Jah Wobble & Tian Qiyi unleash psychedelic Beatles reimagining with 'Tomorrow Never Knows', first glimpse of 'Mystic Liverpool' album

June 16, 2026

East London bassist and producer Jah Wobble and Liverpool-based ethno-psychedelic duo Tian Qiyi present their new single 'Tomorrow Never Knows', the first offering from the forthcoming album 'Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles' Psychedelic Psongbook', out August 14th via Cherry Red Records and Wobble's label 30 Hertz. A deeply personal reimagining of The Beatles’ psychedelic period, these songs are framed within a soundscape of Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions.

'Tomorrow Never Knows' - the closing track on The Beatles' 1966 album 'Revolver' - may have been penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney (with title lifted from a phrase coined by Ringo Starr), but Jah Wobble (aka John Wardle) and his sons John T Wardle and Charlie Wardle (aka Tian Qiyi) have made this song uniquely their own.

Jah Wobble is a founding member of Public Image Ltd (PiL) and formed Invaders of the Heart in 1982. In his 50-year career, he has achieved chart success, a Mercury Music Prize nomination and a rich discography. He has collaborated with Can's Holger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit, U2's The Edge and producer François Kevorkian, in addition to Sinéad O’Connor, Massive Attack, Ginger Baker, Björk, Brian Eno, Pharoah Sanders and, most recently, Horace Andy on his 'Timeless Roots' album, Ken Boothe on his 'Old Fashioned Ways' album, and Jon Klein on the 'Automated Paradise' album.

Tian Qiyi takes their name from John T Wardle and Charlie Wardle's Chinese middle names, Tian Qi and Tian Yi. Meshing British, Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions, their music bridges cultures to forge a sound that also weaves in post-punk and experimental production, their sound imbued with magnetic tension between ancient tradition and dub futurism, East and West, land and spirit.

The album draws largely on Jah Wobble’s signature dub bass, John T’s drums, Chinese percussion and yangqin, and Charlie’s erhu and vocals. Their clever rendition of “Strawberry Fields Forever” also sees Charlie playing morin khuur with the boys' mother Zi Lan Liao — a Royal Academy of Music–trained harpist and the most recognized gu-zheng performer worldwide — joining on gu-zheng.

Jointly produced by Jah Wobble, John T and Charlie, this album was recorded and mixed by John T at Pagoda Studios in Liverpool, where Tian Qiyi is now based.

But the Liverpool connection runs even deeper through their family. Zi Lan’s father, Mr K.H. Li (Liao Gui Xiong), arrived from Guangzhou in 1981 as Chinese Cultural Officer at the Pagoda and went on to establish the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra — the ensemble Zi Lan (now also director of Pagoda Arts Centre) runs and that both her sons grew up playing in from the age of three. The record is dedicated to him; a lifelong Beatles fan, he owned everything they ever released on vinyl.

“The track that flipped it for me as a kid was ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’” says Jah Wobble. “I didn’t have the language for what was going on in that song — I just knew it was more than music. The words you’d reach for are the ones people use about psychedelia: ego dissolution, a sense of unity, cosmic connection. I consider dub music to fit into the psychedelia genre, and John T grew up listening to dub, so Mystic Liverpool was always going to have that sensibility.”

The album moves through The Beatles’ psychedelic-era songbook with Chinese instrumentation and dub-inflected mixing, treating the material as the genuinely mystical music it always was rather than as nostalgic covers. As listeners will be pleased to discover, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Magical Mystery Tour" are particular touchstones.

'Tomorrow Never Knows' will be available from digital music platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. On August 14th, the 'Mystic Liverpool' album - now available for pre-order - will be released digitally and as a CD Digipack.

