One of the pioneers of the American punk movement, Rocket from the Tombs was David Thomas' first band, before forming Pere Ubu. A first, short-lived incarnation saw the light of day in June 1974 in a Cleveland (Ohio) club, before quickly disbanding to form Pere Ubu with Peter Laughner, while Johnny Blitz and Cheethah Chrome reunited in Dead Boys. All that remains of this period is a pirate cassette. His reputation and influence established, David Thomas revived RFTT with Craig Bell, Cheetah Chrome and Richard Lloyd (Television). The project, which he pursues in tandem with Pere Ubu, records the albums The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs (2002), Rocket Redux (2004), Barfly (2011) and Black Record (2015), as well as several others in public, before disappearing two years later. On April 23, 2025, David Thomas died at the age of 71.
