Pere Ubu | |
|---|---|
 Pere Ubu performing in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1975–1982, 1987–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Keith Moliné Michele Temple Alex Ward Steve Mehlman Andy Diagram Jack Jones |
| Past members | David Thomas Scott Krauss Allen Ravenstine Tom Herman Tim Wright Peter Laughner Dave Taylor Alan Greenblatt Tony Maimone Anton Fier Mayo Thompson Jim Jones Chris Cutler Eric Drew Feldman Garo Yellin Paul Hamann Scott Benedict Wayne Kramer Darryl Boon David Cintron Gary Siperko Kristoph Hahn Robert Wheeler P.O. Jørgens Gagarin |
| Website | ubuprojex |
Pere Ubu is an Americanrock band formed inCleveland,Ohio, in September 1975. The band had a variety of lineup changes, with singer and songwriterDavid Thomas remaining the sole constant. In December 1975, they released their debut single30 Seconds Over Tokyo, and later their debut albumThe Modern Dance in 1978. After several more releases they disbanded in 1982, only to reform in 1987. Thomas remained active, recording and touring until his death on April 23, 2025.
Their work drew inspiration fromavant-garde music,garage rock,musique concrète,performance art, and theRust Belt of the AmericanMidwest.[7][8][9] Despite their association with theart punk andpost-punk scene, Thomas rejected thepunk rock label; he described the band as "avant-garage" and "just a rock band".[10][11]
Their single "Waiting for Mary" peaked at number 6 on theModern Rock Tracks chart on June 17, 1989. The music video was played onMTV.[12] Pere Ubu have been cited as an influence by artists such asJoy Division,Pixies,Hüsker Dü,the Breeders,Henry Rollins,Guided by Voices,R.E.M.,Sisters of Mercy,Thomas Dolby,Julian Cope,Six Finger Satellite,Mission of Burma andPeter Murphy.
After the short-livedCleveland-based bandRocket from the Tombs disbanded in mid-1975, its members pursued separate projects. GuitaristCheetah Chrome joined theDead Boys, while other members joined the Saucers. Lead singerDavid Thomas and guitaristPeter Laughner formed a new band in September 1975 for the sole purpose of releasing one single,[13][14] recruiting guitarist Tom Herman, bass guitaristTim Wright, drummer Scott Krauss, and synthesistAllen Ravenstine. They named it after Père Ubu, the main character inUbu Roi, the 1896 Frenchavant-garde play by writerAlfred Jarry.[1]
The band lived in Ravenstine'sPlaza Apartments, a five-story building at 3206 Prospect Avenue inDowntown Cleveland; it was home to other artists as well.[15][16]
Pere Ubu drew influences fromproto-punk and mid-1960sgarage rock likethe Velvet Underground,the Stooges andMC5;[17] pop such asthe Beach Boys andVan Dyke Parks;[18] electronic artistsSilver Apples[19] andBeaver & Krause;[20]krautrock bandsCan andNeu!;[20] andCaptain Beefheart.[21][22][1]
In December 1975, the band released their first single,30 Seconds Over Tokyo, inspired by theDoolittle Raid and named afterthe film of the same name. The B-side was "Heart of Darkness," inspired byJoseph Conrad's1899 novella. The single was initially supposed to be the band's only release. David Thomas said:[23]
Rocket From the Tombs ended very badly in the summer of ’75. I wasn’t going to mess with a band anymore – I just wanted to leave something behind. My ambition was to have a record in one of thoseSalvation Army record bins which somebody could come across in ten years’ time and say: ‘Wow, there was this band in 1975 in Cleveland…
The band first performed live on December 31, 1975.[13] On March 18, 1976, they released "Final Solution" backed with "Cloud 149."[24] Guitarist Peter Laughner, who had been suffering with substance abuse, left the group shortly after the release of the single. He would die ofacute pancreatitis on June 22, 1977.[24]
