Legendary bassist and producer Jah Wobble and Liverpool-based duo John T Wardle and Charlie Wardle have released Strawberry Fields Forever, ushering in their new album Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles Psychedelic Psongbook, a deeply personal reimagining of The Beatles’ psychedelic period framed within a soundscape of Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions. The album will be released on 14 August.
These songs may have been written by Lennon and McCartney but Jah Wobble (aka John Wardle) and his sons John T Wardle and Charlie Wardle (aka Tian Qiyi) have made them uniquely their own. Mystic Liverpool draws on Wobble’s signature dub bass, John T’s drums, Chinese percussion and yangqin, and Charlie’s erhu and vocals, while Strawberry Fields Forever sees Charlie play morin khuur with the boys’ mother Zi Lan Liao – a Royal Academy of Music trained harpist and the most recognised guzheng performer worldwide – joining on guzheng.
Jah Wobble was a founding member of Public Image Ltd (PiL) and formed his band The Invaders Of The Heart in 1982. In his 50-year career he has achieved chart success, a Mercury Music Prize nomination and a rich discography that includes collaborations with Holger Czukay from Can, The Edge from U2, Sinead O’Connor, Massive Attack, Ginger Baker, Bjork, Brian Eno, Pharoah Sanders and, most recently, Horace Andy on his Timeless Roots album, Ken Boothe on his Old Fashioned Ways album, and Jon Klein on the Automated Paradise album.
Tian Qiyi take their name from John and Charlie’s middle names, Tian Qi and Tian Yi. The duo mesh British, Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions, bridging cultures to forge a sound that also weaves in post-punk and experimental production, imbuing their sound with magnetic tension between ancient tradition and dub futurism, East and West, land and spirit. Their latest album, Songs For Workers, is currently available via Pagoda Records.
The album journeys through The Beatles’ psychedelic-era songbook, treating the material as the genuinely mystical music it always was rather than simply nostalgic covers. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour are particular touchstones. Pre-order Mystic Liverpool HERE
In the autumn Jah Wobble & The Invaders Of The Heart will play the following dates:
OCTOBER
Sat 03 STOURBRIDGE Katie Fitzgerald’s
Fri 16 TODMORDEN Unitarian Church (METAL BOX with Jon Klein)
Wed 21 FROME Tunnels
Thu 22 BRISTOL Fleece
Fri 23 READING Face Bar
NOVEMBER
Sat 07 LONDON Bush Hall
Wed 25 HASSELT, BE Club AFF
Thu 26 BRUGES, BE Cactus
Fri 27 OUDENAARDE, BE Harmonie
Tickets: https://jahwobble.com/#live
Comments are closed.