Tian Qiyi (with guest Jah Wobble) performs in Todmorden on June 18th at The Golden Lion in Fielden Square. Jah Wobble is touring the UK throughout 2026 with The Invaders Of The Heart, with tickets available at https://jahwobble.com/#live

Jah Wobble & Tian Qiyi announce 'Mystic Liverpool' album, a psychedelic reimagining of The Beatles, out August 14th

May 26, 2026

Iconic bassist and producer Jah Wobble has teamed up with his sons' ethno-psychedelic duo Tian Qiyi on the fascinating new album 'Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles' Psychedelic Psongbook', a deeply personal reimagining of The Beatles’ psychedelic period. Framing these songs within a soundscape of Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions, this album is out on August 14th via Cherry Red Records.

John Wardle, a.k.a. Jah Wobble is a founding member of Public Image Ltd (PiL) and formed Invaders of the Heart in 1982. In his nearly 50-year career, he has had chart success, a Mercury Music Prize nomination and a rich discography via his label 30 Hertz. He has collaborated with Can's Holger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit, U2's The Edge and producer François Kevorkian, in addition to Sinéad O’Connor, Massive Attack, Ginger Baker, Björk, Brian Eno, Pharoah Sanders and, most recently, Horace Andy on his 'Timeless Roots' album, Ken Boothe on his 'Old Fashioned Ways' album, and Jon Klein on the 'Automated Paradise' album.

Tian Qiyi is a duo made up of John T Wardle and Charlie Wardle, taking its name from their Chinese middle names, Tian Qi and Tian Yi. Based in Liverpool, the duo bridges British, Chinese, Mongolian and dub traditions, their fascinating ethno-psychedelic music bridging cultures to forge a sound that also weaves in post-punk and experimental production, their sound imbued with magnetic tension between ancient tradition and dub futurism, East and West, land and spirit.

The album draws largely on Jah Wobble’s signature dub bass, John T’s drums, Chinese percussion and yangqin, and Charlie’s erhu and vocals. Their clever rendition of “Strawberry Fields Forever” also sees Charlie playing morin khuur with the boys' mother Zi Lan Liao — a Royal Academy of Music–trained harpist and the most recognized gu-zheng performer worldwide — joining on gu-zheng.

Album pre-order www.cherryred.co.uk/jah-wobble-tian-qiyi-mystic-liverpool-the-beatles-psychedelic-psongbook-cd-digipak-edition
Rough Trade CD pre-order www.roughtrade.com/en-us/artist/jah-wobble-and-tian-qiyi-mystic-liverpool

Jointly produced by Jah Wobble, John T and Charlie, this album was recorded and mixed by John T at Pagoda Studios in Liverpool. But the Liverpool connection runs even deeper through their family. Zi Lan’s father, Mr K.H. Li (Liao Gui Xiong), arrived from Guangzhou in 1981 as Chinese Cultural Officer at the Pagoda and went on to establish the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra — the ensemble Zi Lan (now also director of Pagoda Arts Centre) runs and that both her sons grew up playing in from the age of three. The record is dedicated to him; a lifelong Beatles fan, he owned everything they ever released on vinyl.

“The track that flipped it for me as a kid was ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’” says Jah Wobble. “I didn’t have the language for what was going on in that song — I just knew it was more than music. The words you’d reach for are the ones people use about psychedelia: ego dissolution, a sense of unity, cosmic connection. I consider dub music to fit into the psychedelia genre, and John T grew up listening to dub, so Mystic Liverpool was always going to have that sensibility.”

The album moves through The Beatles’ psychedelic-era songbook with Chinese instrumentation and dub-inflected mixing, treating the material as the genuinely mystical music it always was rather than as nostalgic covers. As listeners will be pleased to discover, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Magical Mystery Tour" are particular touchstones.

