Decked out in a royal blue suit and with his trademark bowler hat, Jah Wobble slinked across the small Crawdaddy stage mimicking an Egyptian walk as ambient world sounds throbbed from the PA. A notable entrance, but it was met with little fuss by those who had gathered in the intimate cave-like venue.
Initially it felt like those in attendance couldn’t care less who had taken to the stage. There was no applause or thunderous welcome, though what could have been mistaken as apprehension was probably in fact awe. This was a reverential audience made up of mainly single 30-something male Hornby-ites.
After the initial five minute sequence of bass notes, gradually building in volume, Wobble gave a nod to his drummer and the percussion kicked in. Feet that had tapped began to dance as bodies swayed to the rhythm. Wobble and his English roots band shifted the sound through Jean-Pierre Rasle’s collection of bizarre flutes.
After this 30 minutes opener Liz Carter took to the stage lending her delicate folk vocals to Wobble’s eclectic mix. It made for exciting developments through the course of the show as the bassist explored free-form jazz, reggae and dub behind Carter’s rootsy voice.
But as the night wore on, so did one’s patience. Each track lasted an average of twenty minutes and often a lack of self-editing on Wobble’s part was in evidence. Engaging and entertaining as the show was at times, Wobble should maybe remember for next time that often, less is more.