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Soft Machine
Photo: Tore Sætre · CC BY-SA 4.0

Band · United Kingdom

Soft Machine

British rock band

Formed in 1966

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Upcoming shows

  • Fürth, Germany · Kofferfabrik Tickets
  • Winterthur, Switzerland · Gaswerk Details
  • Rüsselsheim, Germany · Das Rind Tickets
  • Bristol, United Kingdom · The Jam Jar Tickets
  • Leek, United Kingdom · Foxlowe Arts Centre Tickets
  • Stroud, United Kingdom · Sub Rooms Tickets
  • Bilston, United Kingdom · Robin 2 Tickets
  • London, United Kingdom · Cadogan Hallwith Theo Travis Tickets
  • Hertford, United Kingdom · Hertford Corn Exchange Tickets
  • Southampton, United Kingdom · The 1865 Tickets
  • Sheffield, United Kingdom · The Greystones Tickets
  • Morecambe, United Kingdom · The Platform Tickets
  • Chelmsford, United Kingdom · Hot Box Live Tickets
  • Portsmouth, United Kingdom · Guildhall Studio Tickets
  • London, United Kingdom · The Jazz Cafe Tickets
  • Cardiff, United Kingdom · The Earl Haig Memorial Club Tickets

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Tour dates elsewhere: Bandsintown · Songkick

About

Soft Machine are an English rock band from Canterbury, Kent. The band were formed in 1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Soft Machine were central in the Canterbury scene; they became one of the first British psychedelic acts, and later helped pioneer progressive and jazz rock and are widely regarded as the first progressive rock band. Soft Machine's lineup has undergone many changes, and has included Andy Summers, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington and Allan Holdsworth. As of 2025, the current lineup consists of John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker and Asaf Sirkis. The band's name originates from William S. Burroughs's novel The Soft Machine.

Originating from the band The Wilde Flowers, Soft Machine began as a psychedelic rock band, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1968. Their second album, Volume Two (1969), marked their move towards progressive rock and jazz rock, which was fully realised with the subsequent two albums, Third (1970) and Fourth (1971). By 1971, Soft Machine became a purely instrumental jazz rock band, continuing this direction across their subsequent albums, Fifth (1972), Six, Seven (both 1973), Bundles (1975), Softs (1976), and Alive & Well (1978).

The band split in 1978, though two brief reunions occurred during the 1980s, first for the recording of the album Land of Cockayne (1981), and then for a few live shows in 1984. The group Soft Machine Legacy was formed in 2004, and released three studio albums, including their self-titled debut (2006), Steam (2007), and Burden of Proof (2013). The "Legacy" suffix was dropped in 2015, and they have since released three studio albums, Hidden Details (2018), Other Doors (2023) and Thirteen (2026). Though the band has achieved little commercial success, critics consider Soft Machine to have been influential in rock music. Dave Lynch at AllMusic called them "one of the most influential underground bands of their era".

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also in Français

Soft Machine est un groupe britannique de jazz fusion, originaire de Canterbury, en Angleterre. C'est un pionnier de la vague psychédélique. Son nom est inspiré d'un ouvrage de William Burroughs : The Soft Machine (Olympia Press-1961).

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Past shows

  • Hamburg · NICA JAZZ CLUB

Discography

Albums

Show all (15)

Singles

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