Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
Looking back, after a triumphant Cruise To The Edge and the release of a critically accclaimed new album, ‘The Likes Of Us’, earlier this year, it’s easy to forget that 2023’s ‘The Journey Continues’ tour was a step into the unknown for Big Big Train.
Since their last full series of concerts, the ‘Grand Tour’ of 2019, the band had been forced to adapt after Dave Gregory, Rachel Hall and Danny Manners decided to move on. The pandemic had critically disrupted the band’s artistic and commercial momentum. And most shattering of all, the tragic death of David Longdon left a void to fill in terms of lead vocals, songwriting and performance. As the band prepared for its first full European tour there were lots of question marks about the line-up, the musical direction and, in particular, the new lead singer, Alberto Bravin.
In this exclusive interview, recorded during the writing of the ‘The Journey Continues 2023’ tour book, ‘A View From The Embankment, A View From The Line’, Alberto speaks honestly and movingly about the complex process behind the recording sessions that preceded the tour and how he brought his own personal style to the new Big Big Train album, ‘The Likes Of Us’. He describes the highs and lows of touring, his approach to singing familiar – and perhaps not so familiar – songs from the band’s catalogue, and of course, how he faced up to the challenge of following in the footsteps of the late David Longdon as Big Big Train took to the road.
“Personally, I’m pleased that we were able to unveil some brand new songs to audiences. But it’s also been very rewarding to play the ‘new’ old songs that are familiar to Big Big Train fans: ones that David didn’t have the opportunity to sing live. Because although his studio version exists, there’s a little more freedom for me to bring a different interpretation to my performance. Something different that nobody will have seen or heard before.
“Obviously, there are going to be some songs where you’ll have David’s live version and you’ll have mine. I know full well that people will forever compare how we sing ‘East Coast Racer’, for example, and I’m completely fine with that. I certainly don’t see it as a ‘competition’, because that’s not how I would ever approach singing songs and lyrics that people identify so strongly with. David’s live recordings are incredible and they will always be there for people to enjoy.”
‘A View From The Embankment, A View From The Line’ is available to order now from Burning Shed via:
burningshed.com/store/kingmaker
and from The Band Wagon USA via:
thebandwagonusa.com/collections/kingmaker-publishing
Looking back, after a triumphant Cruise To The Edge and the release of a critically accclaimed new album, ‘The Likes Of Us’, earlier this year, it’s easy to forget that 2023’s ‘The Journey Continues’ tour was a step into the unknown for Big Big Train.
Since their last full series of concerts, the ‘Grand Tour’ of 2019, the band had been forced to adapt after Dave Gregory, Rachel Hall and Danny Manners decided to move on. The pandemic had critically disrupted the band’s artistic and commercial momentum. And most shattering of all, the tragic death of David Longdon left a void to fill in terms of lead vocals, songwriting and performance. As the band prepared for its first full European tour there were lots of question marks about the line-up, the musical direction and, in particular, the new lead singer, Alberto Bravin.
In this exclusive interview, recorded during the writing of the ‘The Journey Continues 2023’ tour book, ‘A View From The Embankment, A View From The Line’, Alberto speaks honestly and movingly about the complex process behind the recording sessions that preceded the tour and how he brought his own personal style to the new Big Big Train album, ‘The Likes Of Us’. He describes the highs and lows of touring, his approach to singing familiar – and perhaps not so familiar – songs from the band’s catalogue, and of course, how he faced up to the challenge of following in the footsteps of the late David Longdon as Big Big Train took to the road.
“Personally, I’m pleased that we were able to unveil some brand new songs to audiences. But it’s also been very rewarding to play the ‘new’ old songs that are familiar to Big Big Train fans: ones that David didn’t have the opportunity to sing live. Because although his studio version exists, there’s a little more freedom for me to bring a different interpretation to my performance. Something different that nobody will have seen or heard before.
“Obviously, there are going to be some songs where you’ll have David’s live version and you’ll have mine. I know full well that people will forever compare how we sing ‘East Coast Racer’, for example, and I’m completely fine with that. I certainly don’t see it as a ‘competition’, because that’s not how I would ever approach singing songs and lyrics that people identify so strongly with. David’s live recordings are incredible and they will always be there for people to enjoy.”
‘A View From The Embankment, A View From The Line’ is available to order now from Burning Shed via:
burningshed.com/store/kingmaker
and from The Band Wagon USA via:
thebandwagonusa.com/collections/kingmaker-publishing
