Drummer Nick D'Virgilio (Mr. Big, Spock's Beard) has shared a new episode of his "So...You Want To Be A Musician?" podcast. Check it out below.
"Welcome to Episode 11 of the podcast, where I’m joined by my bandmate in Big Big Train, Clare Lindley. Clare is not only my first female guest, but also an incredibly talented musician with a wealth of experience. It’s truly inspiring to hear her perspective on what it takes to make music your life. Her dedication, hard work, and passion are undeniable, and I’ve had the privilege of witnessing her professionalism and skill on stage time and time again.
In this episode, we dive into Clare’s journey — starting in Scotland, where she grew up and made a name for herself, before moving to London to take on the city’s music scene head-on. Clare is also an educator, sharing her love of music with students of all ages, and—on top of that—she’s a professional rock climber! Her passion and drive are contagious, and I’m lucky to be in a band with someone so talented.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Cheers!"
Big Big Train will reissue their third studio album, Bard, on March 21, 2025. Originally released in 2002 and after many years of being unavailable as a physical CD, the album has been completely remixed by their longstanding engineer Rob Aubrey.
Additionally, the reissue features a live version of the album’s opening track, "The Last English King", recorded during the band’s tour in fall 2024, as well "Headlands", a song recorded during the original sessions but unavailable until now.
“I’m pleased to see Bard being reissued at last,” comments Andy Poole, the band’s former bassist and this album’s producer. “On its original release we expected Bard to be Big Big Train’s farewell. The album has a number of songs that I think stand up pretty well and which in retrospect laid some of the foundations for the upwards curve that the band subsequently embarked on. Rob Aubrey has worked wonders with the re-mix and enhanced the album considerably.”
“I’m never going to pretend that Bard is our best work,” Gregory Spawton adds. “But there’s been increasing demand from fans for a reissue and over the last few years, I’ve warmed towards the album, especially with the benefit of Rob Aubrey’s remix. I had never expected us to play anything from Bard live, but I’ve always been proud of 'The Last English King' and was particularly pleased with how we breathed new life into it on tour this year. It proved one of the highlights of the set, both for the band and apparently for fans too.”
“Since I joined the band in 2022, in parallel with creating new music I have been keen to embrace the entire back catalogue of Big Big Train,” says lead vocalist Alberto Bravin. “Of course, over 20 years ago, this was a very different Big Big Train and with the vocals being shared between a number of singers, Bard precedes David Longdon’s arrival as well. Bard certainly has its moments and I loved playing 'The Last English King' on tour this year.”
Bard will be released via the band’s own label English Electric Recordings on CD and 2LP and via Bandcamp high resolution download.
The CD and vinyl versions will be strictly limited editions and Bard will not be made available on streaming or other download platforms. The 2LP version of the album will be available as 180 gram “shark” blue vinyl (exclusive to Burning Shed and The Bandwagon USA) and 180 gram black vinyl.
The CD/2LP versions of the album will include extensive 4,000 word liner notes by Andy Stuart (author of the book A View From The Embankment, A View From The Line, which documented the band's 2023 tour) using material from a new interview with Gregory Spawton.
An audio teaser for the album is available below. Pre-order via the following links:
- Burning Shed
- The Bandwagon USA
- Bandcamp
Tracklisting:
"The Last English King"
"Broken English"
"This is Where We Came In"
"Harold Rex Interfectus Est"
"Blacksmithing"
"Malfosse"
"Love Is Her Thing"
"How The Earth From This Place Has Power Over Fire"
"A Short Visit to Earth"
"For Winter"
"A Long Finish"
"Headlands"
"The Last English King" (Live 2024 version)
