Big Big Train

Formed in 1990 by multi-instrumentalists Andy Poole and Greg Spawton, Big Big Train emerged from the English seaside town of Bournemouth to establish themselves as one of the prog rock genre's most imaginative and adventurous outfits. With the duo joined by Ian Cooper on keyboards and Steve Hughes on drums, along with Canadian singer Martin Read, they started playing gigs and recording demo tapes and released their first album Goodbye to the Age of Steam in 1993. It helped establish their reputation as a visionary progressive band, winning them a devoted following in Japan in particular. The line-up changed, but their popularity continued with second album English Boy Wonders in 1997, with a sound that came to be described as quintessentially English. A key landmark was their 2004 concept album Gathering Speed, which told the story of a Second World War fighter pilot and proved a big leap in style, drawing on both classical and rock influences. Further personnel changes followed, but the arrival of ex-Gifthorse singer Dave Longdon, highly-rated drummer and percussionist Nick D'Virgilio and ex-XTC guitarist re-invigorated the band as they entered their most successful period with the double album English Electric Part One and Two, resulting in them winning the Breakthrough Act gong at the Progressive Music Awards. The addition of Beardfish frontman Rikard Sjöblom in 2014 helped consolidate them with the release of their Folklore album in 2016 with a companion album Grimspound released in 2017. A prolific act, they released their fifteenth studio album, The Likes of Us, in 2024, followed by a reissue of their 2002 album Bard in 2025.