"Street Waves" backed with "My Dark Ages (I Don't Get Around)" was released as a single on October 12, 1976.Mercury Records A&R manCliff Burnstein came across the single in a record store, and persuaded the band to sign to Blank Records, a short-lived imprint of Mercury he was developing. Bassist Tim Wright left the band to joinDNA;Tony Maimone was recruited as a replacement.[24][25] On November 26, 1977, music journalistJon Savage coined the term "post-punk" in an issue ofSounds, to describe Ohio bands such asDevo and Pere Ubu, alongside a variety of British groups.[26]
Pere Ubu's debut albumThe Modern Dance was released in February 1978. The record featured a song byPeter Laughner and was recorded over several months between the band's earlyHearpen singles. Most of the songs were written before work on the album began.[27][32] The album sold poorly upon release, but was critically acclaimed and became influential in the earlyunderground andalternative rock scene.[24][33][34]
By late 1978, the band began recording their second album,Dub Housing, the title being inspired by a block of identicalrow houses inBaltimore. The album was recorded with the intention of creating a set of interconnected tracks that worked together as a cohesive whole.[35][36]Dub Housing was released on November 17, 1978, throughChrysalis Records; it was ranked the thirteenth best album of 1978 bySounds and later eighth by theNME.[35][37][38]
On September 19, 1979, Pere Ubu releasedNew Picnic Time. Guitarist Tom Herman subsequently quit and the group briefly disbanded. It soon reformed with guitaristMayo Thompson ofRed Krayola who had previously toured with the band in England in 1978.[39][24][40]
The Art of Walking (1980) featured Thompson on guitar and reportedly sold better than any other Pere Ubu release up to that point, though it still wasn't a massive success.[41] According to David Thomas, the record was conceived to be "defined by the thing that's not there".[42][41][43] The title came about after someone had criticized the band for writing too many songs about driving.[43] A performance of the song "Birdies" was featured in the 1982 filmUrgh! A Music War.[24] For their follow up,Song of the Bailing Man (1982), Krauss was replaced byAnton Fier.[24] The album's production was reportedly chaotic and led to the group disbanding again soon afterwards.[39] Krauss and Maimone formed Home and Garden,[24] while Thomas worked on a solo career, notably withRichard Thompson and with members ofHenry Cow.[44]
By the late 1980s, one of Thomas' solo projects eventually featured much of Pere Ubu, which led to the band reforming again in 1987, withJim Jones andChris Cutler joining for the release ofThe Tenement Year (1988), which was a morepop-oriented album.[24] The following year, "Waiting for Mary" (offCloudland) appeared onMTV briefly. After the recording ofCloudland, Ravenstine left the group[24] (although he made a guest appearance onWorlds in Collision) and later became an airline pilot.Eric Drew Feldman joined the band in time for the Cloudland tour and the recording ofWorlds in Collision,[24] but left afterwards, joiningFrank Black.
In 1993,Story of My Life was released. Maimone left (once again) to joinThey Might Be Giants, and Michele Temple and Garo Yellin joined the band for theStory of My Life tour and feature on Ubu's 1995 album,Ray Gun Suitcase. Robert Wheeler has playedsynthesizer andtheremin with Pere Ubu since 1994. Krauss left the band during theRay Gun Suitcase sessions. For theRay Gun Suitcase tour, guitarist Jim Jones departed as atouring member (although he continued to contribute to recordings), founding guitarist Tom Herman replaced him for the tour.
