Recently, we have shown that suspended metallic nanowires support Rydberg-like electron image states. Here, we investigate the possibility of tuning such 'tubular image states', formed around pairs of parallel nanowires, by electric and magnetic fields. In the presence of a magnetic field, directed along the nanowires, we observe the formation of 'Landau-like' image states, with simple elliptic-like orbits, that are highly detached from the surfaces of both nanowires. An additional electric field, induced by opposite charging of the two nanowires, spatially shifts these 'molecular' states to one of the wires, while strongly chaotic nodal patterns emerge. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.