JAH WOBBLE & THE INVADERS OF THE HEART – THE VENUE, WORTHING 3.11.23
Before Brighton became my primary hotspot for attending gigs, events and variations thereupon, the (not-so) quaint seaside town of Worthing was the go-to place for my teenage years, whether it was myself performing at the now defunct Bar 42, or the exciting creative endeavours that continue to take place among devotees of the Cellar Arts Club. Friday night saw my return to my live music stomping ground as I attended the marvellous figurehead that is Jah Wobble at The Venue in Worthing (fka St. Paul’s). Their original bass player for just two years, Wobble oversaw bass, drums and other instrumental duties for Public Image Ltd.’s first two albums, 1978’s ‘First Issue’ and 1979’s ‘Metal Box’, as well as the ‘Paris Au Printemps’ live record the following year. Wobble’s approach to bass among the PiL repertoire stemmed heavily from the sounds of dub and reggae music, much the same as frontman and ex-Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon’s musical taste. Creative differences among Public Image Ltd. eventually led to Wobble’s departure from the band to focus on solo material. Fast forward several decades and albums of various dub and ambient funk exploration onwards and we are treated to the sights and sound of Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart, in full force.
The vast and spacious former church began to fill up slowly following my arrival a minute after doors opened; waves of ambient drones spread across the crowd as meditation for the sounds to follow. Despite late stage arrival with no support act prior, the Invaders quartet were welcomed to much applause from the PiL and Wobble devotees. Keyboard and synth player George King gives us the cue to begin with opening sitar drones on the song ‘Becoming More Like God’. Wobble, with black gloves on, one of which is covering a broken hand, brings forward the immediate sound of funk and dub that he is well-known for. There is a slight reserved atmosphere in the performance from these guys, but through the night, they do loosen up, of course! Jah’s stage presence and costume reminds me of that of Jandek’s Sterling Smith; a somewhat oxymoronic look and energy that draws you into its mystique. A virtuosic guitar solo from long-time Invaders of the Heart guitarist Martin Chung pulls us through the song’s final leg; a strong start to a strong set!
While ‘Becoming More Like God’ was a monumental premier to the show, what followed was easily one of my favourite points of the night…! ‘Seven’, so named after the song’s septuple meter time signature, sees Martin and George stretch to more esoteric harmony, as well as the first of many percussion solos from Jah. Prior to this aforementioned solo, he points to himself and mimes to myself and others at the front, “I’m not the drummer, I just play bass, THAT’S the drummer!”, eventually pointing to groove king Marc Layton-Bennett. There does seem to be an ad lib quality to the show as no printed setlist means Wobble’s got to decide what to play next… how about ‘Socialist’?! Taken from ‘Metal Box’, Wobble gives the song’s structure to the band as “Caesarean section, jazz section, two drum solos and you know it from there”, like the gospel he is. Speaking of gospel, the keyboard tones stretch towards that plane of music, as well as Marc’s hyperactive hi-hat permutations and rumbling guitar towards the middle of the song.
Martin begins to pitch his guitar upwards to infinity as a transition into a Wobble live staple, the theme tune from the 1969 Waldo Salt movie, ‘Midnight Cowboy’. Assigned a 6/8 groove, this track made use of almost dreamlike guitar and key embellishments, while Jah maintains a steady bassline, with a tone that reminds one of Brian Eno’s post-punk classic ‘Third Uncle’. Next, however, came an absolute gem! The iconic track from ‘First Issue’, ‘Public Image’ itself! A song that needs no introduction, this Worthing performance gives it an arena-sized atmosphere as well as a clear indication of Marc’s enjoyment of the song as he sings it to himself while drumming… let’s also not forget Wobble’s brief imitation of Lydon’s vocals halfway into the song! Following a statement about his visit to Worthing’s Blue Ocean chippy earlier in the day, the Invaders lead us into the mammoth performance of ‘The Liquidator’. The backbone for the first sections of the track comprises warm organ and guitar patterns, as well as Marc’s tight drum feel. Jah proceeds to dance on the spot as the loud dynamics click to a halt, leaving only the sound of a kick drum and a side-snare tapping, like a clock ticking away.
