Following their collaboration on the recent Passage To Hades  album, tonight's performance is an obvious step. The crack band of experienced musicians, including Parker's terrific regular drummer, Mark Sanders, and Steve Beresford altering sounds with a chaotic looking selection of effects, are storming. It's more visceral rather than measured to be honest, but when the ex-Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, (or "Mr Lovetime" as his friend and frequent musical partner Wobble calls him), joins in you can almost ignore the audience member moved to the most embarrassing display of " expressive dancing" ever seen outside London's swinging Shoreditch district. 

If tonight's bill has any unifying theme, it's that bass frequencies retain their fascination across the generations. Some time in the late Seventies, Wobble decided that his style would be to play as low as possible, teaching himself the four-strings instrument by playing along with his favourite dub reggae tunes.

The time just flew past and around midnight they left the stage to massive applause. The band came back for an encore accompanied by the poet again who read one poem. The band was then accompanied by a trumpet player and off they went again into a long dub based improvisation - truly brilliant. Bill Laswell's contribution to the overall sound was important but never dominant. The only downside to a memorable evening was a guy who elbowed his way to the front (where I was) and kept shouting "Bill Laswell" intermittently. During the encore he kept shouting for a Laswell solo until the woman standing next to him told him to "shut the f...... up" - he got the message. He obviously had got carried away by the sight of our hero, but would have benefitted by reading about Wobble's Invaders of the Heart - their music is based around collective improvisation, not solos. It was however a very good natured concert with a great vibe.

----------- Expletives unprintable!!!!!!It had to end sometime and it did after that number - the packed audience was ecstatic Jah thanked us all saying "with an audience like you - its easy for us "When we regained our senses we went to chat to Jah backstage - to thank him and the rest of the band - I eventually asked him about the new release and how he got the name? - Jah ; " Just 3 words that don't mean anything but sound good together  "I also asked about the producer on the new CD and had it made a difference? - Jah ; " The music really produces itself "I also asked about having a guitarist in this lineup and how it fitted so well? Jah ; " I agree - Chris adds  the middle frequencies which weren't there before with the original instruments "I mentioned that one of the List members had heard some amazing live stuff in the back of the tour van some time ago and would it be released? Jah - " I think its probably on Beach Fervour Spare "So after thanking the band again we left for home with that bass still echoing in our heads and so pleased we had made the effort to see Deep Space again. What is it about this music? - it evokes such emotional and physical responses - Real Trance music for the new millennium - I cannot praise it enough - If any of you get a chance to see this band play - take it - travel, mortgage the house - sell the kids - I kid you not you will not regret it.40 miles down the motorway the lights got dimmer and dimmer, 5 miles from home they packed in all together , 1 mile from home the car started misfiring , spluttered to a halt outside our house - the car coughs and dies! -Yeahhhh!!!!!!!

Mark

If only going to church was always like this.

Friday the 13th, and here we are in the rock n' roll capital of western civilization, the heaving hotbed of partydomshire that is Doncaster! OK, its not really that exciting, in fact it's a chilly, grey, miserable night and snatches of conversations overheard in local hostelries indicate that the only place you're likely to find any vibrant scene round these parts is in the local bas station, where the population of Doncaster flock in their droves at night for transportation to Sheffield, Rotherham, Leeds and as many places as possible that aren't this desolate, un-welcoming town. Some sixties architects and local council planning officials were good at their jobs, but if there is any justice in this world those responsible for this eyesore of a town centre have been rounded up and shot at dawn!

The Leopard is a welcome contrast to it's surroundings, a proper pub, with real customers, not trendies quaffing bottled lagers but embittered faces worn by hardened drinkers consuming real beer from glasses clutched with pock marked and tattooed fingers (the men weren't half as scary though!). Upstairs the gig venue continues to go from strength to strength, patronised by an healthy mixture of the regular clientele and a collection of intrepid outsiders, and my good lady wife and myself. Rough!? They brand the brewery crest onto your forehead with a cattle iron instead of giving you a re-entry stamp on the back of your hand round these parts. Just the sort of place for an open minded appraisal of Jah Wobble's latest journey into the outer limits of musical experimentalism then!

