Thomas Leer
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) 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 when the punk rock scene was at its height. 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" 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. 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 Claudia Brücken, signing to ZTT Records. The duo released four singles (including the minor UK hit "Snobbery and Decay") and an album, "Laughter, Tears and Rage", 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 album "A Rose" and continues to be musically active. Thomas Leer