For a band that play gigs less often than Rush, a new live album might seem like a strange career turn. Especially if you consider that until Big Big Train loaded their gear into London’s Kings Place in August 2015, they hadn’t played together for 17 years: that’s more than four Olympic Games.
By their own admission, they were certain they could do the shows, but like robbing a bank, they weren’t really sure it was going to work until they were in the vault. It’s an odd analogy – it’s theirs – but to play it forward, on the strength of this performance, BBT would now be sunning themselves in Acapulco, Buster-style, toasting their ill-gotten gains. Little wonder these shows scooped the Live Event category at this year’s Prog Awards.
Recorded over three nights, the band have handpicked the best performances to recreate the running order of those magnetic shows. They don’t put a foot wrong, from the opening stomp of Make Some Noise through the aching Victorian Brickwork to the brassy and languid Summoned By Bells, arguably the highlight of the album, A Stone’s Throw is a richly coloured snapshot of a captivating night.