Before long, he dives into a call-and-response with Marc, mimicking the rhythms he wants him to play back. This intercourse gives way to a fantastically out of pocket samba section before heading back into the ticking clock sound from just a moment ago, where Wobble indulges in a literary odyssey surrounding the notion of the electric bass guitar being the king of the jungle… it’s certainly the king of this gig! The monstrous eruption of the song’s final section was eye-widening to say the least, watching Wobble take us through this journey of sound, rhythm and dismantled structure to come out the other side of it intact! What comes next is a reworking of a classic dub track, Augustus Pablo’s ‘Java’. Centred in A minor, the more conventional playing of George’s keys and Martin’s guitars are somewhat overshadowed by Jah’s percussional exercise, which in turn is overshadowed by Marc’s slick and technical drum fills that close out!
Following a cheeky rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, which is a solid highpoint for Martin’s guitar soloing, comes ‘Poptones’, yet another PiL classic. Wobble treats us to a poem-like rendition of the song’s lyrical stanzas before the rest of the Invaders lay down complex, yet subtle grooves and riffs that act as the platform for the words to stand upon. In this rendition of the song, dub rhythm changes occur, plus some space age synth lines towards its final moments. ‘Fodderstompf’ sees the entire band undertake various sonic mutations, whether it’s Martin’s transgressive scaling guitar solo, Jah’s superb cowbell improvisation, George’s stellar chord patterns, or Marc’s entrancing calypso groove. The following instrumental track, of which I could not grab the name of, features a slow and trippy momentum and dreamy keyboard passages; not to mention that for a self-confessed non-drummer, Jah can certainly whack seven bells out of his percussion set-up! The quartet segue into a two-song streak from ‘Metal Box’, starting with ‘Careering’, now with delay-heavy vocals (kindly supplied by sound engineer and local Worthing bassist for avant-pop band Perestroika, Mike Baker), and a primordially tribal drum pattern. The latter ‘Metal Box’ number ‘The Suit’ contains more esoteric guitar textures with a riding wave of dissonance climaxing towards the end.
Approaching the last moments of the set, Jah Wobble seems to have his energy levels riding on high, and only going upwards from here! The first of the closing trifecta of tracks is the fan favourite ‘Visions Of You’, complete with Mixolydian chord progression and a static, linear groove. Now, at this point, Martin is starting to annoy me… he can’t keep getting away with all these guitar solos and landing every single one of them! The penultimate ‘How Much Are They?’ is a classic realm of post-punk and Afrobeat rhythmic drum and guitar patterns as well as some remarkably elaborate piano playing from George, virtually on a classical level. Believed to be the last song of the night, the band build the track to an extreme high, with the tempo increasing beyond belief into sonic oblivion! But, alas, one more to come, the wonderful main theme from Roy Budd’s ‘Get Carter’, where each member, once again, flexes their musical strengths through solos as well as Jah’s off-kilter cowbell rhythms… let’s also notice, just quickly, Jah miming himself pushing something into the air?! The band shortly departed with no encore, nearly breaking curfew, unfortunately, but what we got from the four-piece was nothing short of astounding! It was incredible to witness an important figurehead like Jah Wobble indulge in an evening of playful humour and vigorous musicianship among such talented performers.
“My grand finale. My goodbye.”
Jah Wobble:
John Joseph Wardle aka Jah Wobble – bass, vocals, percussion
George King – synthesizers, laptop, backing vocals
Martin Chung – guitar
Marc Layton-Bennett – drums
Jah Wobble setlist:
‘Becoming More Like God’
‘Seven’
‘Socialist’ (Public Image Ltd. cover)
‘Theme From Midnight Cowboy’ (John Barry cover)
‘Public Image’ (Public Image Ltd. cover)
‘The Liquidator’ (Harry J All Stars cover)
‘Java’ (Augustus Pablo cover)
‘The Chain’ (Fleetwood Mac cover)
‘Poptones’ (Public Image Ltd. cover)
‘Fodderstompf’ (Public Image Ltd. cover)
(unknown song)
‘Careering’ (Public Image Ltd. cover)
‘The Suit’ (Public Image Ltd. cover)
‘Visions Of You’
‘How Much Are They?’
‘Theme From Get Carter’ (Roy Budd cover)
