Out on Friday, 29th May, 2026: Luke Bainbridge’s PETSTEP, an album of avant-chamber jazz and improvisation.
Bainbridge’s second album features a band of critically acclaimed musicians: Kieran McLeod (trombone), Ralph Wyld (vibraphone), Huw V Williams (bass), and Luke Bainbridge as drummer and composer. The album showcases Bainbridge’s exquisitely structured “palindromic” compositional techniques, influences ranging from MF DOOM to Messiaen, and has echoes of Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus and Morton Feldman.
Ahead of the album release, two singles had already been out: ‘Spillage in the Village’ on Fri 10th April, and ‘It’ll Pass’ on Fri 8th May, both on streaming and retail services.
For drummer and composer Luke Bainbridge, the watershed moment that led to the writing and recording of PETSTEP was the death of his family dog, Olive. This, coupled with a sense that his days as a student were over and he had now entered adult life proper, prompted him to build this edifice, ostensibly a jazz album but one whose inspirations range from Olivier Messiaen to MF DOOM, operating subtly, beneath its surfaces. Exquisitely structured, using “palindromic” compositional techniques, it serves as an homage to a departed loved one but also as a mark of Bainbridge’s own maturity and development as a musical talent.
He’s abetted by Kieran McLeod (trombone), Ralph Wyld (vibraphone) and Huw V Williams (bass), excellent instrumentalists more than capable of realising Bainbridge’s compositional visions and fleshing them out, colourising and extrapolating with their own brilliant playing. The founding, manic moment of PETSTEP is ‘Spillage in the Village’ (as captured in the quartet’s live performance video of the forthcoming single), a re-creation of a homebrewing mishap which caused Bainbridge’s father to experience “anger management issues”. As well as conveying the perils of failing to tie a knot in a hessian sack, it conveys the breakneck, every which way energy of the ensemble in full, ferocious flight, chasing their own tail, with Bainbridge delivering a unique, hip-hop inspired rap full of delicious punning (“Messiantics”) culminating in the squelch of the trombone as all ends in a heap.
Elsewhere, the tone is more emotional, affecting, the trombone/vibraphone dialogue of ‘Hell’s Stairwell’, for example, velvet and rasping, driven and guided by Bainbridge’s percussion and William’s deceptively modest, meandering bass as the track rises to a crest of collective agitation. The title track is reminiscent of the elaborations of Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch, melancholic but building to a defiance in the face of sadness. The initially beatless ‘Hair of the Dog’, meanwhile, recalls, in its soulful, measured tread Charles Mingus’s ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat’, then Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel in the circular limpidity of its vibes. Finally, a low, percussive rumble that gradually gathers momentum, a quiet ferocity.
Reflecting on the personal and creative impulses that shaped PETSTEP, drummer and composer Luke Bainbridge explains how the album first took root: “I decided to write a second album while preparing to release my debut, Surface Tension (2021). The lineup came together through the serendipity of Covid restrictions. Living locally, we rehearsed safely outdoors, and working with Huw, Ralph and Kieran helped me develop my own way of writing and playing in band settings. I wanted to compose new music with these musicians in mind, building on the close musical relationships we had formed. It began with ‘Spillage in the Village’, which unexpectedly poured out as a rap about a homebrew disaster during lockdown. Its lyrics sparked the idea of basing the album on palindromes. Watching Tenet by Christopher Nolan in the cinema two days in a row made something click: while it could never be exact, this palindromic concept offered a kind of “structural solace” – a way to generate creativity even without sudden inspiration. Over the next few years, I developed these rhythmic games and constraints, which deliberately pushed me beyond my comfort zone as a drummer and composer. The music ultimately took shape through my bandmates. They transformed what was technically difficult into something that feels good to play.”
By imposing a palindromic constraint, Bainbridge explores the tension between symmetry and asymmetry – a musical vocabulary that balances intellectual rigour with raw emotion. PETSTEP attempts to turn the “difficult second album” trope into something that draws energy from its own complexity.
‘It’ll Pass’ is consolatory, has the humane, deeply affectionate warmth of a series of eulogies, with the bass taking on “vocal” duties before McLeod’s trombone chimes in with assent, followed by the whirlpool tones of the vibraphone. There is about ‘Septstep’, meanwhile, a certain canine, gambolling playfulness, its rhythms irregular, teasing, halting. The album concludes with ‘Well Farewell’, its valedictory spirit affirmed in the unison of the players, waving as one, stepping up for their final testimonies. “You’ll end up finishing where you started”, raps Bainbridge on ‘Spillage in the Village’, a reference to his palindromic method. And yet, PETSTEP represents an emotional journey, running the gamut from hilarity to sadness, a passage of maturity and accomplishment not just for Bainbridge but for all involved. A lament but also a coming of age.
