Soft Machine

Soft Machine

 
Soft Machine is one of the greatest avant/jazz-rock bands of all time. Their work, from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band, who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe’s best known ‘fusion’ bands has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name-checked by today’s hip experimentalists.
They are coming to The Jam Jar, for what promises to be a really special night on 18 November.
This band is rooted in the celebrated 70’s version of the legendary group which recorded the acclaimed ‘Softs’ album in 1975, led by John Etheridge, and completed by outstanding sax star Theo Travis (Robert Fripp/David Gilmour/Steven Wilson). Since 2021 Roy Babbington retired from public performance and his chosen successor on the bass is Fred Thelonious Baker who has been a musician on the Canterbury scene for over 30 years – being a regular collaborator with the late Elton Dean, with Hugh Hopper and with guitarist Phil Miller (In Cahoots/Hatfield and the North).
‘The band, of course, has a broad palette — from Metheny-like jazz-rock to anything-goes improvisation; from pastoral passages with Etheridge on acoustic to an ambient flutescape from Travis. Compact and to the point, nothing overstays its welcome.’ [The Times]
From £17+BF.
John Etheridge – guitar
Theo Travis - saxophone, flute, keyboards
Fred Thelonious Baker - bass
Asaf Sirkis - drums
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio 

Soft Machine is one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time. Their work, from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band who were contemporaries of Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe's best known 'fusion' groups, has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name-checked by today's hip experimentalists.
Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the late
1960’s, the band’s spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeon holed and can move from powerful progressive jazz fusion to atmospheric psychedelia effortlessly.
This is a seated gig.

Soft Machine

Soft Machine

Colosseum + Soft Machine

Formed in Canterbury in 1966, Soft Machine emerged as one of the defining bands of the UK underground scene, alongside acts like Pink Floyd. Originally featuring Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Mike Ratledge, the group quickly established a reputation for pushing musical boundaries—blending psychedelic rock with jazz improvisation and experimental structures. Their early work helped shape the influential “Canterbury scene,” and by the early 1970s they had evolved into pioneers of jazz-rock fusion, creating complex, forward-thinking music that would influence generations of progressive and experimental artists.
Across decades of constant reinvention and changing line-ups, Soft Machine have remained defined by innovation rather than nostalgia. From their shift toward instrumental jazz fusion in the mid-’70s to later incarnations such as Soft Machine Legacy and the band’s re-emergence under the original name in 2016, their sound has continued to evolve while retaining its exploratory spirit. Today, Soft Machine stand as one of the most enduring and influential names in British progressive music—still performing and recording with the same commitment to musical adventure that has defined them since the beginning.

The 1865 Presents Colosseum + Soft Machine
Their work, from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with, Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe's best known 'fusion' groups, has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name-checked by today's hip experimentalists.
​Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the late 1960’s, the band’s spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeon holed and can move from powerful progressive jazz fusion to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz-rock to ambient loop music continues to make it both unique and totally contemporary.

SOFT MACHINE “THIRTEEN” TOUR 2026
John Etheridge – guitar
Theo Travis - saxophones, flute, keyboards
Fred Thelonious Baker – bass
Asaf Sirkis - drums
Soft Machine is one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time. Their work, from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with, Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe's best known 'fusion' groups, has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name checked by today's hip experimentalists.
Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the late 1960’s, the band’s spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeon holed and can move from powerful progressive jazz fusion to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz-rock to ambient loop music, continues to make it both unique and totally contemporary.
Doors 7pm Show 8pm.