Stereo Embers The Podcast 0479: Jah Wobble (PiL, Invaders Of The Heart)

“The Bus Routes Of South London”

The London-born Jah Wobble is one of the most legendary musicians on the planet. The celebrated bassist burst onto the radar with PiL, playing on the first two albums–Public Image: First Issue and Metal Box–both of which remain undisputed classics.
After leaving the band, Wobble stayed busy, playing in The Human Condition and on the Snake Charmer EP with The Edge and with his own band Invaders Of The Heart. Wobble left the industry for a few years working for a while with The London Underground–more on that in a minute–but in the late ’80s a newly sober Wobble reformed the Invaders and they put out a string of winning albums like Rising Above Bedlam and Take Me To God. And from there? Well, from there, he just kept working with a list of impressive folks like Sinead O’Connor, The Orb, Ginger Baker, Dolores O’Riordan, Massive Attack, Gavin Friday, Brian Eno, Bjork and Primal Scream. Wobble has also put out a memoir called Memoirs Of A Geezer, which is such a great read, he finished his university degree at the University of London, wrote book reviews for the Independent, wrote a book of poetry, started teaching, played in a band with his sons, and played with the Chinese Dub Orchestra. This list only tells a percentage of the story; Jah Wobble is a man whose lane is not having a lane. He’s one of the greatest dub musicians of all time, but he’s also someone who’s curious about the world and his curiosity has found him exploring ambient music, dance usic, post-punk, world music, dub, Chinese folk, English Folk, and industrial music. His album Old Fashioned Ways with reggae hero Ken Boothe came out in 2025 and it’s a glorious and affecting listen. Meanwhile, his other 2025 album The Old North London Line is a proper sequel to The Bus Routes Of South London, where Wobble explores the cinematic and atmospheric sounds of the daily grooves that can be found between stops on the London tracks.

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