Concurrent with the 1996 release of theDatapanik in Year Zero box set, Jim Jones retired due to health problems. Tom Herman returned to the band after a twenty-year absence to tour with the band in 1995, and went on to recordPennsylvania (1998), which also featured guitar contributions from Jim Jones. GuitaristWayne Kramer ofMC5 fame joined the band for their 1998 summer tour.[45]
While much of 2000 was given over to live performances by Thomas's side projects - David Thomas and Two Pale Boys (Andy Diagram andKeith Moliné) and The Pale Orchestra - Pere Ubu played a gig bannered '55 Years of Pain' in June at the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside15-60-75. The band then teamed up in September 2000 with special guestWayne Kramer for another performance of '55 Years of Pain'. This time at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London.[46]
Although Pere Ubu took a break from touring in 2001, they worked on material for a new album. Thomas also devoted himself for much of the year to live performance. This included his theatrical project 'Mirror Man (A Geography of Sound in Two Acts)' as well as an extensive David Thomas and Two Pale Boys European and US tour. In February, The trio were also asked to support Goth band the Sisters of Mercy at five concerts in England. Founding memberAndrew Eldritch had long cited Pere Ubu and David Thomas as a key musical influence.Speaking in 2016,[47] Eldritch said: "I remember seeing the best gig I ever saw in my life which was Pere Ubu supported by the Human League on the tiny stage of the F Club in Leeds [December 7, 1978]."[48]
2002 saw the first official release of pre-Ubu group Rocket From the Tombs' recordings from 1974. While bootlegs of varying quality had long circulatedThe Day The Earth Met The Rocket From the Tombs' drew on original rehearsal and concert masters, and was released by Smog Veil Records in February. The Pere Ubu albumSt. Arkansas followed in May on Glitterhouse Records with David Thomas, Tom Herman, Robert Wheeler, Michele Temple and Steve Mehlman comprising the band, plus Jim Jones again contributing guitar parts. In September 2002, the band undertook the 11-date “Mighty Road Tour” in the U.S. and Canada, after which Tom Herman left again and was replaced byKeith Moliné of Two Pale Boys. In October, Thomas and Moliné were joined by Robert Wheeler, Michele Temple andChris Cutler to score a live soundtrack for a 3-D screening ofIt Came from Outer Space at London’s Royal Festival Hall.[49] This performance direction reflected a formative influence on Pere Ubu and Thomas's long-held affection for B-Movies.[50]
Pere Ubu's 'Mighty Road' tour resumed in February 2003 with 10 dates in the US. 2003 was also notable for performances in the summer and winter across the US and Canada by a revivedRocket From The Tombs.[51] The band comprised David Thomas,Cheetah Chrome, Craig Bell,Richard Lloyd and Steve Mehlman. Of the 33 dates, one at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland was a benefit for an increasingly ill Jim Jones. Richard Lloyd recorded and engineered live in the studio performances of the original Rockets' songs. Originally, 'Rocket Redux' was sold as gig-only merchandise until it was commercially released the following year by Smog Veil Records.[52]
Live film accompaniment came to the fore again for Pere Ubu in 2004. Firstly, the group premiered its underscore toRoger Corman'sX, the Man With X-Ray Eyes at the 'Celebrate Brooklyn' festival on 22 July.[53] The winter of that year also saw a UK tour that revived the band's live underscoring of 'It Came from Outer Space'. American music producerHal Willner also invited David Thomas to join two shows. The first took place on April 1 in Los Angeles, 'Let's Eat - Feasting onThe Firesign Theatre', a celebration of the anarchic comedy outfit of that name. The cast includedGeorge Wendt,John Goodman,Todd Rundgren,Chloe Webb andLoudon Wainwright among others.[54]
Just over three weeks later Thomas, partnered by the Paleboys, joinedHal Willner's tribute to directorFederico Fellini and composerNino Rota. 'Perfect Partners[55]' took place at London's Barbican Theatre and the production also featuredCarla Bley,Roy Nathanson,Roger Eno,Kate St John,Beth Orton andGeri Allen. 2004 also saw Pere Ubu supportSpiritualized at London's Royal Festival Hall on 1 August,Rocket From The Tombs played Kassel in Germany on 25 September and David Thomas and Two Pale Boys performed extensively in Europe and America with the release in April of18 Monkeys On A Dead Man's Chest (Smog Veil Records and Glitterhouse Records).
