Big Big Train / Solstice Acoustic / Ross Jennings
The 1865, Southampton
March 1st, 2026
Words and Photos by Geoff Bailie
Having not played together live for almost a year, Big Big Train decided to do a warm-up show ahead of their Cruise to the Edge performances. This would also be their first show, bar some in-store performances, since the amazing new album release of Woodcut. What I hadn’t realized until after booking was that this would also be a chance to see both Solstice, in their acoustic incarnation, and Ross Jennings! It struck me that the show really covered three periods of UK prog: Solstice, who emerged in the 1980s neo-prog scene, Big Big Train, who formed in the 1990s, and Ross/ Haken who came to prominence in the 2000s. Yet here we are in 2026, and I would argue that all three are at career high points!
Ross and Haken came into the prog metal world, with a healthy dose of what you’d call “classic” prog, such as Gentle Giant influences. Through a variety of collaborations outside the band, he has shown himself to be a hugely talented and diverse, adaptable artist on his brilliant solo album, even forming an acoustic vocal harmony trio with Neal Morse and Nick D’Virgilio. I also know he is a big country music fan, so maybe an album in that style may appear at some point.”! But whatever he is doing, seeing Ross Jennings perform is something special – and even more so in a stripped-back solo format. His short acoustic set drew from his album Shadow of my Future Self, opening with “Better Times” and including the total earworm “Grounded,” accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. He dropped in a Haken deep cut in “Deathless,” which worked really well in this format, and also played two of the trio songs in solo versions – “Weighs Me Down” and “Another Trip Around The Sun.” For a crowd for whom Ross may have been the artist they were less familiar with, he got a great response!
Next up was Acoustic Solstice. Andy Glass is a father figure in the UK prog scene and he was joined tonight by perhaps the four youngest people in the venue (!) – lead singer Jess Holland, Jenny Newman on violin, Dyane Crutcher, also on vocals, and (possibly sensing the overall demographic, in a pair of Rush trousers) Leoni Jane Kennedy on guitar and backing vocals. While the 9 piece full band line up is a power house of music, movement and energy, the seated acoustic line up loses none of the depth and beauty of the music, showing how it can exist in a stripped down format. With a set list that stretched from their debut album Silent Dance, including a jaw-dropping version of “Cheyenne” with amazing harmonies and John Martin style guitar from Andy, through to tracks from their most recent albums, Sia, Light Up and Clann. Alberto Bravin joined the band for a beautiful version of “A New Day,” which he clearly enjoyed performing, and recognising that some of the crowd may not know the band at all, they did a harmony-rich version of Yes’s “Your Move!” I’d never seen the band live before, and this performance certainly encouraged me to try and catch a show on their next tour.
And so to Big Big Train!!! Since I last saw them live, they have of course, made the Woodcut album. Sufficient hints were dropped in the band’s social media to suggest that the show would not feature a full-length version of Woodcut (emphasised by Alberto assuring us that they “don’t know it all yet”!) but with a catalog as large and rich as BBT’s, the show is always special!
I’m guessing that very few of those present would have guessed that the set would open with “Salisbury Giant” from 2016’s Folklore album making its live debut, about 20 miles from Salisbury – so very appropriate as well as unexpected! I think I could sum it up by saying that BBT fans expect the best, and expect the unexpected! The more familiar “A Mead Hall In Winter” arrived next in all of its epicness. It’s a great track for a multitalented band to instrument switch and show just what they can do, with some killer Hammond organ from Rikard, wonderful violin from Claire, and rhythm section madness from Greg Spawton and Nick D’Virgilio!
Having warmed us up with the surprising and the familiar, it was time for some Woodcut, starting with “The Sharpest Blade,” a song with a huge contribution from Claire Lindley. I think it’s fair to say that this is a song already embedded in the audience’s consciousness and for a live band debut, it was performed exceptionally! Anyone who was sliding into their comfort zone, was perhaps surprised when Greg Spawton came to the front of the stage at this point, minus a musical instrument. He was there to announce the next song, one which has a massive place in BBT’s history. Acknowledging the presence in the venue of Ian Cooper and Andy Poole, the band’s co-founders, he introduced “Kingmaker,” which dates from the band’s 1990s era demos. Last performed in 2018, this marked the debut performance of the song by many on stage including Alberto – and the hall was lit up by the music!
The story and emotions of “Miramare” were welcomed by the audience, from its beautiful a capella opening, to the frantic cantering mid section, arriving at the magnificent ending celebrating this epic landmark of Alberto’s home town. After the familiar, the band returned to Woodcut, playing one of the most intricate album tracks, NDV’s “Warp & Weft” – with changing time signatures and a complex vocal breakdown, all of the band’s abilities were on display, and it received enormous applause.
It’s notable when you see BBT live that even with the (reduced) 7 piece line up, the ability of all of the musicians to multi-task/ play multiple instruments is a key part of the big big sound. Claire, Alberto and Rikard all have keyboards at their stations, Claire strums acoustic and Rikard’s double neck guitar isn’t just a prog trope – he needs both necks, often changing from that guitar to another mid-song. Paul made creative use of doubling and harmonisers to give that full brass band effect when required, and, at one point, I found myself scanning the stage to try and figure out who was playing the harmony guitar part, only to realise that Claire was covering it on distorted violin. And of course there are the vocals – all of the band members sing live and, this time, that even includes Greg who stepped up for his part in Counting Stars, during which he also played 12-string guitar and bass pedals! He told me after the show that was a nerve wracking moment, more so than covering multiple complex bass guitar parts. The audience were as delighted at this spotlight moment for the father of the band during Counting Stars as they were when Alberto hit the closing high note with power and ease!
Back to the set list, “The Artist” feels like a live favourite in the making already on its debut live performance, and the band cleverly joined it to English Electric opener, “The First Rebreather.” I’m not sure that the audience would have allowed the band to leave the venue without playing the aforementioned “Counting Stars,” but the band handed the moment to their fans, the Passengers, by dedicating it to one of their long-term fans who could not be at the show due to undergoing chemotherapy the following day. In a moment, it reflected the deep band / fan connection that BBT have fostered. With a hectic schedule that involves getting from the south of the UK to a Cruise ship in Miami over the next few days, all of the band members were inside the venue to chat to fans before and for a long time after the show, not just signing merch but also engaging with and answering questions.
Side-stepping the need to leave and return to the stage, on account of (1) a curfew and (2) the need to walk through the crowd to get to the stage, the band ended the show with “Love Is The Light.” The spirit of camaraderie was extended to Ross Jennings, who joined them to sing the second verse of this anthem – and of course, the other guest singer on this track is the audience! The joy of the evening was manifest in the “woah oh oh-a oh” that came from everyone present at the show’s conclusion.
In a recent Prog magazine article, Greg Spawton described the band’s current stage of evolution as “a gigging band that also makes albums”. With an acclaimed new album, and UK and European dates lined up later this year, where the band will be visiting venues and countries they haven’t played in before, the Train’s current momentum seems unstoppable.
Big Big Train set list
The Book of Ingenious Devices (Intro)
Salisbury Giant
Mead Hall
The Sharpest Blade
Kingmaker
Miramare
Warp & Weft
The Artist
The First Rebreather
Counting Stars
Encore: Love is the Light (with Ross Jennings)
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