Klara Devlin Quartet + Josh Bailey Trio

We kick off a new series of Step-Up double bills in our sumptuous theatre with this incredibly strong meeting of two of the UK’s most prodigiously gifted young musicians, and their outstanding bands. Supported by Arts Council England.

KLARA DEVLIN QUARTET

Klara Devlin – trumpet; Chris Outhwaite – piano; Tom Sheen – bass; Emmanuel Ampong - drums

Dazzling 19-year-old jazz trumpet player Klara Devlin returns to Wolverhampton after her spectacular star turn with exciting all-female octet Ankora in 2025.

Fearless improviser Klara was a 2024 BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist, and is currently studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music.

She began playing trumpet at five and discovered jazz at eight. Her quartet, formed through Tomorrow’s Warriors, performs her original compositions and arrangements inspired by bebop, blues and free jazz. The Klara Devlin Quartet has appeared across numerous jazz venues and festivals, including Ronnie Scott’s Late Late Show, The Jazz Café, Jazz In The Round, Pizza Express Soho, JazzLive at the Crypt and performances at the Brick Lane, We Out Here and Brecon Jazz festivals.

In the words of UK jazz master Tony Kofi: “Klara Devlin, remember her name, she is in my opinion one of the most amazing and unique new trumpet voices to emerge onto the UK jazz scene. To coin the famous quote ‘if ya ain't got it in ya, ya can't blow it out’. Klara Devlin definitely has it, and definitely blows it out of her horn! I’m about 2-3 jazz generations in front of her and I’ve never been this excited about a young musician, definitely a stylist who’ll be making new waves for the next generation.”

Instagram: @klara_devlin

JOSH BAILEY TRIO

Josh Bailey – piano; Casper Hamilton – bass; Dom Holyoake – drums

He wowed us at our Café Spotlight session in November 2025 – everyone asked ‘When’s he going to play on the main stage?’ He made every note count, and really matter.

Well, here he is…

The ridiculously talented Hall Green wonderkid Josh Bailey is an 18 year old Birmingham based jazz pianist who has, as of summer 2026, just finished his first year on the jazz course at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In his trio is second-year jazz bassist Casper Hamilton and fourth-year drummer Dom Holyoake. The trio have worked together for the past year and a half and have had opportunities to play in many different venues and events in Birmingham and West Midlands including Digbeth Jazz, Pan Pan, Upstairs at Cherry Reds, Birmingham Eastside Jazz Club, Wolverhampton Arts Centre and also, for B:Music, Birmingham Town Hall where they played the support set for American jazz trumpeter Benny Benack III and his Jazz At Lincoln Centre gig.

The band plays a blend of original compositions as well as well-known jazz standards. Josh’s influences include Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller, Shai Maestro, Sultan Stevenson, Pablo Held and Kit Downes.