Music / New Wave
Review: Jah Wobble and The Invaders of the Heart, Thekla
The night before your first breakfast of Brexit Jah Wobble rocked the boat right up to the curfew imposed by Thekla, and I don’t recall a single mention of the significance of the day. Whether to celebrate or to forget, everyone was there to have a good time. Jah Wobble and his band would unite those aboard capturing one hundred percent of the public’s hearts and minds.
Jah Wobble, real name John Joseph Wardle, was on top form that evening. He played the bass, sometimes the drums and even some cow bells, leading the band like a music hall conductor playing the room. He posed for photos, cracked jokes and achieved the effect he desired thanks, in part, to Liam the sound Engineer who got a mention more than once. Jah had him create a dub echo that was hypnotic, it went on and on and on and on.
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I didn’t grow up on the man’s music but many in attendance knew what all the fuss was all about. In a single lifetime Jah Wobble has achieved an awful lot in the music game, working with some giants and making a name for himself along the way. On stage he plays the persona of a cockney showman wearing that hat, a pork pie, and giving it all the elbows. Off stage he’s more reserved; dare I say a normal bloke.
As the night progressed the classics came thick and fast. The evening moved from a soundscape of world music influences and settled on a dub trip that had everyone swaying to the mesmerising jams by the end. There was a handful of real characters in the front, and right to the back the good vibrations infected the masses on the balcony.
Mr Wobble insisted that the band were the real stars of the night. Certain he was that the lead guitarist, although in his eyes, an inferior set of strings to his good self, would go on to surpass his talents. Towards the end Jah Wobble decided it was best if he finished the set wearing a heard hat and a hi-vis jacket. I’m not sure why this was but when a band don’t take themselves too seriously, it definitely adds a more humble quality.
The crowd insited that they were to play more, but the house lights came on and we had to call it a day. Bristol was bustling that evening, it was a busy Friday night and the intermitent rain wasn’t enough to make people stay at home.
All images by Phil Riley
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