AS Jah Wobble writes in the newly updated version of his uproarious autobiography, Dark Luminosity, there was a time when he never saw much of Mondays: “If I started a bender on a Friday night then that would probably be that, and I would be out of commission for a few days.” The young Wobble, enfant terrible of London’s post-punk scene, might be surprised to learn that he now spends his Mondays at Wimbledon Library, hosting free jam sessions for local people who might otherwise struggle with loneliness.
Sometimes Wobble is persuaded to join in, although he still draws the line at trad jazz or blues. His own tastes remain heavy and adventurous, an itch scratched by guesting with his sons’ band Tian Qiyi (who also filmed their latest video at the library). “They’ve taken the mantle on really, with the world music side of things,” he says proudly. “Me elder boy John is expert with Tajik scales.”
Wobble is doing a couple of set. “How we’re doing it, the general kind of organic nature of it is, for me, what PiL was originally about – it’s very brave, very in-the-moment. Every night’s a bit different. “Careering”, you can actually make it as vaudeville as you like; “Poptones” starts off with an excerpt from . So it’s really humorous as well.”