During 2005, Pere Ubu toured a show dubbed 'Live Free or Diet', as well as other concerts across America and Europe. Additionally, the band performed their live underscore to screenings ofRoger Corman's 'X, the Man With X-Ray Eyes: April 9 at the Byrd Theatre, Richmond Virginia; August 12 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Massachusetts and November 5 at the Regent Square Theater in Pittsburgh.
2005 also saw David Thomas joinWayne Kramer and the newly monikeredDKT-MC5[56] as well as theSun Ra Arkestra on 25 February at the Royal Festival Hall London. WhenPatti Smith organised the 'Meltdown Festival' in June at the Royal Festival Hall, London she invited Thomas to take part. He sang, with accompaniment from theLondon Sinfonietta,Bertolt Brecht andKurt Weill's 'Alabama Song'. And, as was now becoming customary when the band was not on the road, Pere Ubu guitaristKeith Moliné joined David Thomas with trumpeter Andy Diagram for a series of improvisational gigs across Europe.
From May until the end of 2006 Pere Ubu gigged in Europe and America. On October 29 at the Royce Hall, Los Angeles, the group delivered a double bill consisting of that year's concert set and their live underscore to a screening ofRoger Corman's 'X, the Man With X-Ray Eyes.[54] There was also a nine date r in the summer and Fall.[57]
On 19 September 2006 Pere Ubu releasedWhy I Hate Women on Smog Veil Records. The band was Thomas, Moliné, Wheeler, Temple and Mehlan with contributions fromRobert and Jack Kidney,Rodolphe Burger andAndy Diagram. Thomas had teamed up with Burger earlier in the summer for four dates in France. In October, Smog Veil Records and Glitterhouse Records issuedWhy I Remix Women a set of band reworkings of the original tracks by Thomas, Moliné and Temple. Gagarin, an electronica instrumentalist and drummer for Nico during the 1980s, had worked for several years as live sound man for Pere Ubu as well as providing occasional on-stage contributions . His remix of 'Blue Velvet' was included on the album.
In the spring of 2007, Pere Ubu hit the road once more, with six dates in America, 20 in Europe and followed in the Fall with four shows in the US and Canada.[58] Work also started in 2007 on adapting, for performance,Alfred Jarry's 'Ubu Roi', the play that had inspired the band's name.
In December 2007, the download site Hearpen.com was launched providing live recordings and hard-to-source material by Pere Ubu and related acts.
During February and March 2008 Pere Ubu toured Europe and America. This included two live underscorings ofRoger Corman's 'X, the Man With X-Ray Eyes: March 24 at the Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte, North Carolina and March 25 at the Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgia.[59]
On February 18, 2008,Jim Jones, former guitarist, associate of the band from its earliest days and US manager for many years of the group's online store, died at his Cleveland residence.[60]
On April 24, 2008, the Ether festival at London'sSouth Bank Centre hosted the world premiere ofBring Me The Head of Ubu Roi.[61] This adaptation byDavid Thomas ofAlfred Jarry's playUbu Roi was accompanied by animations by theBrothers Quay. The production featuredDavid Thomas as Pere Ubu andSarah Jane Morris as Mere Ubu with the rest of the band playing various roles.[62]
Back in 2006 musical producerHal Willner had gathered together a host of musicians and actors for a double CDRogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys. In the summer of 2008, Willner brought a three date live show of the work to the UK and Ireland. David Thomas who had contributed versions of 'Dan Dan' and 'The Drunken Sailor' to the album joined the cast along with Pere Ubu guitarist Keith Moliné for all performances.
In 2009,Bring Me The Head of Ubu Roi was staged once again; this time at the Animator Festival, Poznań, Poland on July 11. The band's new album,Long Live Père Ubu!, released September 14 on Cooking Vinyl Records with the American release issued on Hearpen Records. The disc reprised the Ubu Roi story.Sarah Jane Morris guested on the disc as did Ubu's sound man Gagarin. The rest of the band comprised: Thomas, Moliné, Wheeler, Temple and Mehlman. During the Fall and winter the group toured extensively in Europe including material from the new album.
