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Trespass (band)

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Trespass (band), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 2025
Trespass
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1978 in Sudbury, Suffolk, England
Headquarters
Sudbury
,
England
Area served
United Kingdom, Europe
ProductsMusic albums, singles

Trespass is a heavy metal band originating from Sudbury, Suffolk, England, with roots dating back to the late 1970s. They emerged as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement and reassembled in 2015 after a period of inactivity.

Band Members

The founding members included siblings Mark Sutcliffe (vocals, guitar) and Paul Sutcliffe (drums), alongside guitarist Dave Crawte and bassist Richard Penny. Richard Penny was eventually succeeded by Cris Linscott, while Steve "Sleeve" Mills joined as an additional vocalist. None of the band members relied solely on music for income; "Sleeve" was employed at the Social Security Department, Mark and Paul worked in a factory setting, Dave was engaged at a record store, and Cris served as an income tax collector. Their management was handled by Steve Kendall.

Their musical style drew inspiration from artists such as Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rush, David Coverdale, and Paul Rodgers.

Trial Records Era

Trespass secured a deal with Trial Records and debuted with the single "One of These Days," which had a limited release of 2,000 copies that quickly sold out. This was followed by the double A-side single "Jealousy" / "Live It Up," featuring new frontman Rob Eckland. Their last release under Trial Records was the Bright Lights EP, also capped at 2,000 units; uniquely, its A-side played at 45 RPM while the B-side ran at 33⅓ RPM.

Association with The Enid and Lodge Studios

In 1982, Lester Mortimer—known for managing British pomp rock group The Enid—briefly took over management duties for Trespass. During this period, lead singer Adrian Grimes (also known as Adrian Lynden) joined to record a six-track demo produced by Steven Stewart at The Enid's The Lodge Recording Studio. Some of these recordings were later included in One Of These Days: The Anthology. The band performed several shows with this lineup, including a notable appearance at Sudbury's Quay Theatre, before disbanding due to a family tragedy.

Additional Releases

Trespass recorded a session for Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show, which led to their inclusion on the BBC compilation Metal Explosion. Additionally, two of their tracks were featured on the second volume of the Metal For Muthas series.

In 1990, Lars Ulrich—the drummer and co-founder of Metallica—issued NWOBHM '79 Revisited, a double-CD celebrating ten years of the new wave of British heavy metal. Trespass appeared on this compilation with their track "One of These Days" from the BBC session.

Period of Inactivity

After Trespass dissolved, long-standing members Mark, Paul, and Dave formed the glam metal outfit Blue Blud (later renamed Blue Blood), releasing two albums: The Big Noise (1989) and Universal Language (1991). Following Blue Blood's split in 1992, the Sutcliffe brothers revived Trespass and released new material on their 1993 album Head.

Over time, various compilations featuring both previously released and unreleased tracks have been issued, including titles such as Through the Ages, The Works, The Works 2, and One Of These Days: The Trespass Anthology.

Band Reunion

Between 2013 and 2014, Trespass began regrouping to re-record classic songs aiming for improved audio consistency. They launched an official Facebook presence in December 2013. In 2014, after Paul Sutcliffe left to focus on other ventures, Mark Sutcliffe and Dave Crawte brought in James Last (drums), Paul Martin (guitars), and Dan Biggin (also known as Danny B) on bass—who additionally handled engineering duties for their new album.

This formation made its live debut at Brofest No. 3 in Newcastle upon Tyne on February 28, 2015. The band released a self-titled album alongside an official website in March 2015.

In January 2016, Crawte and Martin departed; Jason Roberts (drums) and Joe Fawcett (lead guitar) joined Mark Sutcliffe and Danny B to reinstate the original twin lead guitar dynamic. The album Footprints in the Rock followed later that year. Nigel Booth became their bassist in 2018.

Wil Wilmot replaced Nigel Booth on bass in 2020. On January 27, 2023, Trespass unveiled the digital single "Blackthorn" ahead of their forthcoming album. Two more singles—"Daggers Drawn" (released March 17) and "Live Like A King" (April 28)—preceded the May 26 launch of Wolf At The Door, which features cover art by English illustrator Mark Wilkinson, renowned for his work with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, among others.

Despite initial challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Trespass performed live for the first time with their revamped lineup at Wedfest Rocks 7 in Hitchin on April 9, 2022. Since then, they have appeared at various festivals throughout the UK and Europe such as Up the Hammers (Greece), Keep It True, and Headbangers Open Air (Germany).

Recording sessions

October 1979 - Hillside Studios
  1. "One of these days" (A-side single)
  2. "Bloody moon" (B-side single)
  3. "Frogeye"
  4. "Bombay mix"
  5. "Ace of spades"
February 1980 - Spaceward Studios
  1. "8 'til 5"
  2. "Stormchild" (included on Metal For Muthas, Volume 2)
  3. "Lightsmith"
  4. "One of these days" (also featured on Metal For Muthas, Volume 2)
April 1980 - EMI Studios
  1. "Live it up"
  2. "Change your mind"
  3. "Visionary"
  4. "Assassin"
2 May 1980 - BBC Studios (Friday Rock Show session)
  1. "One of these days"
  2. "Stormchild"
  3. "Live it up"
  4. "Visionary" (appeared on Metal Explosion compilation)
August 1980 - Spaceward Studios
  1. "Live it up" (A-side single for "Jealousy")
  2. "Jealousy" (A-side single)
March 1981 - Hillside Studios
  1. "Bounty hunter"
  2. "Point of no return"
  3. "Vendetta"
July 1981 - RG Jones Recording Studios
  1. "Bright lights" (A-side EP)
  2. "Duel" (B-side EP)
  3. "Man and machine" (B-side EP)
  4. "Life beat"
  5. "It's all over"
May 1982 - The Lodge Studios
  1. "Make it metal"
  2. "Rockin' on the radio"
  3. "Midnight hour"
November 1982 - The Lodge Studios
  1. "Long way to Hollywood"
  2. "Rockin' the hard way"
  3. "Hot on your heels"
2014 various sessions - Long Track and HVR Studios
  1. "Stormchild"
  2. "Assassin"
  3. "Ace of Spades"
  4. "Eight til Five"
  5. "Bloody Moon"
  6. "One of these Days"
  7. "Live it Up"
  8. "Jealousy"
  9. "The Duel"
  10. "Lightsmith"
2016 various recordings - HVR Studios, engineered by Dan Biggin
  1. "Momentum"
  2. "Be Brave"
  3. "Mighty Love"
  4. "Prometheus"
  5. "Footprints In The Rock"
  6. "Beowulf & Grendel"
  7. "The Green Man"
  8. "Dragons In The Mist"
  9. "Little Star"
  10. "Music Of The Waves"
  11. "Weed"
2021 & 2022 various sessions - Crooks Hall Studio, engineered by John Metcalfe
  1. "Blackthorn"
  2. "Daggers Drawn"
  3. "Force of Nature"
  4. "Other Worlds"
  5. "Ghost Pilot"
  6. "Back To The Woods"
  7. "Crooked Cross"
  8. "Unsinkable"
  9. "Stranger In Paradise"
  10. "Live Like A King"
  11. "Wolf At The Door"

See also

References

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