Big Country News

Mark’s Departure
As many of you know, Mark has left Big Country to pursue other interests. We wish him well. We have been rehearsing with a great young drummer called Reece Dobbin, who is from Dunfermline. All shows are going ahead except Warrington, which we are hoping to move to another date. We are sorry we can’t do that show as Reece is unavailable for that date only. We apologise for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and support and looking forward to seeing you all on the remainder of the Steeltown tour. {+};

Big Country Return to Finland
Big Country return to Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki Tuesday 29th October. Book your tickets here: https://www.lippu.fi/event/big-country-helsingin-kulttuuritalo-18607390/ {+};

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
Dear All, As comments on social media continue about a possible split in the band and the surprise announcement from Simon Hough about his departure, we have decided to take stock. First of all, we greatly appreciate the years Simon put into Big Country. We wish him all the best in the future. There is no split in the band. We will continue to celebrate Stuart’s songs and the music of Big Country. This will include working on ‘heritage’ projects such as book, documentary and anniversary albums, etc., as well as performing live. On that note, we would like to… {+};

Return to Marine Hall
After more than 40 years; Big Country returns to Marine Hall in Fleetwood on Saturday 13th April as part of their 40th Anniversary celebration of Steeltown. Book your tickets now!!! https://bit.ly/3U4EZXE {+};

More Steeltown Tour Dates Added
We are thrilled to announce extra dates added to the 'Return To Steeltown 1984-2024' tour by popular demand. Special guest for the second leg of the tour will be Mike Peters of The Alarm. Tickets on sale at 10am on Friday 26th January 2024 here --> tinyurl.com/BigCountry-Steeltown A list of all dates for 2024 can be found by clicking here. {+};

Steeltown 40th Anniversary
Big Country celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Steeltown', their acclaimed second studio LP, along with very special guests The Icicle Works. Tickets on sale NOW! 👉👉 bit.ly/BigCountry-Steeltown More shows to be announced soon. Full list if gigs at: https://bigcountry.co.uk/gigs {+};

Out Now!
The 4CD Deluxe Edition of Driving To Damascus includes the live-in-the-studio Nashville Sessions, single versions, alternate mixes from the US release ‘John Wayne’s Dream’ and two discs of demos. Order here - cherryred.co/DrivingToDamascus {+};

Copies of the deluxe 4CD edition of Driving To Damascus are here!
The box includes the live-in-the-studio Nashville Sessions, single versions, alternate mixes from the US release ‘John Wayne’s Dream’ and two discs of demos. Out next Friday, you can pre-order the set from Cherry Red Records: https://cherryred.co/DrivingToDamascus {+};

Back To The Future!!!
Modified prototype of Bond guitar. Electrics were made at Simclar in Dunfermline. Aluminium stepped fingerboard, composite body (I think). Schaler active pickups, 9 volt battery in the back. Custom made scratch plate with strat style controls. Flux capacitor not included. {+};

Driving To Damascus Box Set
Coming in June from Cherry Red Records, a 4CD deluxe edition of Driving To Damascus. The set includes the live-in-the-studio Nashville Sessions, single versions, alternate mixes from the US release ‘John Wayne’s Dream’ and two discs of demos. Released 30th June, you can pre-order from here: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/big-country-driving-to-damascus-4cd-deluxe-edition/ {+};

Big Country Store is open once again.
Long time coming, between postal strikes, backlogs at sorting offices etc it’s been a nightmare Hopefully Royal Mails Cyber Attack has been resolved ! They have said that overseas deliveries could take slightly longer. Rest assured I’ll post them out quickly . So please bear with us! Thank you all for your patience and support it is greatly appreciated ! Please note, we still cannot post to Europe! Thank you Brexit, the gift that just keeps on giving 😡 www.bigcountry.co.uk/store {+};

Vinyl Re-Issues
Proper Records are delighted to make again available the first three albums from the much-loved Big Country. Originally released on Mercury Records between 1983 and 1986, these records – The Crossing, Steeltown, and The Seer – sound as striking and singular now as they did when first heard. Formed by ex-Skids guitarist Stuart Adamson in 1981 with old friend Bruce Watson and, from 1982, rhythm section Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki, Big Country proved a fascinating proposition, adding punk, new wave and even new romantic elements to heavy, meaning-laden pop/rock with a passionate Celtic slant and fierce integrity. Using effects,… {+};