From February 2010, the band continued to tour the new album in the United Kingdom under the banner 'Long Live Père Ubu! - The Spectacle'. The concert show also had its American première on 28 March in New York. The band also performed debut albumThe Modern Dance in its entirety, firstly, at the Cleveland Beachland Ballroom, March 5 then on March 24 at Chicago's Lincoln Hall.
David Thomas once more joined the cast ofHal Willner's live showRogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys. Thomas followed that show at the Sydney Opera House, Australia on January 28 with a concert of Pere Ubu songs, again in Sydney, on January 31 where he was backed by local band The Holy Soul. Thomas also revived his spoken word set 'the Ghost Line Diaries', originally aired at the 14th Genoa International Poetry Festival, Genoa, Italy, on June 19, 2008. Three gigs took place: Copenhagen, Denmark on October 9; Boston, USA on October 23 and in Geneva, Switzerland on December 5.
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On March 19, 2011, Tom Herman, guitarist from the first Pere Ubu line up joined the band for a show at The Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland. The set included a full performance of 'The Modern Dance' album. Between March and August the group played a further 18 shows in Europe incorporatingThe Modern Dance in a number of them.[63] In April,David Thomas joined fellowRocket From the Tombs musicianCheetah Chrome for the 'Cleveland Confidential Book Tour': April 11, Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; and April 14, The Grammy Museum, Los Angeles. A newRocket from the Tombs album, 'Barfly' appeared in September on Fire Records and Smog Veil Records. The band was:David Thomas;Cheetah Chrome; Craig Bell;Richard Lloyd and Steve Mehlman and they played seven dates in the USA throughout December.[64]
2011 also marked the first live underscoring to a screening of 'Carnival of Souls', a horror film directed in 1962 byHerk Harvey. David Thomas and Two Pale Boys debuted the project at Cafe Oto, London on February 12, followed by further performances at Cinéma L'Univers, Lille, France (June 4) and theDuke of York's Picture House, Brighton, England (December 2).[65]
David Thomas and The Two Pale Boys were invited once more (as in February 2001) to support theSisters of Mercy, this time playing at the Goth band's 30th anniversary gig in their home town of Leeds, February 2011.[66]
While work started on a new Pere Ubu album in 2012 - tracks in progress appearing on the band's website 'Ubu Projex' throughout the year - there were no live performances by the band. A scheduled 16-dateRocket From the Tombs tour in May 2012 was disrupted when David Thomas fell ill. The first eight gigs in Europe were cancelled, six took place before Thomas became ill again resulting in the cancellation of the final two dates. However, the band played five gigs in America and Canada in October of that year.[67]
In 2012, Thomas published 'The Book of Hieroglyphs', in which he ruminated on America and the nature of being an American. The book drew on lyrics from Pere Ubu, The Two Pale Boys and other Thomas works, supplemented by a number of essays.[68]
The Pere Ubu long playerLady from Shanghai was released, January 7, 2013, on Fire Records. Its title referenced 'The Lady from Shanghai', a film noir made in 1947 byOrson Welles. The band comprised David Thomas; Keith Moliné; Michele Temple; Robert Wheeler; Steve Mehlman and Gagarin. Clarinettist Darryl Boon guested on the disc. A book, 'Chinese Whispers The Making of Pere Ubu's 'Lady from Shanghai', was published at the same time. This included an account of the creation of the album modelled on the parlour gameChinese Whispers.[69]
On February 17, 2013, Pere Ubu performed the 'Modern Dance' album in full at the 'I'll Be Your Mirror' festival[70] in Melbourne, Australia. A production of Bring Me The Head of Ubu Roi: Chamber Version' aired on March 8 in Lodz, Poland. This small cast version of the play featured Thomas, Gagarin, Malgosia Sady and Kiersty Boon.[71]
An 11-date Pere Ubu tour of England followed in April 2013. A further gig in London on June 16 launched a European tour in June and July. Then on July 13, as part of the East End Film Festival, the band once more performed their live underscore toCarnival of Souls. In September, Pere Ubu played 17 dates in America and Canada. Protracted discussions with the US Customs and Immigration Service had preceded the tour but visas were denied to Keith Moliné and Gagarin. David Cintron guitarist with a number of Cleveland bands including the Terminal Lovers took Moliné's place. However, at a number of the shows Gagarin performed by video link from his studio in London.[72]
