Nightcrawler - If thine eye offend thee ...

Pere Ubu's most acclaimed albums, The Modern Dance and the exceptional Dub Housing, were both released in 1978. So many folks who came out to witness the original avant-garage rockers perform an underscore to Roger Corman's X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, at the Plaza Theatre March 25, were probably teens when those records debuted. But that's not to say it was a geriatric fest.

Young and old movie-goers filled the seats for the screening of Corman's campy '63 sci-fi classic. The varied generational demographic was a testament to Pere Ubu's influence, and refreshing proof that Pere Ubu can still push some boundaries.

The prospects of cheesy science fiction and '70s art rock may evoke images of Dragon*Con-style debauchery. But that wasn't the case. Pere Ubu balances absurdity and austerity in a way that commands critical respect.

Dissonance is elemental in the group's sound, and performing a live musical set while Corman's film unfolded carried those concepts to dizzying new heights.

Back and forth, the senses were pushed and pulled between focusing on either the movie or the music. In time, both synced up as Pere Ubu's underscore was used to enhance the action onscreen.

The film tells the story of Dr. Xavier, a man obsessed with expanding human vision. He experiments on himself, which results in a maddening journey that allows him to see through clothing, flesh and ultimately into the center of the universe, only to find something incomprehensible staring back.

Pere Ubu's underscore consisted mostly of noises, truncated rock outbreaks and electronic chirps. The band exploded during two particular scenes: a party in which Xavier uses his X-ray vision to survey the naked bodies of everyone in attendance, and secondly the climactic car chase scene toward the end of the film.

Through it all, curmudgeonly lead singer David Thomas hung his head as if ashamed by the performance. He erupted into jarring temper tantrums that didn't seem to be pointed at anyone in particular, adding one more disquieting layer to the show.

Before the film, Thomas explained that sci-fi had an incalculable effect on the rock "giants" of the '70s, and now it was time to give something back.

He speculated on the film's abrupt ending, in which Xavier plucks out his own eyes, and asserted that the scene requires one piece of dialogue to bring the film to a proper and unsettling close. As the empty eye sockets of the good doctor came into focus, Thomas shouted, "I can still see!"

Thomas was right; his conclusive salvo made the film complete. Cue the credits.