Big Big Train

PROG AROUND THE WORLD

British retro prog outfit Big Big Train will return to Pratteln in autumn 2026. With the extensive concert recording Are We Nearly There Yet? – Live Around The World, released in October 2025, the band delivered a rousing document of their most recent tours. On the upcoming European tour, Big Big Train will once again present songs from all phases of their three-and-a-half-decade career.

Even after 35 years, Big Big Train continue to display remarkable productivity: for the past ten years, they have released at least one studio and/or live album every single year. Quantity has never come at the expense of quality – the band’s creativity remains undiminished. Formed in Bournemouth in 1990, Big Big Train have grown into internationally acclaimed protagonists of the progressive rock genre with 17 studio albums as well as numerous EPs and live releases. Their résumé includes top international chart positions (including #1 in the UK Rock Charts), prestigious awards (four-time winners of the Progressive Music Awards) and countless sold-out concerts. While staying true to their roots, Big Big Train continue to explore new paths, incorporating influences from various genres and establishing themselves as skilled boundary-crossers between pop, rock and prog in the spirit of early-1970s British bands. Their last appearance at Z7 was in September 2023 as part of The Journey Continues Tour. diebuehrers.com wrote about the show: “From the very first notes, the seven-piece band and their additional brass section showed exactly why they are rightly storming the charts. The multi-talented international line-up from the UK, USA, Italy, Sweden and Norway featured lead singer Alberto Bravin (PFM), drummer Nick D’Virgilio (Genesis, Spock’s Beard, Tears For Fears), guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom (Beardfish, Gungfly), violinist Clare Lindley (Stackridge), bassist Gregory Spawton, keyboardist Oskar Holldorff (Dim Gray) and rising guitar star Maria Barbieri. With a varied setlist, the band delivered an excellent selection of classics as well as songs from their then-new album Ingenious Devices. This was a prog train rolling at full speed.” Since then, another studio album, The Likes Of Us, followed in 2024. In October 2025, the live recording Are We Nearly There Yet? – Live Around The World was released, documenting the band’s outstanding concerts of recent years. For this release, Gregory Spawton and exceptional vocalist Alberto Bravin selected the finest recordings from past tours – including Big Big Train favourites and newer tracks, captured in front of enthusiastic audiences in the USA, the UK and across Europe.

Videos