Soft Machine

Event information

Soft Machine is one of the most influential UK avant / jazz-rock bands of all time. Emerging from the late-1960s psychedelic underground as contemporaries of Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, they evolved into one of Europe’s most important pioneers of jazz-rock fusion. Their genre-defying work has influenced generations of musicians and continues to be cited by today’s experimental artists.
The current line-up features guitar legend John Etheridge (Softs, Alive and Well, Triple Echo), alongside acclaimed saxophonist Theo Travis (Robert Fripp, David Gilmour, Steven Wilson). Following Roy Babbington’s retirement in 2021, bass duties are now handled by Fred Thelonious Baker, a key figure on the Canterbury scene for over 30 years. On drums is internationally renowned Asaf Sirkis, highly praised by Robert Wyatt, following the passing of John Marshall.
Soft Machine perform classic compositions by Hugh Hopper, Mike Ratledge, and Karl Jenkins, alongside newer material by current members, featured on their latest studio album Thirteen, and the acclaimed live release Live at the Baked Potato (Los Angeles).
While the personnel has continually evolved since the late 1960s, Soft Machine’s spirit of musical adventure remains unchanged. Freely moving between progressive jazz-fusion, psychedelia, free improvisation, and ambient textures, the band avoids nostalgia and remains strikingly contemporary. Like the original group, Soft Machine is a living, shape-shifting project, defined by open-ended compositions that allow strong musical personalities to thrive.
Recent highlights include Hidden Details (2018), which reached No.1 on the Amazon UK Jazz Fusion chart and topped Philadelphia’s Gagliarchives Progressive Radio Chart for eight weeks. Following a 50-date 50th Anniversary World Tour, the band released Live at the Baked Potato to wide acclaim. Other Doors (2023) marked John Marshall’s final recording, and 2026 sees the release of Thirteen, followed by a world tour.