ANNOUNCEMENT:
2026 Leavin' Trunk dates have now, finally, been announced... ten so far and counting! Watch this space for updates. :)
BUTTERS GOES BIONIC!
JOHN Butters, Leavin' Trunk's legendary drummer is starting off 2025 by going bionic!
Anyone who has seen John struggling to load in his gear at recent gigs will, doubtless, be as relieved and delighted as the band is to know John is now lined up fora hip replacement op at the end of January.
While John's recuperating after the op, the band has been fortunate enough to secure the services of Tim and Rob's former WOLFPACK and Rockin' Armadillos bandmate, Paul “Lazy” Lester on drum duties.
Paul will fill in on the band's forthcoming February and March dates, with John, hoping to be back in action in April…
Leavin’ Trunk’s long-awaited debut album out this month!
IT’S finally here! “East Anglian blues supergroup”, Leavin’ Trunk are proud to announce the release of “The River”, their long-awaited debut album, on Rooks Records.
The Essex/Suffolk-based five-piece already have a fine reputation on the UK/European blues circuit as a live band par excellence, having formed in 2021. Now they are set to cement that reputation with a fine set of tracks recorded over the past two years.
“The River” is packed with songs, mainly from the pen of frontman Tim Aves, including the stunning, atmospheric title track, plus favourite reinterpretations of two classic tunes from the blues/ soul canon, all played with energy and panache.
The album showcases the talents of legendary Suffolk drummer John Butters (Mean Red Spiders, Groove Doctors, Blues Situation), guitarist Craig Fillbrook and keyboard ace Adam Whyatt. The complement is made up by Essex pair Rob “Tank” Barry (bass – Lavendore Rogue, Birdmens, Hokie Joint, WOLFPACK) and singer and bandleader Tim Aves (WOLFPACK, Automatic Slim, The Rockin’ Armadillos). It’s a combination that won Leavin’ Trunk the accolade “East Anglian blues supergroup” from Radio Caroline DJ Stephen “Foz” Foster – and the description has kind of stuck.
“The River” leads off with the Wolfish “Claw Hammer - released in October as a download single. The track listing also includes live favourites such as “The Love Mechanic” and “Train Song” and a killer version of Otis Clay’s “Tryin’ to Live my Life Without You”, closing with the stunning title track – a peon in praise of the mighty river that flows through Tim and Rob’s home town.
As a novel bonus cut, the album closes with its own set of “Audio Liner Notes” in which Tim give a brief, spoken commentary on each of the seven tracks.
“The River”, recorded at Rooks Yard Recording Studio by ace engineer Pete Crisp, is the first release on the studio’s own label, Rooks Records (Rooks 001). It is available on CD via the band website and as a download from all the major platforms from Friday, November 29.
Hear clips from “The River” now here
LATEST NEWS
PRESS RELEASE
Leavin' Trunk release their first single, "Claw Hammer"
IT'S been a long time coming, but the first fruit of Leavin' Trunk's debut foray into the studio is finally about to be unleashed on an unwitting world!
The British five-piece releases its first download single "Claw Hammer", on all major platforms on Friday, September 27*. The release finally lifts the lid on "The River", Leavin' Trunk's eagerly-anticipated debut album, which is scheduled to follow in October.
*Apologies - for technical reasons, the original September 27 release date has had to be put back two days.
Leavin' Trunk - born in the pandemic, before breaking out to stages far and wide - features five highly-respected, extremely experienced musicians who have been known on the UK blues scene for many years. From modest beginnings in 2021, Leavin' Trunk's distinctly 21st-
Led by multiple British Blues Awards-nominated singer Tim Aves (WOLFPACK, Automatic Slim and Rockin' Armadillos), the band features veteran Suffolk drummer John Butters (Mean Red Spiders, The Groove Doctors and Blues Situation) rock-solid bassman Rob “Tank” Barry, (LaVendore Rogue, Hokie Joint, Ian Siegal, Jon Amor and Jose Ramirez), ace guitarist Craig Fillbrook (Blues Situation, the Mark Sharpe Blues Band and Giles King’s Goofa Dust) and keyboard maestro Adam Whyatt (Shaboogamoo Shufflers, The Midnight Specials, Papa Rocksy, South of the Border).
It's a pedigree which instantly prompted Radio Caroline DJ Stephen "Fozz" Foster, to dub Leavin' Trunk: "the East Anglian Blues supergroup".
Musically, bandleader Tim says his song, "Claw Hammer", was inspired by his all-time hero Howlin' Wolf. Lyrically, however, he reveals he has a former girlfriend to thank - the lady in question was prone to keep a claw hammer in her bedroom! Tim adds: "She was pretty handy at DIY, so it wasn't entirely surprising. Still, seeing this dirty great big hammer there set my mind racing...and gave me what I reckon is one of the best songs I've written to date!"
"Claw Hammer" is available to stream and download via all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon Music from September 25. (ISRC no TCAIQ2492403 UPC 859793367377)