*** BIOs ***
photo by Jess Bullen
Luke Bainbridge is a drummer, composer, and percussionist working in diverse contexts as a sideman and bandleader. He has won awards in both jazz and contemporary classical arenas (2018 Dankworth Prize;2017 BCMG Compass Composition Prize), and his debut album Surface Tension garnered critical acclaim for its “distinct and identifiable voice” (Jazz Views). Luke has appeared at Love Supreme and Cheltenham Jazz Festivals as a member of Hootini Brass Band and shared stages with Chip Wickham, the London Mozart Players, and the James Taylor Quartet (Barbican, Cadogan Hall). He has also recorded and performed with comedy icons Jazz Emu (Ego Death, BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show) and Sheeps (Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre Walthamstow).
“Bainbridge, a winner of the John Dankworth prize for composition in 2017, favours angular yet snappy contemporary grooves and plays great alongside the fine Chaos Collective bassist Huw V Williams…a promising debut.” – Jazzwise
“What characterises all the tracks is the complex and shifting approach to rhythm that comes from Bainbridge’s intricate compositions.” – London Jazz News
“The standard of the playing is exceptional throughout and the level of interaction impressive, with Bainbridge subtly directing procedures from the drums.” – The Jazz Mann
“A young jazzer who is definitely going places…[Surface Tension] is stunning” – Jazz Scene BCB 106.5 Radio
“A mature debut…and a CD vying for album cover of the year”– Jazz Today Cambridge 105 Radio
“The quality of the performance from each of the musicians is quite outstanding, due in part to the high levels of their intercommunication and collaboration…Bainbridge’s arrangements have also played a large part in managing a fluctuating, multifaceted slant to the rhythmic framework. The album carries an individual, distinct and identifiable voice and it has to be that of Luke Bainbridge.” – Jazz Views
Kieran McLeod is a trombonist, composer, and bandleader in his own right. He enjoys touring globally with Riot Jazz Brass Band, WorldService Project, and Young Pilgrims. As a sideman, he regularly performs with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, has guested with Snarky Puppy, toured with Charlie Hunter, and has been a member of bands led by stalwarts of the UK Jazz scene including Julian Argüelles, Keith Tippett, Iain Ballamy,and most recently Ivo Neame. Kieran is an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Music and past winner of the
BTS Don Lusher Prize.
Ralph Wyld is an award-winning British vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer. He is known for his original contemporary jazz, performing with artists such as trumpeter Yazz Ahmed and with the James Taylor Quartet. Wyld has played at venues across five continents—notably appearing at London’s Barbican with Yazz Ahmed – and at leading international festivals, including Japan’s Fuji Rock. His band Mosaic released its debut album on Edition Records, praised as an “outstanding debut” by MOJO. A respected educator, he directs the Buckinghamshire Youth Jazz Collective and tutors for the National Youth Jazz Collective. Ralph is a BlueHaus Mallets artist.
Bassist Huw V Williams, originally hailing from rural North Wales, is one of the most exciting and unique musicians on the contemporary scene. Since moving to London, he has associated with world-class practitioners of avant-garde jazz, including Jim Black, Huw Warren, Jeff Williams, Laura Jurd, and Ivo Neame. Beyond the jazz sphere, he performs in the rock world with Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and Kliph Scurlock (The Flaming Lips). A prolific composer and bandleader in his own right, his debut album HON was praised by The Guardian for its “swaggering, infectious energy.”
Crossing Styx Records
Crossing Styx Records is a new independent imprint founded by drummer and composer Luke Bainbridge. Established in 2026 to facilitate the release of his second album PETSTEP, the label serves as a dedicated vessel for Bainbridge’s evolving creative output. With a focus on music that challenges structural and stylistic boundaries, Crossing Styx aims to grow into a home for distinct voices within the UK’s creative music scenes.
****
Artist: Luke Bainbridge
Title: PETSTEP
Label: Crossing Styx Records
Release date: Friday 29th May 2026
Format: DL / CD / LP
Cat No: CSX001 / CSX001CD / CSX001LP
Track list:
Side A:
01 Hell’s Stairwell
02 Petstep
03 Hair of the Dog
Side B:
04 Spillage in the Village
05 It’ll Pass
06 Septstep
07 Well Farewell
Line up:
Kieran McLeod – Trombone
Ralph Wyld – Vibraphone
Huw V Williams – Bass
Luke Bainbridge – Drums
All compositions, lyrics and vocals by Luke Bainbridge
Recorded at Lightship 95 – 15th & 16th July 2024
Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineer – David Holmes
Produced by Luke Bainbridge, David Holmes and Kieran McLeod
Artwork and Design – Conor Quinn
©! Crossing Styx Records 2026