The first two band members enter the gray at around 9.45 and the audience (about 200 strong, with people leaving and arriving steadily throughout the night making anything other than a rough estimate impossible) are treated to approx. 20 minutes of wailing electric bagpipe passages off set with a variety of flute pieces, before they are joined by the drummer whose rhythmic patterns combine to produce mellow Gaelic tones.

Eventually Wobble adds his presence to the proceedings to generous applause - enthusiasm borne out of the hope that the music would now alter tack perhaps, but it didn't. Wobble's bass amp was set at 'volume level discretion' as from the rear of the stage he endeavoured to allow his charges a night in the limelight while his bass played merely a supporting role. The set was akin to a speakeasy jazz collective gathering, based around the recent 'Deep Space' album (see F& F 9), and offering no respite for breaks between numbers and no concessions to any regular gig itinerary, they just carried on.. and on, and on! An unrelenting swirl of aural massage for those locked into the vibe or "a bloody incessant din" for those locked outside. I suppose I'd be wrong to say too many narrow minded people were present to get it, because it's obviously a matter of personal taste. But for want of a better word, I was in the market for some 'ambience', and found the experience all consuming, compelling, moving even. It was apparent that not all present found the vibe generating from the stage to be a pleasure trip; my wife for one found the best way to listen to the gig was on the exit stairs with her fingers in her ears only leaving her post to frequently tap on her watch in a gesture to remind me how close it was to the departure time for the last bus home. Inevitably wee missed it! But it's not every day you have this much fun at a gig and what's a 20 mile ca fare home after midnight anyway!? (Ouch). Another person I knew who was present at the gig made it through to the end, but only6 by virtue of taking two time-outs in the downstairs bar.

As the gig swelled towards it's noisy climax (1 hour 40 minutes non-stop) Wobble laid down his bass and took to playing percussion in a two drummer line-up. Throughout the room people were off on one in their own private little trances; some from chilling to the sound emanating from the stage and others from another source judging by the aroma in the air! Apparently around the time the pub landlady had popped her head through the door and remarked to my wife' "I don't think me and you can be taking the right drugs pet!" Also evident, but still hanging in there for grim death were a fir number of bewildered faces, shaking heads and much tut-tutting in disbelief.

the set came to a close, and for the first time of the night the microphones were used for verbal transmissions; Wobble announced, with a mischievous grin on his face:"Right, that was our warm up number and gestured as if to start again, even the unconverted couldn't help but laugh.

As few nights later, I was working at a Fall Gig in Manchester (Ed: As you may, or many not know, Rob is The Fall's merchandise man and edits the excellent Fall fanzine, 'The Biggest Library Yet'. full ordering details are in the back of zine) and I mentioned the Wobble gig to Mark E Smith. It transpired that he'd seen the same show in Manchester recently too and was most impressed. When told of where I'd seen the show Smith cracked up laughing, "what!!! Fuckn'' hell, he did that? In fuckin 'Doncaster? Ha, ha, ha".

Wobble played a fairly surprise gig at The Temple in Glasgow on 28.4.99.  (By the way, no, I hadn't been there before! It's a Glasgow F&F review what do you expect!). I've decided not to review the gig because (1) I don't have the room! & (2) Between the interview and the CD review I pretty much say everything I wanted to say, though all I will say, it was a great gig , and  it's true, white men have no rhythm! Some of the people dancing at the gig wouldn't have made that Fat Boy Slim video!!! Anyway, the gig was such a surprise that the venue only had two weeks to advertise it. To help spread the word every Scotish F&F reader should have received a flyer for the gig, and as repayment I asked the venue to set up an interview, which they kindly did... 

F&F: First off I'd just like to say thanks for talking to me, I know it's been a long time since you were in PIL, and it must seem weird to you that 20 years later people are still interested in something which must have been such a small part of your life...

Jah Wobble: No, it was a big part of my life really, it was a big deal because that was when I first started playing, if it hadn't been for PIL I wouldn't be here tonight, I doubt I would have started playing seriously if it wasn't for PIL... I still think it's really good, like that whole thing with Celtic music, it had that  drive and inner energy to it, so I'm not surprised people still like it... It's funny because in the last few years I haven't had many conversations about PIL and I never really listened  to the stuff, and then Martin Atkins has come back, and now I'm doing a record with him, him and Geordie from Killing. Joke.

