THE BEST OF BIG COUNTRY
The band will be performing all their great hits
along with live favourites.
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RETURN TO STEELTOWN TOUR 1984 - 2019
The band will be performing a large selection from this classic album along with all their great hits and live favourites.
BIG COUNTRY
Big Country Legendary Scottish Celtic Rock band still featuring two of the original founding members Bruce Watson and Mark Brzezicki.
BIOGRAPHY/TOUR
Big Country was originally formed in 1981 by guitar playing founder members Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson both native of the band's hometown Dunfermline in Scotland.
Initially driven by a shared vision of widescreen guitar melody, harmony and lyric, the classic Big Country sound was further enhanced later that summer by the arrival of drummer Mark Brzezicki and bass player Tony Butler. This is the Big Country that (with producer Steve Lillywhite), recorded the classic debut album 'The Crossing' in 1983.
The band broke massively worldwide with the release of the album's classic singles 'Fields Of Fire', 'Chance' and signature song 'In A Big Country', which went on to become massive worldwide hits, selling over 2 million copies and driving 'The Crossing' to 3 prestigious Grammy nominations in the USA.
The run of success continued throughout the 1980's with the release of the anthemic single 'Wonderland' and the second album 'Steeltown' (1984), which debuted at Number 1 in the UK and contained the hit singles 'East Of Eden', 'Just a Shadow' and 'Where The Rose Is Sown' . In 1985, Big Country appeared at Live Aid in London followed by further successful album releases 'The Seer' (1986, which included the bands biggest UK hit 'Look Away', which also reached Number 1 in the Irish Singles chart) and 'Peace In Our Time' (1988), which saw the band playing the first ever privately promoted gig in Russia at the Moscow Sports Stadium.
At the start of the 90's 'Through A Big Country', featuring all the bands classic hits was released, followed by the fifth studio album 'No Place Like Home' (1991) taking the band's total record sales to well over five million copies.
Further studio albums 'Buffalo Skinners' (1993) and 'Why The Long Face' (1995) followed,which saw Big Country landing the special guest slot on the Rolling Stones 'Voodoo Lounge' European tour and several shows in the UK and Ireland with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in 1995.
In August 1998 they were once again invited to open for the Rolling Stones on their 'Bridges To Babylon' tour of Europe prompting Mick Jagger to say that Big Country were "one of the best opening bands we ever had".
Two songs written at that time ('Somebody Else' and 'Devil In The Eye') were co-written with Ray Davies of The Kinks who invited the band to back him on the main stage at Glastonbury to perform a storming set in the rain.
By now singer Stuart Adamson had relocated to Nashville, Tennessee and so his fellow bandmates decamped to America to join him in writing and recording the album 'Driving To Damascus'. It would be the last album they recorded together. With Stuart at the helm, Big Country, scored 17 top 30 UK singles achieving 5 gold and platinum status albums along the way. Stuart and Big Country would tour Europe one final time in 2000 and on the closing night at their beloved Barrowlands in Glasgow the band were fatefully joined on stage for one last song by Alarm singer Mike Peters and Bruce Watson's son Jamie on guitar.
Tony Butler, Mark Brzezicki and Bruce Watson re-united in 2007 to celebrate the band's Twenty-fifth anniversary. "It wasn't a come-back... it was just the three of us having fun, as friends and as a band, and hoping to give the fans some enjoyment by playing our songs live, to celebrate 25 years" - Bruce Watson
In the summer of 2010, Bruce Watson picked up the phone and asked Mike Peters to sing with Big Country. The first gig was in Glasgow on New Years Eve 2010 and the second in the band's hometown of Dunfermline. The rest as they say is history.
The band have performed at many of the UK and Europe's most famous festivals, including Isle Of Wight (Twice), V Festival, T In The Park, Oxegen, Pink Pop and Cropredy creating a new generation of fans and renewing the passion for diehards with the introduction of new original songs such as 'Another Country' and 'The Journey' which encapsulate not only the sound but the heart and soul of Big Country past, present and future.
