Pere Ubu / Variety Lights @ Mono, 17 April

Seminal is an overused word, but it can be fairly applied to both Pere Ubu and the earlier work of Variety Lights’ David Baker: as the original frontman on Mercury Rev’s first two LPs, he established trajectories in early 90s avant/psych rock that eventually lead to successors like Animal Collective. Following two decades out of the spotlight, he returned last year with Variety Lights’ debut LP, Central Flow.

The new songs have a dazed, tentative quality: while their blend of grinding basslines, piercing feedback, and woozy keyboards loses some of its subtlety in the live context, Baker remains an intense stage presence. David Thomas, similarly, has lost none of his acerbic charm since Pere Ubu burst onto the post-punk scene almost four decades ago; and the band’s wilfully disjointed take on garage still retains its spiky irreverence.

The set ranges over material from this year’s Lady From Shanghai LP and their back catalogue, joining dots between different phases. On classics like The Modern Dance, Thomas now tends to growl more than yelp; that aside, the consistency of Pere Ubu’s sound over the years is remarkable. It’s testament to the complexity of their original vision that they’re still developing its possibilities. [Sam Wiseman]