LEADER David Thomas coined the term avant-garage to reflect his band’s experimental music and like so many artsy acts, Pere Ubu was only meant to be around for a couple of singles. But 35 years later the band is still going strong with Lady From Shanghai, the sort of staple only found on Stuart Maconie’s Freakier Zone.
It’s supposedly a kind of musical Chinese whispers, where members recorded in isolation and unrehearsed. The result is Pere Ubu’s trademark distorted and manipulated bizarreness. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Thomas calls this dance music, which at a pinch, Lampshade Man or And Then Nothing Happened could be.
But this album is a car crash waiting to happen; the miracle is that Thomas keeps his vehicle of careering structures on the road for a freeform ride into the weird and wonderful. Like diving from the top board, Lady From Shanghai requires a leap of faith. And, as you plunge headfirst into the maelstrom, it’s equally exhilarating.
• Pere Ubu play York Fibbers on April 16
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