Big Big Train – 2026 Biography

‘Big Big Train have revisited the sound world of early Genesis and Yes and have managed to create music with great emotional clout‘
THE TIMES

 ‘Big Big Train channel the ambitions of 50 years ago but mix in enough of themselves to create work that sounds vivid and fresh. Melancholy has rarely sounded so seductive’ MOJO

‘They make beautiful, pastoral quintessentially English music’  BOB HARRIS, BBC RADIO 2

Big Big Train was founded by songwriter Gregory Spawton in 1990 and went through several line-up changes during the course of five albums. In 2009, with the recruitment of a new lead vocalist, David Longdon, and drummer, Nick D’Virgilio, the band embarked on a fresh start. Since then, Big Big Train have earned significant critical acclaim in both the mainstream and music press, won numerous Progressive Music Awards, played sold out shows and seen their albums reach number 1 in the Official UK rock charts and break into the top 40 in the Official UK album charts.

After a lengthy period as a studio band, Big Big Train returned to live performances in 2015. Following successful mini-residencies in London in 2015 and 2017, the band headlined the Night Of The Prog festival in Germany in summer 2018. They toured the UK for the first time in 2019, culminating in a sold out show at London’s Hackney Empire, subsequently released as the critically acclaimed Blu-ray Empire. The band also released two studio albums in 2021 and 2022, Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet. 

Tragedy struck Big Big Train in November 2021 with the death of David Longdon. After careful consideration, and with the full support of David’s partner, in spring 2022 the band decided to continue and brought Italian vocalist Alberto Bravin on board. 

Big Big Train played their first live shows in almost three years in September 2022 in the UK and the Netherlands. Joining Gregory Spawton, longstanding American drummer Nick D’Virgilio (Genesis, Spock’s Beard, Tears For Fears) and Swedish guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom (Beardfish, Gungfly), these shows marked the live debuts of Alberto Bravin (PFM), Norwegian keyboardist Oskar Holldorff (Dim Gray), British violinist Clare Lindley (Stackridge) and guitarist Dave Foster (The Steve Rothery Band, Mr So & So).

In August and September 2023 Big Big Train played 17 shows in nine countries. The band released The Likes Of Us, their first album featuring Alberto Bravin as lead vocalist on 1st March 2024; this also marked their recording debut for the InsideOut/Sony label. The Likes Of Us was issued as a limited edition media book, featuring Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mixes by The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord, plus regular stereo mixes by Rob Aubrey and Alberto Bravin, as well as a standard CD, four different vinyl formats and as a Bandcamp hi res download.

Following the band’s first ever shows in the United States in March 2024, the band made their debut co-headlining Cruise To The Edge. In July 2024 Big Big Train headlined the final ever Night Of The Prog in Germany and performed in August at the renowned Cropredy festival in the UK. The band then embarked on a headlining UK/European tour in September/October 2024. A 3CD/Blu-ray/2LP live album titled A Flare On The Lens was released by InsideOut/Sony on the eve of the tour.

In April 2025 Big Big Train co-headlined Cruise To The Edge again, as well as playing a series of further dates in the United States and performing for the first time in Canada. In May 2025 the band headlined the Gouveia Art Rock festival in Portugal. The band released a 2CD/3LP live album titled Are We Nearly There Yet? in September 2025. Big Big Train released Woodcut, their latest studio album, via InsideOut/Sony on 6^th February 2026. The band will co-headline Cruise To The Edge in March 2026 and will tour the UK and continental Europe in autumn 2026.