THE CROSSING 40th ANNIVERSARY – The Preparation is underway
An update from Bruce - “Building new pedal board for Crossing tour, this is the closest sounding equipment I could find to replicate the sounds from the album. Amazing to think that this fits in a small suitcase. My original equipment went into a flight case the size of a fridge” {+};

The Store Is Open!!!
The Official Big Country store is now open with some new items including a T-Shirt to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Harvest Home being released. Other items available to purchase in the shop..... Turntable Slipmats, bottle opener keyring, Stunning Red/white logo on black T shirt and by popular demand, a mousemat. https://store.bigcountry.co.uk/ {+};

New dates for 40th Anniversary Tour
We are thrilled to announce the 40th anniversary tour for our 1983 debut LP 'The Crossing' along with very special guests Spear of Destiny on selected dates. Tickets on sale now! https://www.seetickets.com/tour/big-country-spear-of-destiny {+};

Interview with Richard Jobson
Richard Jobson takes some time out to interview our very own Bruce and Jamie Watson at The Firestation Creative in Dunfermline. {+};

YouTube Channel
Subscribe to the Official Big Country YouTube Channel where footage old and new may be found. FrClassic television appearances, modern concert footage, episodes of Watson Telly and can be found on the Official YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/BigCountryOfficial {+};

BC Logo 1200 Shadow black over white PNG NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA- Sept 2022
Unfortunately due to circumstances outwith our control, we are unable to come over to New Zealand and Australia this September. Hopefully we will be able to get back out in 2023 We are sorry to have to make this announcement and apologise for any inconvenience caused {+};

SCANDINAVIA, FEBRUARY 2022 – POSTPONED
Friday 25th, COPENHAGEN - Kulturhuset Viften Saturday 26th, OSLO – John Dee Sunday 27th, GOTHENBURG - Pustervik Due to the ongoing uncertainty of the current situation with the Omicron variation of the Coronavirus, we are unable to travel to Scandinavia this February. We are currently working with the Promoter to reschedule these shows to 2023 as part of a bigger “Crossing 40th Anniversary Tour” and we will update you as soon as we have details available. We can only apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to many of you however we have no choice other than to ensure the… {+};

Cardiff & Port Talbot Postponements (UPDATE!!!)
POSTPONEMENTS : CARDIFF - 15th January 2022 PORT TALBOT - 27th January 2022 With the news today confirming that there will be no relaxation of the Coronavirus restrictions in Wales, we regret to announce that the show in Cardiff on 15th January cannot go ahead so this date will be re-scheduled. Once we have a date confirmed for the rescheduled show we will announce. The venue in Port Talbot has now been converted into a Covid Vaccination Centre so this, along with the current restrictions, means that this show has been postponed and will now take place on 19th January… {+};

BC logo 1200 black PNG RESCHEDULED GIGS
We are very pleased to announce that the two postponed shows from 17th/18th December have now been rescheduled for the following dates : - DUNFERMLINE Glen Pavilion : Friday 13th May 2022 - GLASGOW O2 Academy : Friday 24th June 2022 Tickets for the original dates will be valid for the rescheduled shows and further tickets can be purchased through the sites below Thank you for being so understanding around these postponements and we look forward to seeing you next year DUNFERMLINE : https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/skids-big-country-glen-pavilion-tickets/10928975 GLASGOW : https://gigbox.seetickets.com/event/the-skids-big-country-armory-show/o2-academy-glasgow/1818548 {+};

BC logo 1200 white on black JPG URGENT NOTICE – THIS WEEKEND
After a lot of discussion with all parties concerned, we have now taken the difficult decision to postpone both of our shows scheduled for this weekend. - Glasgow O2 Academy : Friday 17th December - Dunfermline Glen Pavilion : Saturday 18th December We’re truly devastated to have to announce this and the plan is to re-schedule these shows to some time in 2022. We hope you understand that we’re doing this for the safety of the fans and the safety of the band, crew and venue staff. All tickets will be valid for the new date and we would hope… {+};

BAND ANNOUNCEMENT : BASSIST
At the start of October we received news from Scott that he had been thinking about his future plans and as a result he would be leaving the band to pursue other interests. Scott became our full-time Bassist in December 2015 and he has been an integral part of the band during this time. Since his announcement to us we have been rehearsing with a new Bass player and we would like to announce that Gil Allan from Dunfermline will take over from Scott from 18th November in Derby. Gil is well known around Dunfermline and is delighted to be… {+};