F&F: Really?  I'll look forward to that!

JW: I hadn't seen Martin since the early eighties,  we were talking about PIL, we had a lot of catching up to do!, and Martin had said send me a couple of bass lines, and I said fuck it, if you're living back in Britain lets get together and do a bit, and I thought Geordie was always one of the better guitar players from that era...

F&F: When you look back on PIL what are your feelings on the band?

JW: It was really intense, I don't think you'll find many bands like us now, because it was very naive in its own way, there was  no manager, we could never get fucking happening, and 'cos John had been in the Pistols and earned that reputation we could get away with a lot of stuff other bands possibly couldn't. It was totally anarchic, it was mad, very intense, a real mixture of feelings, some of them really funny, some of it was very frustrating. I know we were young and fucking crazy, but we should  have played more for people, we should have got out all  over the country.

F&F: I think you only did something like five UK shows when you were in the band.

JW: Yeah, something like that, we did two at the Rainbow... I don't think we ever did Scotland did we? (F&F: No) I thought that was mental, because the people in Glasgow would have gone  fucking mental!!

F&F: There's probably still a small PIL following up here.

JW: One of my favourite places in the country to play is Scotland, especially Glasgow. Newcastle, Bristol, the North West,  a couple of little towns in Essex... I get a lot of letters from  people in those places who are heavily into PIL, my stuff, electronic music, reggae, real heavy freaky music...

F&F: Yeah, I think it's good when people like a lot of different stuff, that was the thing with me, when I started with PIL I went sort of sideways, I checked out some of the things you done, I checked out all these Dub records and Can etc,  and kept going sideways. There's definitely a line in there somewhere...

JW: I think one person who's really part of that tradition is Bill Laswell, that geezer makes 25 albums a fucking year! That stuff is insane, the Morrocan trance music, all that mad drum stuff, that's all part of that same tradition...

F&F: He's even done a sort of rock album with PIL.

JW: I thought that was the best thing John had done since the period I was with PIL.

F&F: It is a good album, I think it's one of the strongest albums along with 'Metal Box', possibly 'First Issue' as well...

JW: Yeah, 'First Issue' is a bit patchy but there's things like 'Annalisa', 'Low Life', 'Public Image'...

F&F: Records like 'Metal Box' and 'Public Image' have clearly influenced  people, but PIL never seem to get any respect, not many people come out and say it, maybe Massive Attack or somebody like that...

JW: Massive Attack are smart fellas, I've met them a couple  of times, there definitely smart boys. I think there was more respect probably ten, twelve years ago than there is now. Maybe if PIL had ended after those first two albums it would have been different...

F&F: The thing that surprised me with the box set were the reviews, I couldn't believe them, I mean at the time the records got bad reviews, but now they've split up they're given good reviews...

JW: The flak we took at the beginning was unbelievable. A few people understood it, got it, but a lot of people were seriously offended by it,  because they wanted their regular traditional rock, I still don't know how to play that stuff!

F&F: Thanks to you I got involved in the PIL box set, so thanks for that!

JW: No problem, I couldn't think of anyone who had it. Martin phoned me up about the box set as well, if it hadn't been for him, and my mate Brycie, I wouldn't have known it was going out.

F&F: Yeah, 'cos when I spoke to Virgin they said Martin had turned up with a cassette full of unreleased tracks, there was a track called 'Vampire', do you know anything about that?

JW: No, it might have been after my time.

F&F: They mentioned a version of 'Twist and Shout' as well..

JW: Yeah, Martin told me about that... Martin felt it could have been a better compilation. I must admit I thought there should have been more from 'Metal Box', I know most of the punters have got it, but I'd have bunged on more of that, or got some remixes of some of the stuff...

F&F: Yeah, that's the thing, I've got a C-90 full of 'Metal Box Demos', some of it is stuff you done that later turned up on 'Betrayal', but a lot of it is outtakes from 'Metal Box' they could have got stuff like that and cleaned it up... The impression I got about the box set right from the very beginning was that they wanted to do it more as a compilation than anything else, but at least you get the Peel Sessions.

