Big Country Redux

Big Country, 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.

Bruce Watson announced that as of January 2026 the band will move forward under the name Big Country Redux. He explains: "“Stuart’s words, music, and presence were at the very heart of Big Country. Without him, it can never truly be what it once was. Big Country Redux allows us to acknowledge that, while still performing the music we created as Big Country. It brings clarity, draws a line under recent uncertainty, and it is the right thing to do at this stage.”

The band now includes Bruce Watson, Jamie Watson, Tommie Paxton, Reece Dobbin and Chris Stones.

Eighties punk popsters from North Wales who set the charts alight with their aggressive anthem '68 Guns', following it with singles and albums before splitting. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Peters went on to build a successful career as a solo singer/songwriter before reforming the band in 2000.

Mike sadly died in April 2025 at the age of 66.