With the promise of a new era dawning for the band and the realisation that Big Country now have the platform to once again record and tour on a world wide scale, bassist Tony Butler has decided that his time in Big Country has come to a close and so he has retired gracefully from the stage. The band now welcomes Scott Whitley on bass.
In April 2013, Big Country released ‘The Journey’ and toured across the globe in support of this highly acclaimed album throughout the year.
Coming into 2014, new challenges arose for Big Country. With Mike Peters dedicating his efforts full-time towards the support of the 30th Anniversary of The Alarm’s Declaration, Big Country have been joined by Simon Hough to perform vocal duties. He has fitted in perfectly. As the band continues its touring throughout the year that Big Country celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the release of the album, ‘Steeltown’. 2015 sees a massive Best Of (and more) tour of the UK and Europe, during which, Scott Whitley joined the band on bass, following Derek’s departure after 3 years.
Big Country just gets Bigger.
JANUARY 2021
Friday 15th The Academy Manchester (AGMP)
Saturday 16th Grand Central Hall, Liverpool (AGMP)
Thursday 21st Southend, Chinnerys (AGMP)
Friday 22nd Brighton, Concorde 2 (AGMP)
Saturday 23rd Southampton, The Brook (AGMP)
Thursday 28th The Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot
Friday 29th Newcastle, The Boiler Shop (AGMP)
Saturday 30th Blackburn, King Georges Hall (AGMP)
FEBRUARY 2021
Friday 5th La Belle Angele Edinburgh - Skids Unplugged
Thursday 11th Barnoldswick Music and Arts Centre - Skids Unplugged
Saturday 13th The Public Halls Harpendon. - Skids Unplugged
Sunday 14th Shoreditch Town Hall, London - Skids Unplugged
Monday 15th TBC - Skids Unplugged
Tuesday 16th The Cheese and Grain, Frome - Skids Unplugged
Wednesday 17th Portland House, Cardiff - Skids Unplugged
Thursday 18th King Georges Hall, Blackburn - Skids Unplugged
Friday 19th Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline - Skids Unplugged
Saturday 20th Irvine - Skids Unplugged
Sunday 21st The Crescent, York. - Skids Unplugged
Friday 26th Roermond - ECI Cultuurfabriek Holland
Saturday 27 - Hoofddorp - Duycker Holland
Sunday 28 - Rotterdam - Baroeg Holland
MARCH 2021
Monday 1st - Hengelo - Cactus Holland
Friday 5th Motherwell Concert Hall CH, Scotland (Craig Smart)
Sunday 7th The Bowden Rooms, Altrincham - Acouistic Show
Saturday 27th The Skids Scarborough Punk Festival
APRIL 2021
Thursday 1st Nantwich Civic Hall, Nantwich Jazz and Blues festival
Friday 2nd De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, East Sussex (East Coast Events)
Saturday 3rd The Dome, Doncaster (Solid Ents)
Friday 9th Shrewsbury, Buttermarket (AGMP)
Saturday 10th The Picture Dome, Holmfirth (Barney)
Sunday 11th The Green Yards Melrose (CB)
Friday 16th Sheffield, Leadmill (AGMP)
Saturday 17th The Pavillion Whitby
Thursday 22nd Viften,Copenhagen. Denmark
Friday 23rd Pustervik, Gothenburg, Sweden
Saturday 24th Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo. Norway
Friday 30th Elgin Town Hall
MAY 2021
Saturday 1st The Empire, Coventry (AGMP)
Sunday 2nd Under the Castle, Carr Vale FC football Ground, Bolsover, Derbyshire
Friday 7th The Phoenix, Blyth
Saturday 8th Food in the Park Blair Athol
Friday 14th Middlesbrough, The Empire (AGMP)
Thursday 20th The Town Hall Gloucester (JA)