Three dates followed in Europe during November before the band played several gigs in the UK and Ireland under the heading of the 'Visions of the Moon tour'. The set that featured some of the material that would appear on theCarnival of Souls album.[73]
Pere Ubu's first performance of 2014 was at the Sons d'hiver festival in Creteil, France on February 15. On September 8Carnival of Souls was released on Fire Records. The album had its musical roots in the live accompaniment that both Pere Ubu and David Thomas and Two Pale Boys had performed for a number of years to screenings of theHerk Harvey B-movie of that name. The band comprised: David Thomas; Keith Moliné; Michele Temple; Robert Wheeler; Steve Mehlman; Gagarin;and Darryl Boon. As with 'Lady From Shanghai', a book was published to coincide with the new album. 'Cogs The Making of Carnival Of Souls' contained essays by David Thomas, commentary from the musicians and album lyrics.[69]
On September 12, the Pere Ubu Fim Group (on this occasion Thomas, Keith Moliné, Gagarin and Darryl Boon) performed their live underscore toCarnival of Souls at the L'Étrange Festival, Forum des Images in Paris, France.[74]
The band embarked on a 13 date UK tour in November 2013 with support from the Pere Ubu Moon Unit (consisting of Thomas and other members of the main band). The 12th gig was an underscoring toRoger Corman's 'X, The Man With X Ray Eyes' at theCinecity Brighton Film Festival on November 23. Between November 27 and December 6 the group played nine dates across mainland Europe. In 2015, Fire Records issued a mini-album of the Moon Unit's November 21 performance in Leeds, England.
From late January 2015 until the end of February, the group continued touring in Europe with material fromCarnival of Souls with the Pere Ubu Moon Unit often providing support. Five dates in July in the UK were followed by a show at the New Horizons International Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland on July 26. On August 21 Fire Records issued a four disc remastered vinyl box set,Elitism For the People 1975-1978. This comprised the Hearpen singles,The Modern Dance,Dub Housing and a live recording from 1977, made in New York atMax's Kansas City. A newRocket from the Tombs discBlack Record appeared on November 21, again on Fire Records. The band was Thomas; Craig Bell; Gary Siperko; Buddy Akita; and Steve Mehlman with contributions from Akita's colleagues fromThis Moment In Black History: Lamont Thomas; Lawrence Caswell; and Chris Kulcsar.[75]
Rocket From The Tombs played eight American dates in December 2015 followed by a show at the State-X New Forms Festival in Den Haag, Netherlands. After two appearances in England the band returned to Europe performing in Diksmuide, Belgium and at the Festival Les Aventuriers, in Paris on December 16.[76]
On February 6, 2016, the Pere Ubu Film Unit delivered its live underscore once more toCarnival of Souls. This time, a dubbed in Spanish and colorized version of the film was screened at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló de la Plana, Spain. Fire Records' release on March 18 of the second archival box set -Architecture of Language 1979-1982 (vinyl remasters ofNew Picnic Time,The Art of Walking,Song of the Bailing Man andArchitectural Salvage a disc of live and alternate mixes) prompted a tour drawing on songs from 1975 to 1982. Tom Herman rejoined the touring band and selected the material for the set list.[77]
The Coed Jail! debuted on March 22, 2016, at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester, England. It ran for most of the year - there was a break in the Fall - 43 dates in total in Europe, Canada and America ending on December 10 in the Casbah, San Diego, California. The name reprised the set of gigs that Pere Ubu performed in February 1978 alongside theSuicide Commandos. Johnny Dromette[78] (John Thompson) record store manager, promoter, designer and housemate of Thomas, had coined the phrase for the game show set he had built over night in their living room. Dromette created the first posters for the band and designed theDatapanik in Year Zero ep cover He has often provided poster, tee-shirt and packaging design as well as video production work throughout Pere Ubu's career. His recollections of the time are shared in two interviews on Pere Ubu's own UbuDub[79] podcast series.
