It’s with great sadness to report that Thierry Sobezyk, bassist and co-vocalist of seminal French coldwave band Asylum Party, has passed away after a long battle with leukemia. The news was announced by fellow Lively Art labelmates Little Nemo, who shared the stage with Sobezyk many times over the years.
Asylum Party formed in 1985 by Thierry Sobezyk and Philippe Planchon. The band quickly rose as one of the shining stars of the French post-punk scene, often labeled as coldwave, (dubbed “la vague froide” by the French press) or Touching Pop, in line with many of their Lively Art labelmates. Sobezyk co-wrote, sang, and played bass on every Asylum Party release, including 1989’s Borderline and 1990’s Mère LPs, two of the strongest records the underground post-punk movement has to offer. He also designed the sleeve for the 1989 What Will You Learn EP, which featured the single “Misfortune?”
Sobezyk also performed in Teepee, a supergroup of Lively Art bands cheekily named after Touching Pop, the name given to the movement forming around the bands at the time. Lastly, Sobezyk was in an early lineup of Mary Goes Round, a similarly styled Lively Art band with a slightly more psychedelic flair.
Rest in peace, Thierry, all our love to his friends and family. Check below for some of Thierry’s standout tracks:
Why save it for later? I'd rather tell you tonight Why do I hide under bright sunny day light A…
Our love is like violence We’re flying to nowhere There’s smoke in your lies Do no harm In the heart…
PJ Harvey and Tim Phillips, kindred creators, join forces once again for a reimagined version of Joy Division’s Love Will…
It’s backed you into a corner, shoved its weight against your chest, wrapped its jaw around your throat. It’s time,…
Chicago’s Deep Cricket Night emerged from the pandemic’s shadowed cocoon, climbing through the tangled roots of isolation into a sound unshackled…
You move with emotionVia Negativa (in the doorway light) In my warped imagination Are you failing? Are you collapsing? New…