JW: Yeah, that's good... To be honest, I only remember one tape, it was an instrumental from when we very first started, when Jim Walker was on drums, that was really good. Apart from that I can't remember.  There might be a few outtakes, but it wasn't a band that really recorded lots and lots of stuff. I might be wrong, it was that long ago, but from my era with PIL, I don't remember there being that much stuff.

F&F: Both you and John have admitted it was egos and drugs that destroyed the early line up, where things really that bad!

JW: Oh yeah. It was pretty tense, I just felt totally frustrated  and depressed with it because there wasn't a lot of communication  with the different people. There were different people on different drugs at the same time. I felt very bad about it, I got very annoyed with it. We done an American tour, and that was the  final straw. There was a lot of respect flying about and it  got very paranoid, and fucked up. There was a lot of people round the group that shouldn't have been, all the regular stuff, and you've got the young people, disturbed people, so what fucked it  up, was what in a way made it great as well, all that mad energy!

F&F: I've seen posters from that tour that say 'Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols', so you were up against it right from the start.

JW: The actual Americans were fantastic on that tour, but I just felt I wanted to go out and get a band and do stuff. So I had it away on my toes... It's  enough for me looking back, there's two great albums, some great shows, some great memories... 

F&F: There have been so many stories on why you left the band,  can you clear up what happened, what's the truth to the 'stealing backing tapes' story?

JW: What I was doing was going and working. I wanted to fucking work! They were sitting about the Manor all day, and I was going  and doing stuff and saying look I've done some stuff do you want it? So I started working on my own stuff, I'd have been happy working on PIL stuff, I just wanted to work. Because I'm starting  to play, I love it! I've been on the dole. All I wanted to do was  play with this fucking group, and I still feel like that, you've  got to get out and do stuff, what's the point of sitting at home  if you can go out and play to people, that's what you do. So I got very frustrated... But the backing tape thing is all sort of bollocks really. They are the same backing tracks, but I'm like here's this, I'm working on this stuff over here. The same tradition with reggae, you use the same backing track fifty times, it's not stealing a track, and it's not taking stuff  'cos I went and did the stuff, put the bass and drums down  myself in Chinatown, so  when you've gone and made a backing track yourself, it's not nicking it! I just wanted go get into the studio and do stuff, I just wanted to start working. So when I left PIL I thought maybe the game was up, so I formed a band, The  Human Condition, because I just wanted to do stuff, it was as simple as that. Because the whole PIL thing was sitting about being stoned for days on end, and I couldn't bare that, I just wanted to do things, even now I'm like that.

F&F: Do you think it's ironic that when you first started releasing solo records like 'Betrayal', they were written off as a joke, or "curry house music"!, whereas now you're widely respected?           

JW: I always the sort of geezer who just steamed in  and done stuff, have a bit of joy in what you're doing, and have a bit of humour in there at times, and 'Betrayal' was the funny cover and all that stuff, yeah it was a laugh...

F&F: How do you feel about the fact you were written off as a piss-take, but not that long ago you were up for a Mercury Prize and now you're well respected?

JW: All I've ever done is follow the music, and as the years went on I always had a thing, I never really thought I was really a  musician, and I always felt the game was going to be up, and enjoy while I could, I'm still a bit like that, enjoy it now  'cos the game might be up tomorrow. I'd always had those feelings  but then over the years I just kept coming back to music, I'm obsessive about it, and then suddenly you've got a track record that you haven't planned, you've just done what you felt was right at the time. I'd always come back to certain forms of music, heavy bass lines, the drones, and what we done tonight wasn't that dissimilar to PIL in a way the way it's put together...

F&F: Yeah, I noticed that but I didn't want to say it! The way the bass and drums were working together...

JW: Yeah,and all those octaves on the bass.

F&F: That's the sort of stuff I like, the simple repetitive things, building the sound up, as opposed to using a lot of notes..

JW: Exactly. What we were doing that was different to other bands  at the time, was that they'd write chords and we never did that,  it was block units of sound, and textures and atmospheres.

