by Geoff Bailie
Having been one myself for many years, it’s very clear that when prog fans like a band, their dedication to them can be as intense as much of the music the bands produce. Loyalty runs deep, and, in many cases, communities form online which become about more than just the music. The Passengers, the collective noun for a group of Big Big Train fans, are a great example of a dedicated fan base who support and have gained the trust of the band – and it was a group of such long standing fans who created: A Mead Hall in Winchester. If you know the band’s music, you will know that this city in England is featured in song titles, Winchester from St Giles’s Hill and Winchester Diver, and when the Romans occupied Britain, it served as the capital – so like many of BBT’s songs it is steeped in history. Thus it was an appropriate location for a gathering of fans many of whom travelled from overseas.
In addition to a treasure hunt and walks to the viewpoint of St Giles Hill, the main event took place on Saturday evening – and what began as a fan gathering developed into a virtual mini British prog festival! The centrepiece was a Q&A session with Greg Spawton, Andy Poole (co-founder of the band) and Ian Cooper (keyboard player in the first and some subsequent line ups), along with the vocalist who sang on several albums before David Longdon joined, Sean Filkins. Musical accompaniment came from Michael Whiteman and Ella Lloyd aka Whimsical Creature and the Chief Moth himself, Peter Jones.
Fresh from the news that he has co-written the new Spock’s Beard album with Ryo Okumoto, Michael Whiteman, together with Ella Lloyd, kicked things off with a lively set of songs from Whimsical Creature’s debut album Wistful Thinking. In common with BBT, Michael writes story songs and thematic lyrics. With him playing 12 string and keyboards and Ella playing flute, autoharp and assorted percussion they created a big sound with their lively tunes. Tales of butterfly migration, fairy hoaxes and a reflection on AI were among the subject matter, and as it was a BBT event, they played a brilliant cover of the band’s song Leopards, which Whiteman said is one of his favourite songs. A review of their album is coming soon but if prog/ folk with interesting lyrics is your thing, you should check them out.
Next up was the panel Q&A session, with what I believe is the first public appearance of Greg, Ian and Andy in many, many years along with former singer Sean Filkins. The crowd was delighted when current BBT singer, Alberto Bravin was announced as the surprise guest – so a real mix of BBT Old and New! Organiser Glenn Codere did a great job of conducting the Q&A using questions submitted by those in attendance. You can imagine that a panel of current and former band members could be a potential disaster, but it’s fair to say that the former members shared fond memories of their time in the band and delight that the band is still in existence and going from strength to strength. Equally Greg in particular acknowledged the unique contribution that every band member brought, even hinting at the potential for a future performance featuring former members. They discussed a variety of subjects including the track they found most difficult to play and a conversation about the relative role of music and lyrics in song writing. As the centrepiece of the weekend it truly was a special event, and those present realised they’d experienced something unique.
To close the evening, Peter Jones took the stage and brought us an amazing musical finale. Starting with Taking The Dawn, Jones demonstrated his powerful soulful voice, playful spirit and extreme musical talent. Switching between keys and guitar, he shared a variety of songs, including the epic A Visit To Chigwick, as demanded by the crowd, and fantastic covers of (parts of) BBT’s Victorian Brickwork and Genesis’s Guide Vocal. The assembled crowd felt an unsurpassable emotional high was reached when Peter played, and we sang along with, We’ll Remember, a tribute to BBT’s sadly departed singer David Longdon – it was a truly lovely moment and then … incredibly Jones announced that Sean Filkins and Alberto Bravin would be joining him for a special version of Summer’s Lease. Originally recorded and sung by Filkins on The Difference Machine, and only played live by the band four times, hearing Sean and Alberto duet and harmonise in Peter’s beautiful piano arrangement was quite a moment – grown men cried! Simply a perfect ending.
The finale of the weekend was a Sunday lunchtime talk by author Andrew Wild called The Songs of Big Big Train that was held in the Railway Arms. Wild has spent the last 18 months talking to and interviewing band members for this project which will become a book released in Spring 2026, and is a collaboration with (The Daily) Doug Helvering. BBT music has always had musical depth and many layers, and the same is true of the lyrical content. In the talk, Wild unpacked the stories behind tracks like The First Rebreather, A Boy In The Darkness through to Beneath The Masts and Bookmarks, with appropriate visual and audio accompaniment. To say that appetites were whetted for the book would be an understatement – I’ve followed the band for many years and read every interview, web post and article I come across but I learned an enormous amount from Andrew in just over an hour and can’t wait to read more!
BBT is a band that draws deep loyalty from its fans. It was clear from chatting to the organisers that this whole event was their way of saying thank you to the band and creating a special gift for those who chose to attend. As one such fan, that gift was gratefully received and it was simply an unforgettable weekend.
