POP MUSIC REVIEW : Ubu Reaffirms Its Uniqueness

Long before a certain footwear manufacturer was taking credit for letting “U.B.U.,” Cleveland’s Pere Ubu was setting the example by B.-ing a one-of-a-kind entry on the rock landscape. So the question of whether the group fits in any better today than it did when it started in pre-punk 1975 kind of misses the point. Which is--as the reformed band reaffirmed late Wednesday (actually, early Thursday) at Club Lingerie--that fitting in doesn’t matter one whit.

Serving more-or-less as the theme for the show was a brand-new, as-yet-unrecorded song titled “Bus of Happiness”--a good description for the mood of the club Wednesday. And if the Lingerie was a jolly bus, Ubu front man David Thomas was its Ralph Cramden-like driver, performing with the corpulent grace of Jackie Gleason. Using the same kind of body English and flippant hand gestures as the Great One, Thomas emphasized the whimsy in the sometimes jagged, sometimes sweet lyrical and musical twists of what was predominantly a set of Happy Music.

This was the first local appearance of Ubu following a 6-year hiatus, with Thomas joined in the new lineup by three fellow Ubu originals and two new members. Like most reunion shows by legendary outfits, this one featured some classic “hits” (the oft-covered “Non-Alignment Pact” and “Final Solution”) plus some highlights from its latest album, “The Tenement Year” (as dynamic a recording as the group ever made).

Surprisingly, though, a large part of the show consisted of completely new material--to the delight of the reverential crowd, which greeted the new songs like old friends. And you know what? In the end Pere Ubu seemed no less relevant than Cleveland’s latest musical export: Tracy Chapman.