Today sees the release of a live version of The Last English King by Big Big Train.
While live and studio versions of the song feature on the forthcoming re-issue of the band’s third studio album Bard on 21st March 2025, the live video features a different performance recorded in the Netherlands in September 2024.
Originally released in 2002 and after many years of being unavailable as a physical CD, Bard has been completely re-mixed by the band’s longstanding engineer Rob Aubrey. Its release will be simultaneously accompanied by a digital EP entitled Scop.
You can watch The Last English King here: https://youtu.be/e53QcRGoyHg
“On the tour last autumn and at our forthcoming shows in April and May, our focus is on playing songs from our most recent studio album The Likes Of Us,” lead vocalist Alberto Bravin explains. “But we also always want to celebrate the great Big Big Train back catalogue and so we decided to dust off The Last English King, a song that the band had never played live until last September.”
“It has been such a blast to delve into ancient history with The Last English King”, adds drummer Nick D’Virgilio. “I really dug the song the first time I heard it and knew that this line-up could do something very special with the arrangement. I love the way it starts out acoustically and then has a very psychedelic section before the huge, powerful ending.”
Keyboardist Oskar Holldorff comments: “The Last English King is great fun to perform. The extended keyboard solos gave me a chance to stretch out and play something slightly different every night. Hopefully we will play the song many more times in the future.”
Big Big Train’s The Likes Of Us In North America tour commences on 2nd April and runs until 19th April, with 10 shows in the United States and Canada as well as a co-headlining appearance on board Cruise To The Edge. The band then co-headlines the Gouveia Art Rock festival in Portugal at the beginning of May.
BIG BIG TRAIN – LIVE IN ‘25
THE LIKES OF US IN NORTH AMERICA TOUR
Wednesday 2nd April – Sweetwater, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Friday 4th – Wed 9th April – Cruise To The Edge
Thursday 10th April – Arcada Theatre, St Charles, Illinois, USA
Friday 11th April – The Token Lounge, Westland, Michigan, USA
Sunday 13th April – Electric City, Buffalo, New York, USA
Monday 14th April – Fairmount Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Tuesday 15th April – Algonquin Theatre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Wednesday 16th April – Salle Dina-Bélanger, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Thursday 17th April – Regent Theatre, Arlington, Massachusetts, USA
Friday 18th April – Rivoli Theater at The Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
Saturday 19th April – Rivoli Theater at The Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
Sunday 4th May – Gouveia Art Rock, Gouveia, Portugal
Tickets for all shows are on sale now via www.bigbigtrain.com/live.
BIG BIG TRAIN online:
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