Wolf Jaw's stolen gear returned

Taken from outside bassist Dale Tonks’ home in the early hours of 28th July, the band lost all of their instruments (except frontman Tom Leighton’s guitars) in the robbery and had to cancel their coveted support slot with Crobot in Milton Keynes that evening.

Seemingly lost forever, the band have now confirmed to Planet Rock that the vast majority of the gear has successfully been returned.

Wolf Jaw – formerly known as The Bad Flowers – say they received a call from the van’s hire company Oz Tours on Wednesday 11th September, who told the band they had been contacted by ‘Auto-Crime Repatriations Investigator’ @UKBountyhunter after part of a van and music equipment was discovered in a vehicle chop shop in Dudley/Oldbury.

After making direct contact with @UKBountyhunter, Wolf Jaw identified the equipment was indeed theirs and arranged to collect what was in a unit with the police the following day.

Tom Leighton comments: “As we pulled up to this dingy, dirty unit, my heart was pounding through my chest.

“The police opened the door...and there it was. Amps, cabs, pedalboards and Karl’s custom drum kit. Most of it in good condition, but the thieves had smashed up cases to get into them. At that point, though, we didn’t care. We were just so happy to see our gear waiting for us after what had been such a crippling loss.”

Unfortunately, Dale Tonks' jazz bass and Orange O-bass are still missing, along with a pelican case filled with leads and microphones.

However, after fans set up a crowdfunder in the wake of the robbery, Wolf Jaw will be able to replace them.

In a statement, the band thanked “the local authorities and @ukbountyhunter for their incredible work” and all of their fans “for their support during this time.”

Wolf Jaw’s new studio album ‘The Heart Won’t Listen’ is released via Listenable Records on Friday 25th October.

Check out the video for ‘Hear Me’ here: