Big Big Train – Empire

8/10

After close to a year without any live shows here in Sweden it was a nice escape to experience ’Empire’, the new live album & video by British progressive rock band Big Big Train. A skillfully presented and executed live show with atmospheric and cinematic soundscapes, performed by a group of musicians with incredible chops.

Though mainly known as a studio project, Big Big Train shines in a live setting thanks to the size and scope of the band. Opening song ’Alive’ feels life-affirming with a very 70’s sounding mellotron, together with harmonizing guitars and a very passionate vocal performance from frontman David Langdon, who takes the stage like he’s a 19th century concert impressario. The following song ’Hedgerow’ sounds like 60’s psychedelia with a 12-string guitar intro right out of The Byrds ’Fifth Dimension’.  As the album continues, it grows more and more eclectic with every subsequent track. ‘Winkie’ has an intro reminiscent of Irish folk music, which is swiftly interrupted by a synthesizer straight out of ELP’s ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ together with a distorted bass and a flute solo. Like ELP, Yes and Jethro Tull were having a big jam. Together with the sweeping outro and majestic vocals, it sounds very impressive and very progressive rock. The most epic moments are saved for last, like in the big finale ‘East Coast Racer’ which clocks in at over 17 minutes.

There is so much going on in the music and so much technical proficiency displayed by the 13 musicians on stage, including a whole brass section and three separate keyboardists. The music’s size and scope gives the listener a sense of exploration and never really knowing what’s coming next. Granted, that my lack of familiarity with the material makes the music a little exhausting as my brain is trying to grasp all this musical information prima vista, but watching the accompanying live video helped a lot to fathom what was going on. The live video has great production with nice camera shots, as well as a big screen above the band which projects evocative imagery that accompanies the music.

‘Empire’ by Big Big Train is not a rock concert, it’s a rock concerto. Unfortunately this tour was cut short by Covid-19, but can thankfully still be experience through this excellent live documentation. It’s well worth the purchase as the physical edition includes both a CD and a Blu-Ray of the show. If you like progressive rock like Genesis, Yes and ELP, you really must check it out.

  • Artist: Big Big Train
  • Title: Empire
  • Label: Burning Shed
  • Date of release: 27/11/20
  • Rate: 8/10
  • Stand out track: East Coast Racer

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Big Big Train – Empire

December 4, 2020

'Empire' by Big Big Train is not a rock concert, it's a rock concerto. Unfortunately this tour was cut short by Covid-19, but can thankfully still be experience through this excellent live documentation.

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