The next in our series of big big bits from Big Big Train is inspired by their 2024 live dates.

victorian brickwork (from The underfall yard)

Where the Victorian Brickwork is embellished by some wonderful Victorian brasswork that starts at around 9:30 for about three minutes of gloriously nostalgic. The space where one of Gregory Spawton’s musical inspirations – Elbow – crosses paths with BBT. The poignant brass arrangement that swells as the piece closes is right up there with Guy Garvey singing about sad captains and getting all dewey-eyed and nostalgic about the passing of time. A sentiment that’s not too far from the subject matter of Victorian Brickwork.

For anyone wondering how a brass section can be shoehorned into Prog Rock – stop here and admire the work over the last few minutes where the cornet soars over the warm wash of the rest of the quartet.

There are some epic live versions – check out Kings Place from 2015 right up to 2024’s A Flare On The Lens live version which is a current favourite. Right at the close Alberto Bravin rightly comments: “This is so cool.”

Black With Ink (from Common Ground)

You’d be excused for half expecting to hear David Longdon sing “All I need is a TV show,” as the chugging intro kicks in.

A track revived for the 2024 The Likes Of Us tour (with a very nice souvenir live version delivered to tour patrons :-). The shared vocal part being passed between the embarrassment of riches in the singing department in the band line up. The first three minutes is simply great fun with each singer taking a turn in the spotlight before the track plunges into a much more defined Prog Rock related territory. Great to see this piece performed by the band in 2024 on their UK/Euro tour.

Curator Of Butterflies – from A Flare On The Lens

Singing the songs of David Longdon was a mammoth and unenviable task for anyone who had the privege of stepping into his shoes. That’s particularly the case with songs such as Curator Of Butterflies, yet, IMHO as they say, Alberto Bravin earns his stripes on this song and the recent live version is one that

Not to omit Oskar Holdorff’s lovely piano work too, Curator is a classic Big Big Train track – and it’s hard to pick a ‘bit’ – which still hits home with the new band members. The sensitivity of the opening passage; the slow emergence of the washes of brass and the simple but striking guitar. A song that by it’s close has pushed the same buttons as to Marillion’s The Great Escape Alberto’s delivery on two lines – “so far out of reach” and “the end is the start is the place where we came from” – is impeccable. A sure sign of a wonderful song.

And – one of those songs that, to quote the new BBT T shirt design, has been making grown men and women cry since 1990.

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