Australia – New Zealand 2022
We are delighted to announce we will be heading down to New Zealand and Australia in September 2022. Looking forward to seeing as many of you there as possible Presale: Fri 5 Nov, 12pm (local time) - On Sale: Mon 8 Nov, 12pm (local time) Ticket Links AU: https://metropolistouring.com/tours/big-country-2022/ NZ: https://metropolistouring.com/newzealand/big-country-2022/ {+};

The Chance Collection
NEW ITEMS IN THE BIG COUNTRY STORE!!! https://store.bigcountry.co.uk/ {+};

SPITFIRE
WKW is proud to present our new song and video, "Spitfire." Look for an audio release soon. Full-length album "Men of Steel" now available on CD and all digital outlets. Visit wkwmusic.com for more info. SPITFIRE (written by Bruce Watson, Jamie Watson and Thomas Kercheval) Washed up on the shoreline Burning in the sunshine Left my pot of gold inside a sunken cartel Crawling through the debris Freedom isn't ever free Never gonna pay my way out of this hell Shot down in a hail of gunfire They swore we would never return Like the ghost of a lonely Spitfire… {+};

Without The Aid of A Safety Net & The Buffalo Skinners vinyl releases
Big Country’s first live album ‘Without The Aid Of A Safety Net’, is coming out 27th August on 180g triple vinyl. Recorded at The Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow 1993, it features many of their classic tracks such as ‘Wonderland’, ‘Look Away’ and ‘Fields Of Fire’ with another 8 previously unreleased tracks. Coming that same day, ‘The Buffalo Skinners’, Big Country’s sixth album is released on 180g double vinyl. It features reworkings of ‘Ships’ and ‘We’re Not In Kansas’. It also includes the demo of ‘Buffalo Skinners’, as well as the US mix of ‘The One I Love’. Pre-orders for both… {+};

EU Orders – Please Read Carefully
With the Uk's departure from European Union, (we anticipated something of this nature when the word Brexit was even mentioned), we are now experiencing problems regarding shipping/Vat/charges. It is with great regret that we have had to suspend selling online to Europe at this time. We sincerely hope this will be a temporary situation. In effect, it appears the situation would have financial repercussions for our customers residing in Europe. We can't seem to get a definitive answer to the costings, what these implications are and how they will impact on our valued customers. We are conversing with our accountants,… {+};

Interview of Mark by Kari Young of Go Beyond Here / iHeart Radio
https://www.buzzsprout.com/959248/8468752 Kari connects Mark to his cat Misha, as Mark talks about how there were no bagpipes on their '80s hit "In a Big Country," visualizing his own reality and how he felt when his vision came true to play at the Hammersmith Odeon, a milestone along his life path, as well as his determination to be on "Top of the Pops" when people joked he wouldn't, as a glass half full person he believes that having ups and downs is part of the journey, how he knew to follow his gift of being a drummer and what drives him… {+};

Gig Still Available
For anyone that missed the stream gig on Saturday, we have made it open until Friday April 9th. Tickets can be bought and watched at anytime. https://live.streamdigital.tv/ {+};

DUNFERMLINE…HERE WE GO!!!
SAT 18th DECEMBER TICKETS: https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/skids-big-country-glen-pavilion-tickets/10928975 {+};

New Shirt in Store
********NEW T-SHIRT IN BC STORE***** Small-3XL Also added restock of Black Restless Natives T Shirts now Available. https://store.bigcountry.co.uk/collections/featured/products/big-country-navy-vertical-logo-t-shirt {+};

The Skids, Big Country & Armory Show
The Skids, Big Country & Armory Show (with Richard Jobson)- A unique one off evening with full electric performances. Friday 17th December 2021- o2 Academy Glasgow. Tickets on sale 9am 2nd April 9am - https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-skids-big-country-armory-show/o2-academy-glasgow/1818548 {+};

Website Re-Launch
Welcome to the new and improved Official Website of Big Country. We have updated the site to take advantage of modern technologies including mobile access while maintain the look and feel of the prior site. We Hope You Like It. {+};

Big Country World Tour 2021 – New Dates/Times Added
You can now catch our Saturday April 3rd stream in 8 different time zones to make sure it is available at a time which suits you. Times/Dates are shown to give an indicative time of when streams will go out. Once you buy a ticket you can access any of the 8 streams throughout the day. Tickets: live.streamdigital.tv/ {+};

