Chicago noise outfit Jesus Lizard have split after ten years.
Pivotal to the US underground rock scene, the band were led by singer David Yow, notorious for leaping into the audience semi-naked. The singer was arrested on the 1995 Lollapalooza tour for exposing himself onstage.
The band released four Steve Albini-produced albums on Touch & Go where they honed their uncompromising, abrasive sound.
Kurt Cobain was a big fan and in 1993 Jesus Lizard made it to Number 12 in the UK charts on the back of a split-single with Nirvana.
Despite signing to Capitol in 1995, the band failed to break through to the mainstream and recorded only two albums, ‘Shot’ and ‘Blue’ for the label.
Drummer Mac McNeilly left the group in 1996 to be replaced by Jim Kimball, who had previously played with The Laughing Hyenas and Mule. Despite the replacement, guitarist Duane Denison recently admitted McNeilly‘s decision to leave was a turning point for the band.
Denison is now living in Nashville and playing with Hank Williams III. It is not known what the other members of Jesus Lizard now plan to do.