David Thomas

David Thomas, the founder of influential underground rock band Pere Ubu, died April 23, 2025, after a long illness in Brighton and Hove, England at the age of 71.

Thomas formed his definitive band, Pere Ubu, in 1975, long before the college rock and alternative music scenes he influenced existed. An often-experimental band he described as "avant-garage," Pere Ubu created music that was often dark, moody, abstract and challenging, evolving over the course of many years. Their 1978 debut, "The Modern Dance," set the stage for a career that included 19 albums through 2023, none of which broke through to the mainstream but many of which influenced the music that would come to take over the airwaves in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Other records include 1978's "Dub Housing" and 1980's "The Art of Walking." When not writing, recording, and playing with Pere Ubu – he was the band's only consistent member – Thomas released music under his own name, as well as with bands such as the Pedestrians, the Wooden Birds, Two Pale Boys, and others.

Musician and producer Jurgen Engler said on Facebook, "When I saw David Thomas hitting an anvil with a hammer to the beat of Pere Ubu's Art Punk attack in Düsseldorf's Ratinger Hof in 1978, I knew this would be my future. He was a massive influence, and combined with Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music this moment in time laid the groundwork for Die Krupps Stahlwerksynfonie and far beyond. It's sad to know he is gone."

By Eric San Juan

(Image: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)