Recommended reading

Big Big Train stream brand new song Lanterna

News
By ( Prog ) last updated

UK proggers Big Big Train scored their highest ever UK chart position with new album Common Ground

Big Big Train
(Image credit: Big Big Train)

UK prog rockers Big Big Train have streamed a brand new song, Lanterna, which you can listen to below.

Lanterna is the second in a series of brand new tracks from Big Big Train. Having already released the album Common Ground this year, the band also recently unveiled another new track, The Connection Plan. In the lead up to their 2022 tour, the band intend to release more material.

"This song came about because of an unexpected journey in Italy," explains bass player Greg Spawton, who wrote Lanterna. "I was on holiday in Milan and travelled to the airport to fly back home. The plane that was due to land at Milan was diverted to Venice due to bad weather. Rather than hang around at the airport for a day or two, we rebooked our flight so that we could return from Genoa a few days’ later. 

"With some time on our hands to explore the city, we ended up walking out to the beautiful lighthouse which is called the Lanterna di Genova. The Lanterna was built in the 16th century but there has been a lighthouse on the site since 1128. I liked the thought of mankind building these tall towers of light to extend our reach into the sea and to help bring sailors safely home."

For the Common Ground tour, which will be Big Big Train's most extensive to date and which will culminate in the UK with a show at the prestigious London Palladium, Greg Spawton (bass), David Longdon (lead vocals, flute), Nick D’Virgilio (drums, vocals) and Rikard Sjöblom (guitars, keyboards, vocals) will be joined by Carly Bryant (keyboards, guitars, vocals), who contributes vocals to Common Ground, Dave Foster (guitars) - who plays on two tracks on the new album - Clare Lindley (violin, vocals) and by a five piece brass ensemble.

Common Ground has been the band's most successful release, reaching No. 31 in the UK album charts.

You can see the band's tour dates below.

 

Big Big Train

(Image credit: English Electric Recordings)

Big Big Train UK Tour 2022

Mar 15: York Barbican
Mar 16: Cambridge Corn Exchange
Mar 18: Birmingham Symphony Hall
Mar 19: Bath Forum
Mar 21: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Mar 22: Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Mar 23: London Palladium

Get Big Big Train tickets.

Jerry Ewing
Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.