On August 14th, the 'Mystic Liverpool' album will be released as a CD Digipack and digitally via Cherry Red Records. It is now available for pre-order. Jah Wobble is touring the UK throughout 2026 with The Invaders Of The Heart - tickets are available at https://jahwobble.com/#live

HOWARD JONES CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF BEST-SELLING ALBUM, LIMITED EDITION DOUBLE VINYL OF NEW WAVE ICON HOWARD JONES’ “DREAM INTO ACTION”

July 27, 2025

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of new wave icon Howard Jones’ best-selling album, DREAM INTO ACTION, Cherry Red Records is set to release a limited edition orange-colored double vinyl on August 22nd. Dubbed “Farmyard Sessions,” the 20 track double LP contains 16 tracks that were previously only available on the bonus CD of 2018’s sold-out DREAM INTO ACTION Superdeluxe box set. These tracks were recorded at Farmyard Studios in the UK and have not been made available since 2018. An additional four tracks include special mixes and versions. The artwork contains previously unseen images from the original DREAM INTO ACTION photo shoot with Simon Fowler. Please see below for the double vinyl track listing. Please click here to pre-order;

Howard Jones’ groundbreaking 1985 album, DREAM INTO ACTION, peaked at #2 in the UK charts and cracked the US Top 10. It went on to spawn global hit singles, “Things Can Only Get Better” (which experienced a resurgence after being featured on an episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things) and “No One is to Blame” as well as “Life in One Day” and “Like to Get to Know You Well”.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of DREAM INTO ACTION, Howard Jones will soon embark on a global tour. The tour kicks off in the United States in September and will feature support from alternative pop favorites, Haircut 100 with SiriusXM First Wave DJ Richard Blade opening the show with his world-renowned DJ set (line-up for the United States only). The United States tour dates kick off at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Tuesday, September 2nd. Please see below for the global itinerary to date.

1985 was also the year Jones performed at Live Aid, Wembley Stadium, alongside such legendary acts as David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Phil Collins. Earlier that same year in February, Jonesperformed live, keytar in hand, at the Grammy Awards from L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium with Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and Thomas Dolby as part of the “Synthesizer Showdown,” performing a medley of their hits.

Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones has been a constant presence on the international touring scene for the past four decades, playing live in a number of different configurations including intimate solo shows and dates with his full high-tech band set-up. He first burst upon the contemporary music scene in 1983, with his very English songwriting and pioneering synthesizers with “New Song”. His first two albums HUMAN’S LIB and DREAM INTO ACTION were worldwide hits. HUMAN’S LIB reached #1 in 1984 in the UK and featured the hits “New Song,” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, Jones released the follow-up, DREAM INTO ACTION, which quickly became a Top Ten Platinum album in the United States and featured the smashes: “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One Is To Blame,” and “Like To Get To Know You Well.”

Howard Jones has sold upwards of 10 million albums worldwide and continues to make new music and tour the world. Jones has performed on NBC’s top-rated morning and nighttime shows respectively, Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. His ubiquitous hits can be heard in such high-profile television series and films such as “Stranger Things,” “Breaking Bad,” “Watchmen,” “The Carrie Diaries”, “Superstore” and “Bumblebee”. Howard Jones’ most recent studio album is DIALOGUE, which was released in September, 2022. DIALOGUE is the third album in a trilogy of electronic releases from Jones with multi-media project ENGAGE coming out in 2015 and studio album TRANSFORM out in 2019. DIALOGUE garnered serious coverage in outlets such as Spin, Stereogum and more.

Howard Jones and Haircut 100 with Richard Blade 2025 American tour dates:

SEPTEMBER

2 Nashville, TN

3 Atlanta, GA

5 Fort Lauderdale, FL

6 St. Petersburg, FL

7 Charleston, SC

8 Durham, NC

10 New Brunswick, NJ

12 Des Plaines, IL

13 Kansas City, MO

16 Tucson, AZ

18 Anaheim, CA

19 Las Vegas, NV

20 Del Mar, CA

22 South Jordan, UT

Ryman Auditorium

Symphony Hall

The Parker

Mahaffey Theater

Charleston Music Hall

Carolina Theatre

State Theatre New Jersey

Rivers Casino

Star Pavilion at Ameristar Casino Hotel

Rialto Theatre

House Of Blues

The Sound

The Ballpark at America First Square

To experience Howard Jones, please visit:

www.howardjones.com