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With their breakup announced well in advance, Big Black recorded their final album, Songs About Fucking, half in London and half at Albini's home studio.

Their final tours began in June 1987, taking them to Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and across the United States.

They performed at the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium with Sonic Youth on July 22, Albini's 25th birthday.

At a sold-out show in London for 1, 300 people, Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis of Wire joined Big Black onstage to play an encore of Wire's " Heartbeat " ( Big Black had released a cover version of the song as a single in conjunction with Headache ).

Albini wrote of the experience that " If I die right now it will all have been worth it.

" In the United States the band played in San Francisco, Providence, Boston, and New York City, concluding with their final performance on August 11, 1987 at the Georgetown Steam Plant in Seattle.

At the end of this show the band smashed their instruments onstage.