the song come in the quieter sections, allowing the pure clarity of his voice to draw the listener in more closely. Far away from all they have known / They will dream of home / There at the edge of a distant land / New walls rise on old stone / On a wing and a prayer / Building castles in the air / Hope can be a great deceiver. Along with Beneath The Masts, Miramere shows that Big Big Train have lost none of their appetite for ambitious storytelling and few progressive rock bands do it better.
Love Is The Light, another touching and penetrating track, deals with struggle, cautious optimism and the redemptive power of love as a guiding light. Big Big Train’s use of brass is as effective here as it is anywhere on the album, while a restrained yet captivating guitar solo further highlights the consummate musicianship within the band.
Originally planned for inclusion on an album entitled Shallow Enders, closing track Last Eleven, an encomium to underdogs, late bloomers and those who find their strength through unity and perseverance, was the first track heard with Bravin’s voice. It brings together everything that illustrates why Big Big Train continue to prevail. There is defiance in the vocal and a quicker pace to the music than on a lot of the album. Ending the album with energy and optimism, Last Eleven helps point the way to a bright future for the band.
Over the years, there have been some arguments to say that Big Big Train are not the most original of bands; Bookmarks for example strays just a little too close to a Genesis inspired 12-string guitar led song. While there is some truth in those arguments, the group care about every single note they play and each piece is wonderfully constructed and played. Some listeners who have already heard Big Big Train and felt they are too derivative will unlikely be persuaded to come back on board; however, the addition of Bravin to the line-up may convince many others to give the band another chance, as his voice is different enough to David Longdon’s (who some listeners dismissed, believing he sounded far too like Peter Gabriel, or Phil Collins for that matter) to allow them to engage more fully with the band’s overall sound. In another life, The Likes Of Us may never have been made and while this may be more of a continuation than a rebirth for the band, it cements their legacy as one of the most musically gifted progressive rock bands on the scene today.
The Likes Of Us is released on 1st March 2024
Visit Big Big Train's website: https://www.bigbigtrain.com
Comments