David Thomas, frontman of experimental rockers Pere Ubu, dead at 71

David Thomas, the live-wire frontman for experimental rockers Pere Ubu, has died. He was 71.

The set posted quality of Thomas’ decease connected its authoritative Facebook page, wherever the origin of decease was fixed arsenic “a agelong illness.”

Thomas “died successful his location municipality of Brighton & Hove, with his woman and youngest stepdaughter by his side,” the connection continued. “MC5 were playing connected the radio. He volition yet beryllium returned to his home, the workplace successful Pennsylvania, wherever helium insisted helium was to beryllium ‘thrown successful the barn.’”

Thomas, calved successful Miami, was a pivotal fig successful Cleveland’s experimental stone underground (a country that would spell connected output the Dead Boys, Devo and Nine Inch Nails). Thomas archetypal came to prominence successful the radical Rocket From the Tombs, which, contempt ne'er signaling an album, became an influential enactment locally successful its little tenure. Known for his near-falsetto precocious dependable and contrarian fondness for professorial suits onstage, Thomas chopped arsenic chiseled a fig onstage arsenic his euphony did connected record.

David Thomas, center, with Pere Ubu astatine Vaartkapoen, Brussels, successful 1993.

(Gie Knaeps / Getty Images)

Several Rocket From the Tombs members divided disconnected to signifier Pere Ubu — named aft a play by French writer Alfred Jarry — successful 1975. The set was wildly progressive for its epoch (and continues to dependable bracing today), forgoing the sneering blasts of the simmering punk question for arty dissonance, paired with ponderous rhythms, affection for B-movie soundtracks and Thomas’ idiosyncratic, sung-spoken literate allusions and bruised poetry.

The group’s 1978 LP, “The Modern Dance,” was a landmark of post-punk and caller question ambition that arrived conscionable arsenic punk itself crested successful the U.S. While ne'er a commercialized occurrence during its archetypal tally from 1975 to 1982, Pere Ubu would animate generations of experimental rockers and producers, and re-formed implicit the years with a revolving lineup astir Thomas. The radical recorded 19 workplace albums, including its highly regarded 1978 LP, “Dub Housing,” and 1979’s “New Picnic Time,” a stressful and abrasive grounds that helped animate acts similar Sonic Youth.

Thomas’ solo vocation included collaborations with singer-songwriter Richard Thompson and “Saturday Night Live” euphony shaper Hal Willner.

New Pere Ubu euphony whitethorn travel posthumously. “David Thomas and his set person been signaling a caller album. He knew it was to beryllium his last,” Pere Ubu wrote connected Facebook. “We volition endeavour to proceed with mixing and finalising the caller medium truthful that his past euphony is disposable to all. ... His autobiography was astir completed and we volition decorativeness that for him.

“We’ll permission you with his ain words, which sums up who helium was amended than we can,” the band’s connection continued. “‘My sanction is David F— Thomas … and I’m the pb vocalist of the champion f— stone n rotation set successful the world.’”