R.I.P. David Thomas

4/28/2025

R.I.P. David Thomas

Not that I want this site to become an obituary feed, but it has been 50 years since the punk and post- punk era began…

[Ed, Note- rex was inundated with suggestions/ comments that he should post about the passing of POGUES 🇮🇪 frontman SHANE McGOWAN last year. It didn’t happen because rex was not a fan.]

And so it is with sadness we note the passing of an original.

DAVID THOMAS, had a conventional name but was an indie original. He was the only original and constant member of the cutting- edge outfit PERE UBU 🇺🇸 from Cleveland, Ohio. He passed this week in the UK at the age of 71. (Thanks to group member Peter who first notified me.)

Perhaps PERE UBU are the quintessential “underground” band.

Here are links from NPR and NME that tell the story…

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/24/g-s1-62547/david-thomas-pere-ubu-obituary

https://www.nme.com/news/music/pere-ubus-david-thomas-dies-aged-71-3857769

Here is one of my early fave UBU tracks to confound, confuse and hopefully make you want to check out this incredible outfit.

“Non- Alignment Pact” is from their debut 1975 LP “The Modern Dance”