Big Big Train Return with New EP

Big Big Train returns with its first release since the universally acclaimed English Electric albums. This new EP, named Wassail, will be released on June 1st in CD and dowload format.

The Wassail EP contains three new songs (two of which are exclusive to the EP) and a live bonus track. The CD version is a digipak and includes an eight-page booklet featuring lyrics for the songs and artwork especially commissioned for the EP.

Tracklist:
1. Wassail (6.48)
2. Lost Rivers of London (6.02)
3. Mudlarks (6.13)
4. Master James of St George (Live At Real World) (6.14)

The CD version is now available to pre-order from Burning Shed:
https://www.burningshed.com/store/progressive/product/506/6614/.

The Listeners Have Chosen, Part 2

The follow-up to last week's post, continuing the Listeners' Countdown of Top 20 CDs of 2013. Here are numbers 10 to 1. Any surprises? If so, please comment!

10		The Greatest Show on Earth Airbag (Norway)
9		Le Sacre du Travail The Tangent(United Kingdom)
8		Himjlabacken, Volume 1 Moon Safari (Sweden)
7 (Tie)		Dimentionaut Sound of Contact (United Kingdom)
7 (Tie)		English Electric Full Power Big Big Train (United Kingdom)
6		Lifesigns Lifesigns (United Kingdom)
5		The Mountain Haken (United Kingdom)
4		Shrine of New Generation Slaves Riverside (Poland)
3		Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep Spock's Beard (United States)
2		The Theory of Everything Ayreon (Netherlands)
1		The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) Steven Wilson (United Kingdom)

Big News About Big Big Train

Photograph by Willem Klopper

Big Big Train are preparing live gigs!! This is the news a lot of Big Big Train's fans have been waiting for. The band haven't properly played live since its early incarnation, and since 2009 have mainly been considered a studio band, releasing well polished and complex music with no regard if it is playable live or not.

Well 2014 will be the year Big Big Train finally hit the stage and play live. To that end they have recruited some extra musicians to add to their signature sound. Headline news in prog magazines have mostly centered around the fact that Beardfish's Rikard Sjöblom will be joining the band on guitar, keyboard, and vocals. In truth I love Rikard and Beardfish. I saw them live and they are a fantastic band. I also interviewed Rikard years ago when this radio show was in its infancy and met him 2 years ago at a prog festival, and he is a gracious and interesting artist. But the news should not be about him but about Big Big Train, and I am sure that Rikard would agree with this assessment.

Tour dates have not been announced yet, but rehearsals are set to begin in August at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, where they will be recorded for a future DVD or BluRay release. so this gives us an Autumn 2014 timeline for the dates, which incidentally is about the time of Summer's End... Will they play that famous English festival at the end of 2014?

Stay tuned!

2013 Progressive Music Awards Winners

Last night was the night. Prog Magazine unveiled the winners of the Prog Music Awards in the beautiful setting of the Kew Gardens.

And this year’s winners are:

Limelight – Sound Of Contact

Breakthrough – Big Big Train

Anthem – Von Hertzen Brothers' Flowers And Rust

Event – Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited at Hammersmith Apollo

Band Of The Year – Marillion

Album – Steven Wilson's The Raven Who Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

Grand Design – Family Box Set

Virtuoso – Mike Portnoy

Visionary – Steve Hillage

Guiding Light – Thomas Waber, founder of InsideOut

Lifetime Achievement – Dave Brock

Prog God – Ian Anderson

 

Congratulations to all the winners!