POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Only Pere Ubu Singer Didn’t Seem to Enjoy the Show : He calls L.A. appearance “two steps short of a disaster.” Quirky rock group shifts to Bogart’s in Long Beach tonight.

At the end of Pere Ubu’s show at the Roxy Thursday, singer David Thomas informed the audience: “From our point of view, this has been two steps short of a disaster.” That probably came as news to most of the crowd, who had seemed to enjoy the veteran Cleveland band’s accessible but still quirky brand of pop-rock.

But, continued the rotund Thomas, who brings the group to Bogart’s in Long Beach tonight, “this isn’t how rock ‘n’ roll’s supposed to be.” Then, when the crowd wouldn’t keep quiet, he (perhaps overreacting) abandoned his lecture in exasperation. “Let’s get out of here,” he said to the band, kicking off the final encore.

It would have been enlightening to know the reasons for his dismay. Earlier, the beret-wearing singer--he resembled Ralph Kramden impersonating a French painter--had engaged in some verbal scraps with a fan at ringside and had fumed about sound problems. But the music itself, mainly from the new “Worlds in Collision” album, was rich, forceful and often surprising.

Still, there was a definite flatness and lack of spark, not so much in the playing as in the overall atmosphere, the connection between band and listeners. Ever since Pere Ubu emerged as an underground force in the late ‘70s with its art/punk/industrial fusion, Thomas and company have crusaded against cliche and complacency, and a set that might have satisfied most pro groups still could fall short of their ideal. Thomas’ final words--”I’m sorry we couldn’t be friends”--might have told the story.

Pere Ubu plays tonight at 10 at Bogart’s in the Marina Pacifica Mall, 6288 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach. Tickets: $12.50. Information: (213) 594-8975.