Revered Public Image Ltd bassist JAH WOBBLE makes his long awaited return to the post-punk sound he helped create with his new album, A BRIEF HISTORY OF NOW, released via US label Cleopatra Records on digital, CD and vinyl on 11 August, and shares the first single and video.
After an astounding 45-year career in music that began as the bassist for John Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd – earning immense and lasting praise for his trailblazing musicianship through his solo career and collaborations with the likes of Holger Czukay from Can, The Edge from U2 and, later, with Brian Eno, Chris Connelly from Ministry and Geordie Walker from Killing Joke – one would think that Jah Wobble would have said all he has to say. Turns out, he was just getting started.
Wobble has announced a new solo album, A Brief History Of Now, that finds the eclectic troubadour returning to the post-punk genre that he had a key role in developing, both in his tenure with PiL and later. Co-written, produced and performed with another post-punk hero Jon Klein of Siouxsie & The Banshees, the album packs a powerful punch both musically and lyrically as the two veterans deliver an energetic and innovative collection of musical treatises.
For proof, check out the album’s first single, LAST EXIT, a pulsating, psychedelic-tinged track that interweaves Wobble’s distinctive bass with a syncopated spoken-word vocal and Klein’s razor-sharp guitar. Wobble uses the song to provoke and process current events that continually threaten to suffocate us before we escape. The accompanying video, made with Vicente Cordero from Industrialism Films, vividly brings the song to life and offers a captivating catharsis for the post-post-postmodern age.
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2_3uk9Ey8o
Stream and download the single here: https://orcd.co/jahwobble_lastexit
“It’s all about the dopamine rush. Assault on the senses. Bang! Bang! Bang! Rush after rush after rush. But never satisfied. No satisfaction. Never any conclusion. Always moving. Appearances arising. Ephemeral. Lacking substance. But often so beautiful and exciting. Glorious esoterica.”
Order CD and vinyl here: https://cleorecs.com/store/?s=jah+wobble+brief+history&post_type=product
Pre-order and pre-save the digital here: https://orcd.co/jahwobble_abriefhistoryofnow
TRACK LIST:
- Last Exit
- Wrong Side Of The Line
- SOO 135
- I Am, I Am, I Am
- Fashion World
- A Brief History Of Now
- I Am The Fly
- Driving
- This Is The Love
- Master Of Time
- 80 Beats Per Minute
- Socially Functioning Psychopath
Wobble continues his extensive UK touring this year with further dates throughout the autumn. The JAH WOBBLE & THE INVADERS OF THE HEART dates revolve around a number of Metal Box Rebuilt In Dub shows which rework the second Public Image Ltd album with additional tracks from the debut album First Issue. The Metal Box dates will also feature Jon Klein. Full UK dates as follows:
OCTOBER
Wed 25 EXETER Phoenix (METAL BOX)
Thu 26 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms (METAL BOX)
Fri 27 SOUTHAMPTON 1865
Sat 28 BARTON ON HUMBER The Ropewalk
NOVEMBER
Wed 01 SUDBURY The Quay Theatre
Thu 02 TUNBRIDGE WELLS The Forum
Fri 03 WORTHING The Venue
Sat 04 LONDON Camden Forge
Wed 08 DEAL Lighthouse
Thu 09 NORWICH Epic (METAL BOX)
Fri 10 GUILDFORD Holroyd Arms (METAL BOX)
Sat 11 MILTON KEYNES MK 11
Wed 15 GLASGOW St Lukes (METAL BOX)
Thu 16 EDINBURGH La Belle Angele (METAL BOX)
Thu 23 MANCHESTER Blues Kitchen
Fri 24 LEEDS The Wardrobe
DECEMBER
Fri 01 TRURO The Old Bakery (METAL BOX)
Sat 02 CARDIFF The Globe
Thu 07 ORMSKIRK Edgehill University Arts Centre
Fri 08 LEEK Foxlow Arts Centre (METAL BOX)
Sat 09 BRISTOL Thekla (METAL BOX)
Tickets available from www.songkick.com
Jah Wobble was born John Wardle in 1958 and is an English bassist, singer and composer. He began his career in music as founding member of PiL in 1978 with Keith Levene and former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon and quickly became known for his distinctive bass style, combining elements of dub, funk and world music. During his time with PiL, he played on some of the band’s most acclaimed albums, including Metal Box and First Issue, and collaborated with Keith Levene and Martin Atkins on a number of side projects.
In 1980 Wobble left PiL to pursue a solo career, releasing his debut album The Legend Lives On … Jah Wobble In Betrayal that same year, followed by a string of acclaimed solo albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His solo work continued to showcase his unique style alongside his interest in world music, particularly African and Middle Eastern music. He has also collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including Brian Eno, Bjork and Sinead O’Connor, and formed several bands, including Jah Wobble’s Invaders Of The Heart and Jan Wobble & The Chinese Dub Orchestra.
His music has been and remains highly influential, particularly in the areas of dub and world music, and his innovative playing style and ability to blend diverse musical styles into a cohesive whole continue to receive accolades.
Wobble is also a prolific writer, having published books on music, politics and spirituality, and is renowned for his interest in Eastern philosophy having written extensively on the subject. He remains a highly influential musician and artist who has made a significant impact on the world of music and beyond, making him a truly original and important figure in the history of music. He has stories to tell and recounts them with charm, with humour and with honesty. His latest solo album, The Bus Routes Of South London, was written and recorded on buses in South London. Of course it was.
Legendary hardly begins to cover it …
WEBSITE www.jahwobble.com
TICKETS www.songkick.com
BANDCAMP https://jahwobble.bandcamp.com
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/real_jah_wobble/
