PERSONA NON GRATA
In the spring of '93 the band decides to go back on the road again and try out their new ideas: a headlining tour along the French clubs, in Italy with Primus and some supporting performances for the European U2 tour. On tour DJ DNA decides to leave the band; the rest of the band takes up the challenge and, from the very next day and very succesfully, continues the tour as planned.
In the summer of '93 the band plays an impressive set at a new large festival: Lowlands (amongst others with Smashing Pumpkins); the immediate cause for Virgin records to contract the band in the autumn of '93. This new co-operative puts an end to a label-less period which lasted 400 days. In January '94 the time is ripe to start recording the third album. At Ridge Farm, London, this time, with producers Phil Nicolo and Stiff Johnson (Cypress Hill, Urge Overkill, G. Love & Special Sauce). In March the final part is recorded and subsequently mixed in Studio 4 in Philadelphia. In May '94 Persona non Grata is released. Compared to the first two albums Persona non Grata is an album without overdubs, honest and straightforward. A trend, started by UDS in '93 as the originally five-men band, is present in a 'blown-up' format on this album. The result is powerful and dynamic. This album is also called 'the secret route to the musical heart of UDS'. In the words of Rudeboy: '...In an era of ultra hype, it's back to grassroots! It's still the music that counts...'
Upon release, Persona non Grata is once again immediately a big success in
Europe. Demagogue is a clubhit everywhere and even gets a charts position
in the Netherlands. Again the band bombards the European club scene with a
continuous series of shows and many festivals are visited in the summer,
among which Dynamo Open Air, Pink Pop (third time), Phoenix Birmingham and
Bizarre (Biohazard). The PNG tour goes on without interruptions, until it
is rounded off in February '95 in an appropriate manner with an equal
billing show together with the Beastie Boys at the Statenhal, The Hague. A
month later the band leaves for the States for yet another successful
clubtour.