PIERCING vocals dominate the room as a Chinese lady, clad in traditional gown, stands solo on stage.
It's John Wardle's – aka Jah Wobble's – Chinese Dub tour, in which the former Public Image Ltd bassist showcases China's cultural heritage alongside his deep, rolling dub.
The fusion of dub with traditional Chinese art, music and costume – while
incongruous on the surface, works rather well.
Wardle's Chinese Dub combines Chinese harp (played by his wife, Zi Lan Liao), rumbling dub bass, spacious guitar, the bamboo flute, Tibetan singing and reggae style-drumming.
It's a vast, multi-layered soundscape in which deep dub complements the delicate tones of the Chinese harp.
Soon, Jah Wobble rejoins the stage to play Flying Dragon Dancing – an instrumental number whereby the Chinese harp and flute provide a floating melody punctuated by dub-style bass and drums.
Clea Rose steps up to do vocals on a dubbed-up version of Dawn Penn's reggae classic You Don' Love Me (No No No). With no brass section, tonight's version seems to have a huge void but this is made up for with deeper bass and psychedelic-style guitar.
But the highlight of the show is the Mask Change – a 300-year Chinese tradition whereby dancers, donning bright, bold Chinese gowns, dance about wearing masks and carrying torches.
Dancers move their head in a particular way to change the mask's appearance. But how the mask changes remains a folk secret – it's mesmerising and enchanting.