F&F: What turned you onto the sort of music you do now?

JW: I was listening to lots of short-wave radio, static and oscillations and all that. I picked up Radio Terran and Radio Cairo, and started hearing Egyptian music, I'd already heard reggae because that was the music you heard about you in London at the time, and that's how I got into all that, and yet again, scales, drones, wailing, it's not chordal, there's no harmony, I haven't got a fucking clue about harmony really. And there was no harmony which I didn't know at the time, I just thought it was beautiful music, then I started to find out there was no harmony  to it, it's all overtones.

F&F: How would you describe what you're doing now to a young PIL fan who doesn't know it, but would like to check it out?

JW: It's the same essence, it's very deep, very trancey, very dark, but dark in a good way, dark coming into light, in essence  it's the same except more sophisticated, it's more extreme, there's no lyrical content, in essence it's trance music, it's music you go somewhere else when you listen to it, you go away from the conscious mind into somewhere else.

F&F: I found that tonight, it's back to the old PIL thing, there's no image with your band, it's just the music, you forget their even there, it's not some flash rock show...

JW: Exactly. We get up and all it's improvised, nothing's worked out before we just go on and do it.

F&F: I was wondering that, I bought the album last week but I didn't recognise any of it, did you do any of it?

JW: No, it's all improvised.

F&F: You set up your own 30 Hertz label a couple of years ago, can you tell me more about it?

JW: The basic reason was I was fed up dealing with record companies, didn't want to be shopping stuff around, so I thought if I get a label at least I'll get the stuff out, then I've got a bit of freedom, because it's got very constrained the corporate record company scene, so the idea was just get the stuff out, do the stuff you really want to do. And to be honest the stuff I was doing with Island Records, they really didn't see it, and at that  time they started to move from being fairly esoteric at times to looking for hits, but for the first time ever it was an amicable split, which is very unusual...

F&F: Do you plan to put out any other bands on it?

JW: Just me own stuff for the time being, it's a vehicle for my compositions, but I've got an open mind eventually something might come up, but I wouldn't want to do that at the moment, because I  wouldn't be able to give people the time that they need, simple as that.

F&F: What about some of your old stuff from the eighties, The Human Condition or the first Invaders album?

JW: Martin Atkins wants to put out The Human Condition on his own Invisible Records.

F&F: What about the Invaders album?

JW: I was a piss-artist a few years ago and a lot of that stuff got lost...

F&F: Outside PIL you're probably best known for your Invaders of  the Heart stuff, what's the situation with the band now? Are Justin Adams and Mark Ferda still involved?

JW: Justin's doing some production stuff, Mark's in the studio, we've got another Invaders album coming out in about a month and  a half. It's got the Invaders sort of sound, the last time we put an Invaders record out was the 'Celtic Poets', it's always a changing line up. It keeps on moving, you keep evolving, it's got  to the point where running a big band nowadays is very difficult,  and I felt it had been took to a certain limit, we had used a lot of song structures, and I wanted to get back to something very pure, the real essence of music...

F&F: You've been doing some shows for GLR can you tell me about that, we don't get it up here!

JW: They wanted a series, I had different musicians in for the first series and I played music I was into, and had musicians come in and play some of the things they liked. The last series was bit of a piss-take on the music business, I had a few bods come in from the industry come in and tell a few yarns, slag the  business of completely!

F&F: Do you think the GLR shows will ever be syndicated?

JW: I doubt it because it's BBC. They want me to do another one, but I don't think it'll ever be syndicated or go national because the radio gets more and more bland all the time, even though there's more stations.

F&F: Yeah, there's no real alternative, you either get Radio 1 playing the top 20, or Virgin playing the top 20 from ten years ago, you don't hear PIL on the radio, and you certainly don't hear your stuff.

JW: There's a few good public broadcast stations in America or on the continent, but not in this country...

F&F: Apparently you've been doing some lecturing at college? Is it music your doing?

JW: I got offered a visiting fellowship at Goldsmiths, it's  Media and Communications I'm supposed to be in. I basically go and use the facilities, talk to a few PHD students and that's about it! I haven't done it for a couple of months, but it's supposed to be pretty informal... 