Live Stream BIG COUNTRY WORLD TOUR 2021
SATURDAY 3RD APRIL 8PM... We are delighted to bring you our first full band electric set for over a year! For one night only we are going on a world tour and you can access this unique event (stream) by following the link and purchasing a ticket. The gig will be screened 6 times on Saturday 3rd April so you can view the show anywhere in the world. All you need to do now is get your ticket and get the beers chilling!!! Ticket Link: https://live.streamdigital.tv/ This show was professionally recorded under strict Covid-19 protocols. Mark Brzezicki Simon Hough Bruce… {+};

Big Country to headline Cleethorpes Rocks
CLEETHORPES ROCKS AND CLEE FEST have joined forces to bring you an open air one day festival as a BIG THANK YOU to the NHS for all they have done and are continuing to do in these challenging times. PROFITS will be donated to local NHS Trust as part of the BIG THANK YOU to ALL NHS STAFF there will be FREE admission with NHS id Card. Tickets for NHS staff will be available from 1st June 2021 in person from our shop at 46 Wellowgate Grimsby. {+};

Out Beyond The River – The Compulsion Years Anthology, 5CD/1DVD Remastered Boxset
• A new 5 Disc boxed set anthology (5CDs / 1 DVD) celebrating the recordings of Scottish rock giants Big Country, made between 1993 and 1994 for Chrysalis Records imprint Compulsion • Featuring 71 tracks on five discs, including the albums ‘The Buffalo Skinners’ and the double live album ‘Without The Aid Of A Safety Net’, recorded at Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow on 29 December 1993. • Includes rare B-Sides / bonus tracks, US radio mixes, previously unreleased instrumental demos, plus the original demo for every track on ‘The Buffalo Skinners’ album. • DVD includes highlights from the Glasgow Barrowlands… {+};

WKW – What About Peace
WKW (Watson Kercheval Watson) is proud to present our take on another Big Country song, "What About Peace?", originally written by Stuart Adamson. {+};

NEW IN THE STORE!!!
In the store now: Bottle Openers in three colours and the limited edition 30th Anniversary Through A Big Country mug. Get yours now in the BIg Country Store http://store.bigcountry.co.uk {+};

Bruce to appear on ‘Big Night In’
This Saturday (23rd May) the Big Night In with Mike and Jules Peters welcomes guitarist Bruce Watson of Big Country into the living room for an evening of talk centred about all things Big Country and The Alarm The show will continue this Saturday, with Episode 10 with even more rare and unseen video clips from Mike Peters and The Alarm's history plus exclusive films from the time Mike and Bruce shared the stage together as part of the new Big Country line up from 2011-2013. As always there will also be a host of acoustic performances from the Mike Peters'… {+};

CORONAVIRUS STATEMENT
We are currently monitoring the ongoing situation regarding Coronavirus and our Bookings Agent is working closely with Promoters and venues with regards our upcoming shows. These are unprecedented times for all of us and any decisions made have to be in the interest of the fans, the band, crew, venue staff and all of our families. As you are most likely aware, the UK Government has advised against “mass gatherings” and issued guidelines regarding self-isolation and travel. Any decision made regarding shows will be taking all of the above into consideration. We never like having to cancel shows but we… {+};

K-Hits presents REWIND VALENTINE’S LIVE!
Big Country hits the stage at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California on Friday, February 14 along with Wang Chung and China Crisis Event infor available at https://thundervalleyresort.com/ Book your tickets at: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/khits-presents-rewind-valentines-live/event/1C00577E74B220C9 {+};

Big Country in Los Angeles
Big Country will be part of the 80's Weekend #9 to be held at the famed Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Other performers include Violent Femmes, Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, The Romantics, Missing Persons, Heaven 17 and more. Get your tickets now at :https://www.fkoapresents.com/80s-ticket-page/ {+};

Scandanavian Tour
Big Country will be making a mini-tour of Scandanavia this Spring. They will be performing in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Tickets are available at the links here: Fri 29/05/2020 Train – Aarhus, Denmark Sat 30/05/2020 Kulturhuset Viften – Rødovre (Copenhagen), Denmark Sun 31/05/2020 Pustervik – Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden Mon 01/06/2020 John Dee – Oslo, Norway {+};

WKW: Men of Steel
Bruce and Jamie Watson are proud to announce a new project with their good friend Tom Kercheval. Details about new music from WKW including the CD "Men of Steel" can be seen in the post below and at www.wkwmusic.com WKW – Bruce Watson, Jamie Watson and Thomas Kercheval – are proud to announce the crowdfunding campaign for our forthcoming album, "Men of Steel". The album has been fully recorded and mixed, and the mastering is just about finished. A digital release is definite, but we're hoping to also release the album in CD form, and that's where the crowdfunding campaign… {+};