Big Big Train Queen's Hall Edinburgh 10th September 2023 Review
Big Big Train were at the Queen’s Hall Edinburgh tonight as part of their “The Journey Continues 2023” tour, and from the number of band tour t-shirts being worn in the audience tonight, there were plenty of people on this journey with them too.
If you have not heard of Big Big Train, they are one of the most popular bands on the current prog-rock music scene, and although their founding origins date back to Bournemouth in 1990, this current band line up is truly an international one.
With the lights and sounds of a big train coming into the station and to applause from an audience eagerly awaiting their arrival the band took to the stage. With seven members in the band plus a four piece brass section and a lot of guitars, drums, keyboards and stage equipment, the Queen’s Hall stage was soon a very full one.
I have to admit now that until recently Big Big Train and their music had somehow never stopped at my musical station platform, but had instead passed me by like a speeding train. Still, that name intrigued me and after a little online research into their music I found a lot to like. The big question for me was how well this band was going to be able to re-create some of these multi-layered works, which were obviously so carefully and skilfully crafted as studio songs, to the live stage and how much of their extensive back catalogue of music they would be performing.
Big Big Train are having a very busy 2023 with this tour and the release of their new album “Ingenious Devices” which, amongst other material, features new versions of “East Coast Racer”, “Brooklands”, and “Voyager”, and “Brooklands” was performed for the first time live by the band tonight. It was however with “Folklore” from the 2016 album of the same name that the band opened their set tonight and this song was obviously a fan favourite.
Evreyone in Big Big Train is there because of one reason, their talent as a musician, and when you have multi-instrumentalists of this level working and playing together, and obviously enjoying both that creative connection and performing in front of a live audience then something interesting is always going to happen on stage. The range of musical styles and genres that the band has drawn creativity from over the years is wide and varied, but it is their ability to draw all of these different musical threads together and create something that is both new and unique that makes their music stand out. On top of this, Big Big Train obviously understands completely that often elusive art of fine arrangements of their music.
When most people think of a prog-rock band, they probably imagine songs that go on forever (well it can sometimes seem that way) and often sounding very similar to one another. This is not the case with Big Big Train, and their diversity of music ranges from elusively ethereal to beautifully written songs of real power and emotion. Finding the songs “Curator of Butterflies” and “Telling the Bees” was a pleasure tonight for me, and it is also easy to see why “Apollo” and “A Boy In Darkness” have gained this band such a strong fan base.
Fans of the band will be familiar with the talents of Alberto Bravin, Nick D’Virgilio, Rikard Sjöblom, Clare Lindley and Gregory Spawton, but also adding so much to the Big Big Train sound tonight was Italian guitarist Maria Barbieri.
Opening this show for Big Big Train was Norwegian band Dim Gray, and it is easy to see why they are support on this tour as they are also crafting their very own multi-layered and distinctive songs. Keyboard player Oskar Holldorff is an exceptional talent and he was having a very busy night as he also now plays keyboards with Big Big Train.
Dim Gray are arranging their musical building blocks into some very creative new combinations and how they expand their musical concepts in the years to come is going to be something interesting to watch and listen to.
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
If you have not heard of Big Big Train, they are one of the most popular bands on the current prog-rock music scene, and although their founding origins date back to Bournemouth in 1990, this current band line up is truly an international one.
With the lights and sounds of a big train coming into the station and to applause from an audience eagerly awaiting their arrival the band took to the stage. With seven members in the band plus a four piece brass section and a lot of guitars, drums, keyboards and stage equipment, the Queen’s Hall stage was soon a very full one.
I have to admit now that until recently Big Big Train and their music had somehow never stopped at my musical station platform, but had instead passed me by like a speeding train. Still, that name intrigued me and after a little online research into their music I found a lot to like. The big question for me was how well this band was going to be able to re-create some of these multi-layered works, which were obviously so carefully and skilfully crafted as studio songs, to the live stage and how much of their extensive back catalogue of music they would be performing.
Big Big Train are having a very busy 2023 with this tour and the release of their new album “Ingenious Devices” which, amongst other material, features new versions of “East Coast Racer”, “Brooklands”, and “Voyager”, and “Brooklands” was performed for the first time live by the band tonight. It was however with “Folklore” from the 2016 album of the same name that the band opened their set tonight and this song was obviously a fan favourite.
Evreyone in Big Big Train is there because of one reason, their talent as a musician, and when you have multi-instrumentalists of this level working and playing together, and obviously enjoying both that creative connection and performing in front of a live audience then something interesting is always going to happen on stage. The range of musical styles and genres that the band has drawn creativity from over the years is wide and varied, but it is their ability to draw all of these different musical threads together and create something that is both new and unique that makes their music stand out. On top of this, Big Big Train obviously understands completely that often elusive art of fine arrangements of their music.
When most people think of a prog-rock band, they probably imagine songs that go on forever (well it can sometimes seem that way) and often sounding very similar to one another. This is not the case with Big Big Train, and their diversity of music ranges from elusively ethereal to beautifully written songs of real power and emotion. Finding the songs “Curator of Butterflies” and “Telling the Bees” was a pleasure tonight for me, and it is also easy to see why “Apollo” and “A Boy In Darkness” have gained this band such a strong fan base.
Fans of the band will be familiar with the talents of Alberto Bravin, Nick D’Virgilio, Rikard Sjöblom, Clare Lindley and Gregory Spawton, but also adding so much to the Big Big Train sound tonight was Italian guitarist Maria Barbieri.
Opening this show for Big Big Train was Norwegian band Dim Gray, and it is easy to see why they are support on this tour as they are also crafting their very own multi-layered and distinctive songs. Keyboard player Oskar Holldorff is an exceptional talent and he was having a very busy night as he also now plays keyboards with Big Big Train.
Dim Gray are arranging their musical building blocks into some very creative new combinations and how they expand their musical concepts in the years to come is going to be something interesting to watch and listen to.
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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