Friday 21st Cheese and Grain Frome (JA)
Saturday 22nd The Live Rooms Chester (JA)
Sunday 23rd Barnoldswick Music and Arts Centre Uo close and Personal
Thursday 27th Leeds, Brudenell Social Club (AGMP)
Friday 28th Northern Kin Festival, Stanhope (JC)
Saturday 29th Stone Valley South (JC)
JUNE 2021
Thursday 3rd Cambridge, Junction (AGMP)
Friday 4th Dorking, Dorking Halls (AGMP)
Saturday 5th Islington, Assembly Hall (AGMP)
Friday 18th SKIDS Oran Mor Glasgow Acoustic (John Connor)
Saturday 19th Peacock SKIDS Sunderland Acoustic (John Connor)
Saturday 26th The Skids Stone Valley North Festival (John Connor)
Sunday 27th Glen Pavilion, Dunfermline (Callum) with The Skids
JULY 2021
Saturday 3rd Bught Park, Inverness Festival with Skipinnish
Saturday 10th Thame Town Music Festival Oxfordshire
Saturday 17th Mareel, Lerwick, Shetland
Friday 23rd Tan Hill Festival Richmond
Friday 30th Cottingham Civic Centre (Martyn Rudd)
Saturday 31st Cleethorpes Rocks Meridian Park (Solid)
AUGUST 2021
Sunday 1st Troon Concert Hall Weekend Festival with The Skids
Friday 13th W Fest Belgium (Bart)
Sunday 15th Hold JC
Friday 20th Hold JC
Saturday 21st Crieff Highland Games, Scotland
Sunday22nd Hold JC
Friday 27th Thunder in the Glens Aviemore with The Skids
Saturday 28th tbc Jon Connor
Sunday 29th Stone Valley Midland Thoresby Park,Newark, with The Skids (JC)
SEPTEMBER 2021
Thursday 2nd Colchester Arts Centre
Friday 3rd September Stormin The Castle Festival County Durham
Saturday 4th The Academy, Newcastle (Steve Wraith)
Wednesday 8th Depart UK fot New Zealand and Australia Tour
Thursday 9th Auckland arrive
Friday 10th Auckland Tuning fork
Saturday 11th Wellington San Fran
Sunday 16th Brisbane Zoo
Monday 17th Sydney Factory Theatre
Tuesday 18th Melbourne Corner Hotel
Wednesday 22nd Adelaide Gov
Thursday 23rd Perth Mojos
Friday 24th Perth Rosemount Hotel
Saturday 25th Perth depart
OCTOBER 2021
Friday 1st Lincoln, Engine Shed (AGMP)
Satirday 2nd Nottingham Rescue Rooms (AGMP)
Friday 8th SKIDS Club Academy Manchester (John Connor)
Saturday 9th SKIDS Islington Academy, London (John Connor)
Thursday 14th SKIDS Epic Studios, Norwich
Friday 15th SKIDS Rescue Rooms Nottingham (John Connor)
Saturday 16th SKIDS Town Hall Gloucester (John Connor)
Sunday 17th Victoria Hall Settle (Acoustic)
Friday 22nd SKIDS Liquid Rooms Edinburgh (John Connor)
Saturday 23rd SKIDS Lemon Tree Aberdeen (John Connor)
Friday 29th SKIDS The Brudenel, Leeds (John Connor)
Saturday 30th SKIDS Concorde 2 Brighton (John Connor)
NOVEMBER 2021
Friday 5th SKIDS The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal (John Connor)
Saturday 6th SKIDS The Fleece, Bristol (John Connor)
Friday 12th SKIDS Academy Newcastle (John Connor)
Saturday 13th SKIDS Robin 2 Bilston (John Connor)
Thursday 18th The Flowerot derby Acoustic
Friday 19th Norwich, Epic Studios (AGMP)
Saturday 20th Northampton, Roadmender (AGMP)
Friday 26th Aberdeen, Lemon Tree (AGMP)
DECEMBER 2021
Friday 3rd Harpenden, Public Halls (AGMP)
Saturday 4th Dartford, Mick Jagger Centre (AGMP)
JANUARY 2022
Thursday 27th Prives Royal Theatre, Port Talbot
MARCH 2022
Friday 25th The Skids Cottingham
Saturday 26th SKIDS Scarborough Punk Festival Rescheduled from 2020)
APRIL 2022
Friday 22nd SKIDS La Belle Angele Edinburgh
An Acoustic Audience with Richard Jobson and Bruce Watson
Saturday 23rd SKIDS Scotland Calling near Edinburgh (John Connor)