Splinter group Pere Ubu (Moon Unit) also made three appearances in 2016, one in London (Aug 25 with support from David Thomas and Two Pale Boys) and two in France (Nantes, August 27 and Brest, November 19).[80]
The final box sets in Fire Records' series of vinyl remasters appeared in the Spring of 2017.Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés 1987-1991, April 6, containedThe Tenement Year,Cloudland,Worlds In Collision andSongs From the Lost Album.Drive, He Said 1994-2002 followed on May 26. It comprisedRay Gun Suitcase,Pennsylvania,St. Arkansas andBack Roads, a disc of outtakes and alternate mixes.
Rocket From the Tombs played the Beachland Tavern, Cleveland on May 11, 2017, and the Ace Of Cups in Columbus, Ohio on May 13. Both Rocket From the Tombs and Pere Ubu performed at the Austin Jukebox, a regular multi band show event, in Austin Texas, on May 19 and 20 respectively.[81]
A repeat of the Coed Jail! set took place in Jarocin, Poland on July 15. The band on this occasion was: David Thomas; Gary Siperko; Robert Wheeler; Michele Temple; and Steve Mehlman. A recording of the concert would provide the bulk of the 2020 release, on Cherry Red Records,By Order of Mayor Pawlicki (Live in Jarocin). Pere Ubu (Moon Unit) played seven European dates in August and October.[82]
At the end of September, Pere Ubu released20 Years In A Montana Missile Silo on Cherry Red Records. The band was: David Thomas; Keith Molinè; Gary Siperko;Kristof Hahn (ofThe Swans); Darryl Boon; Robert Wheeler; Gagarin; Michele Temple; and Steve Mehlman. Welsh-Iranian artist Roshi Nasehi provided backing vocal to "I Can Still See".
The 'MonkeyNet Tour' in support of the new album, began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 8, 2017. Thirteen more US performances took place before David Thomas became seriously ill resulting in the cancellation of seven concerts on the West Coast of America.[83]
Marking their return to live performance in Spring 2018, Pere Ubu mounted the 'Grand Guignol' show atThe Borderline in London. A nine-piece band took to the stage on May 19: David Thomas; Keith Moliné; Gary Siperko; Robert Wheeler; Gagarin; Michele Temple; Steve Mehlman; Darryl Boon; and Kristof Hahn. For the rest of May and start of June a more regular-sized band played 12 dates across Europe. The 'MonkeyNet Tour' then resumed with shows in New York (August 17) and Providence, Rhode Island (Aug 18). Five dates followed in September in Italy and one appearance in Tel Aviv (September 15).[84]
Following the critical illness that had prematurely ended the original 'MonkeyNet' tour, Thomas initiated work, early in 2018, on a new Pere Ubu album. While still a work in progress by the end of the year, the plan was to include versions of three tracks at two Pere Ubu (Moon Unit) shows in December. As recounted in the sleeve notes that accompanyThe Long Goodbye, keyboardist Gagarin suggested, two days before the first gig, that the outfit perform the album in its entirety. The material aired on December 7 at the Music Hall in Ramsgate, England. The band comprised Thomas,Keith Moliné, Gagarin andChris Cutler. The group repeated the set the following evening at the Théâtre Municipal Berthelot in Montreuil on the outskirts of Paris, a performance eventually issued as a companion disc toThe Long Goodbye CD.[85]
