Thomas Leer (born Thomas Wishart, 1953, Port Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish musician. He has released a number of albums and singles as a solo artist, and was also one half (the other being

Claudia Brücken Claudia Brücken (born 7 December 1963) is a German singer and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band Propaganda. In 1996, Brücken started working with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark co-founder Paul Humphre ...

) of the 1980s electropop band Act.

Biography

Born in Port Glasgow, Scotland, Leer played in several local experimental pop groups in the early to mid-1970s, moving to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

when the punk rock scene was at its height.Strong. Martin C. (2003) "Thomas Leer", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, He formed the punk band Pressure, but by 1978 had moved on to music influenced by synthpop and Krautrock bands such as Can. That year, he self-financed his debut single, "Private Plane". Although it was recorded in his own flat and was only issued in 650 copies on his own label, it gained significant attention, with ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' naming it "Single of the Week". (It was also included in the fantastic compilation album Business As Usual, on Cherry Red/CRI.) In 1979, he released the album ''The Bridge'' in collaboration with

Robert Rental Robert Donnachie (1952–2000), known under the stage name of Robert Rental, was a British pioneer of the post-punk DIY industrial electronic music scene in the United Kingdom. Biography Originally from Port Glasgow, Scotland, he moved to the so ...

. In 1981, he signed to Cherry Red, his first release for the label being the ''4 Movements'' EP. After two further releases on the label, he was signed by Arista Records, releasing three further singles and his debut full-length solo album, ''The Scale of Ten'' in late 1985. Two years later, he formed the duo Act along with ex- Propaganda singer

, signing to

ZTT Records ZTT Records is a British record label founded in 1983 by record producer Trevor Horn, Horn's wife and businesswoman Jill Sinclair, and ''New Musical Express'' (NME) journalist Paul Morley. The label's name was also stylised as ZANG TUMB TUUM and ...

. The duo released four singles (including the minor UK hit " Snobbery and Decay") and an album, ''

Laughter, Tears and Rage ''Laughter, Tears and Rage'' was the sole album produced by Act - the short musical collaboration between Thomas Leer and ex-Propaganda vocalist Claudia Brücken. Originally scheduled to be titled ''Name Dropping: Songs for Young Sinners'' it wa ...

'', before splitting up, with Brücken pursuing a solo career. Leer retired at this point, but returned in 2003 with a new album and in 2009 on the track "Tonight", from the

Stefano Panunzi Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...

album ''A Rose'' and continues to be musically active.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Bridge'' (1979), Industrial (with

) – UK Indie No. 9, reissued (1992), Mute/Grey Area * ''Contradictions'' (1982), Cherry Red – UK Indie No. 8, double 12-inch

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

* ''Letter from America'' (1982), Cherry Red/Cachalot – double 12-inch LP * ''The Scale of Ten'' (1985), Arista – reissued on CD in expanded form (2004), BMG * ''Conversation Peace'' (2003), Avatar * ''Parts of a Greater Hole'' (2004), Karvavena * ''From Sci-Fi to Barfly'' (2007), Future Historic – digital only release, CD release on Klanggalerie, 2015 * ''1982'' (2015), Future Historic – digital only release, previously unreleased material except for one track, CD release on Klanggalerie, 2018 * ''1991'' (2015), Future Historic – digital only release, previously unreleased material * ''1979'' (2016), Future Historic – digital only release, previously unreleased material, CD release on Klanggalerie/LP release on Dark Entries, both 2017 * ''Reaching Never Quite'' (2018), Future Historic - digital only release of new material * ''Emotional Hardware'' (2020), Smitten Kitten CD Release ;Compilations: *''Contradictions - The Cherry Red Collection'' (1994), Cherry Red

Singles

* "Private Plane/International" (1978), Oblique * ''4 Movements'' EP (1981), Cherry Red – UK Indie No. 39Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, * "All About You" (1982), Cherry Red – UK Indie No. 11 * "International" (1984), Arista * "Heartbeat" (1985), Arista * "No 1" (1985), Arista

References

External links