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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Fergal Kinney

Jah Wobble on covering the Beatles, London buses and why punk went wrong: ‘Being kind is seen as square’

The musician Jah Wobble wearing a flat cap, blazer and T-shirt
‘Lydon wasn’t a strong leader’ … Jah Wobble (John Wardle). Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

Sometimes, on the top deck of a London bus, pension-age punks will politely disturb the concentration of a man on his iPad. “They’ll say: ‘Are you Jah Wobble?’” recounts the musician born John Wardle, his upbeat cockney accent ringing with delight. They will ask if he’s working on anything. “And I like to say: ‘Yes, I’m recording an album. I’m doing it right now.’”

In the 2020s, the 68-year-old bassist and bandleader has been revisiting the city of his birth and youth, composing and producing albums including the cosmic dub of The Bus Routes of South London, or the celestial electronica of Thames Symphony, while traversing London on public transport.

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