A few days after the Montreuil gig, David Thomas fell seriously ill again, was hospitalized and began a period of extensive recovery in 2019. However,The Long Goodbye was completed and released, July 12, on Cherry Red Records. The band was: David Thomas;Keith Moliné; Gagarin; Robert Wheeler; Michele Temple; Darryl Boon; and P. O. Jørgens. Guitarist Gary Siperko also guested. Once more a book accompanied the new album.Baptized Into the Buzz contained information about the new album and the related 2017 record that Thomas had made with Danish percussionist P. O. Jørgens:Live Free or Die on Ninth World Music. There were lyrics to both releases, commentary from musicians and a short piece of family biography by Thomas.[86]
Pere Ubu touredThe Long Goodbye late in 2019. Seven dates, spread over September, October and November, that took in London, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. The band began 2020 with a performance at the Centro Conde Duque Arts in Madrid. The day before, January 15, David Thomas ran a workshop, 'How To Be A Singer', in partnership with the band's drummer Chris Cutler. However, further dates scheduled for 2020 were disrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic and ensuinglockdown. In response, in May The Avant Garage Fan Attic (Official) launched on subscription platform Patreon. The exclusive content includes Datapanik TV (DPKTV), a channel of live broadcasts hosted by David Thomas.[87]
On February 11, 2022, the group played a one-off performance called "Pere Ubu's Canterbury Tales" at The University of Kent's Gulbenkain Theater in Canterbury. The group's line-up for this was show included Thomas, Moliné, Gagarin, Cutler and new member Alex Ward on guitar and clarinet. David Thomas and The Two Pale Boys (Moliné, Gagarin, and Andy Diagram for this performance) played an opening set, as did Rats On Rafts, who performed a live cover of Pere Ubu’sVisions Of The Moon. The show was emceed by Bob Holman of the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City.[88]
A new vinyl remasters box set,Nuke The Whales: 2006-2014 was released by Fire on April 1, 2022. The box set, packaged in the same style as the previous box sets, featuresWhy I Hate Women (retitledWhy I Luv Women),Lady From Shanghai,Long Live Pere Ubu! andCarnival of Souls. All of the albums exceptLong Live Pere Ubu! were remixed by David Thomas in 2021, andWhy I Luv Women andLong Live Pere Ubu! make their vinyl debuts via this set.[89]
Trouble On Big Beat Street is the 19th Pere Ubu studio album released in 2023. The band was: David Thomas, Keith Moliné, Gagarin, Alex Ward, Andy Diagram, Michele Temple and Jack Jones. David Thomas produced, mixed, and engineered it. The album inspired by ‘Song Cycle’ of Van Dyke Parks.[90] The tracks on the album were played for the first time when the recordings took place. The vinyl release is ten tracks.The cd release includes all 17 tracks recorded during the sessions.[91]
Pere Ubu touredTrouble On Big Beat Street in June and July 2023 with four dates: Pisa (Italy), Los Angeles, New York and London.[92]
On April 23, 2025, David Thomas died following a lengthy illness. The cause was complications from kidney disease. The last Pere Ubu album and an autobiography will be published posthumously.[93][94]
Pere Ubu have been cited as an influence by artists such asJoy Division,Pixies,Hüsker Dü,Henry Rollins,Guided by Voices,R.E.M.,Sisters of Mercy,Thomas Dolby,Julian Cope,Six Finger Satellite,Mission of Burma andPeter Murphy (Bauhaus).[95][42][96]
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USModern Rock | UK | |||
| 1989 | "Waiting for Mary" | 6 | — | Cloudland |
| "Love Love Love" | — | 88 | ||
You have to remember we grew up listening to all that stuff on the radio. That was what was on the radio. All that stuff was hits. Very big influence on Pere Ubu along withVelvets,Stooges andMC5.
Wolff, Carlo (2006).Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers.ISBN 978-1-886228-99-3
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