F&F: It'd be strange having you as a lecturer!, it must be a strange one for you too! 

JW: It's totally bizarre! I never really got on well with education!  

F&F: I know you occasionally write articles for the Independent, but rumour has it you're planning a book?

JW: Yeah, that's on the cards at some point, but it's a question of finding time to sit down and do it, probably later this year,  it'll be music based...

F&F: So it's not an autobiography?

JW: No, I don't think I'd go for that, it might be a bit autobiographical at times, a bit funny, but no, I wouldn't do that...

F&F: I know you see Martin now, but do you still see Keith or John?

JW: I haven't seen John, god bless him,  since he brought his book out, Keith I haven't seen for about four or five years.

F&F: He seems to have disappeared.

JW: Which suits me to be honest, he started to get on me nerves whenever I saw him.

F&F: The last thing I know he did was when he was in Glen Matlock's band.

JW: Yeah, that's right, with Jim Walker. But round about that time, it was see you later time with Keith to be honest...

F&F: Do you think you'll ever work with them again?

JW: With Martin yeah, John I dunno know. Sometimes it's best not to go back and do stuff, if it was viable, and it was working, then fine, no problem, but I don't know if that would be the case...

F&F: In general what do you think about the music business now?

JW: Very corporate. It's all about a quick profit, on the corporate side it's pretty depressing, pretty dull. But on the indie side, with all the new technology it's easier than it ever was to get records out. I think that side of it is exciting, it's  opened up...

F&F: Yeah, the mainstream is as bland as ever, probably worse, but there are alternatives now, one thing punk did do is bring an alternative, the more and more you look into all the different indie scenes the more good stuff you find...

JW: Yeah, there's people like Martin, Bill Laswell, Adrian Sherwood, a lot of them people are still going strong. I mean I still manage to get records out, do shows,  you still do stuff, but the corporate side, there's nothing happening... 

Issue 9 of the Sex Pistols / PIL and related fanzine ‘The Filth and the Fury’ is now available, 72 pages including...Exclusive interviews with JAH WOBBLE, GEORGE ‘ROTTEN TV’ GIMARC & NILS STEVENSON PLASTIC BOX (comprehensive review & behind the scenes compilation details) Exclusive ‘FILTH AND THE FURY’ movie information!!
The Neurotic Outsiders live in LA Order of Death (aka Corrupt) feature inc: review and rare memorabilia guide PIL live Xmas Day 1978 CD, Book, Bootleg reviews ALL the latest news, plus much more!

“F&F” costs £2 (inc p&p UK) (Europe £2.50) (US $5 cash only) (elsewhere £3) please make all cheques payable to SCOTT MURPHY

c/o SCOTT MURPHY 24 MUIRSIDE ST, BAILLIESTON, GLASGOW, G69 7EL

thefilthandthefury@yahoo.com

If 'Deep Space', the new album by Jah Wobble was crap, we could have started with another joke, one exploiting the punning possibilities of Uranus. But that would be uncharitable. Mr. Wobble, of course is no stranger to the abyss. In his post PiL, pre-Invaders Of The Heart lull, he worked for London Underground. Which, when you think about it, resembles space travel. For instance, you frequently feel lost in a black hole with oxygen supplies diminishing. Time too, takes on a relative air (High Barnet 17 mins... CORRECTION... Edgware 2 mins.) Hence 'Deep Space' then.

Is it any good? Uh-Oh, well, there's something calming about the harmoniums and foetal dub that form its core. It's just that .. you know that Ferrero Rocher advert, where the ambassador offers out Invaders Of the Heart records to his guests? And everyone goes, "But you are spoiling us with this exotic global bliss"? But then, for his next soiree, he switches to ambient. Digestive. And it's not like Digestives are horrible. It's just that he spoiled us with the lovely choes. Still, that's the record. Live, it should gel more pleasingly, given that: (a) there's a crazy light show: and (b) Mr. Wobble's corpulent bass mantras have a knack of by passing the head and making straight for the body parts that truly respond to music. And I don't mean Uranus.

Peter Paphides

Robert Heller Pic Ollie Hewitt