Pere Ubu is a rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1975. Despite a variety of long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant. Describing their sound as "avant-garage," Pere Ubu's work drew on diverse sources such as rock music, musique concrète, performance art, and the derelict industrial environments of the American midwest. The group's name is a reference to Ubu Roi, an avant-garde play by French writer Alfred Jarry. They are usually categorized as "underground rock", having rarely achieved commercial success.