PRE

Following the departure of an earlier frontwoman along with a change in moniker, the London-based no wave noise-rock outfit PRE came together in 2005 around the hyperactive vocals and shrieks of Akiko Matsuura. The performer, notorious for appearing onstage clad solely in undergarments before pitching forward onto her face, brought her erratic physical gestures and singular delivery into alignment with the group’s jagged, high-velocity fragments and its unconventional configuration of dual bassists, one drummer, and a guitarist. Within months of PRE’s inaugural performance the quartet issued its first EP, Treasure Trails, then issued split 7-inch singles alongside AIDS Wolf, Dmonstrations, Bardo Pond, and Comanechi—the last of these featuring Matsuura behind the drum kit. With mounting attention from listeners, the experimental imprint Skin Graft Records stepped in to issue the band’s debut album, fittingly titled Epic Fits, on September 4, 2007.