Pere Ubu ignites blast from the past with tour kickoff
Five reasons to see avant-garde rockers Pere Ubu, which kicks off a West Coast tour Friday at The Cobalt.
1 It’s Pere Ubu!
Post-punk before there even was such a thing as punk, the Cleveland band has been thrilling and confounding listeners since the mid’70s with an artfully tense blend of garage rock and avant-garde expressionism.
2 David Thomas
Pere Ubu’s charismatic singer is one of rock music’s foremost intellectuals (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms), although it should be noted that some might find his voice and vocal stylings to be, like sour beer, an acquired taste.
3 Rock history
It’s unlikely the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be knocking down the band’s door any time soon. But besides its own impressive discography and reputation, Pere Ubu has at one time or another included musicians that have played with Frank Black, Richard Thompson, They Might Be Giants, The Feelies, Bob Mould and more. The current lineup includes Thomas and three members — Michele Temple, Robert Wheeler, Steve Mehlman — who have been with band since the ’90s.
4 Early days
The upcoming Co-Ed Jail! West Coast Tour 2016, which kicks off in Vancouver, will see the band concentrating on vintage Ubu, specifically material from two box sets collecting early material: Elitism For The People 1975-1978 and Architecture Of Language 1979-1982. So you’re more likely to hear Drinking Wine Spodyody, off the band’s classic 1978 second album Dub Housing, than the as-commercial-as-PereUbu-gets Waiting for Mary (the video was on MTV!)
5 The Cobalt
This is a rare chance to see a legendary band in a small venue. And the opener looks good, too — Obnox, a fuzzed-out, psyche-rock solo project from Cleveland musician Lamont Thomas.