Venue:
Band on the Wall, Manchester
Date: 23/11/2017
I blame Luke Haines. He wrote an article in Record Collector last year extolling the virtues of the later Soft Machine albums. The ones they made after Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers departed and they dropped the Psychedelic whimsy and went full tilt bonkers Art Rock/Weird Jazz. I’d previously never got past Soft 3 where it goes very noodly, but Luke persuaded me to delve into Soft 7 which is indeed a monstrously good record. I’ve been dipping into that later stuff since and finding gems in those later record like ‘Soft Space’, the relentless Moroder-esque disco stormer that ends ‘Alive and Well’, and curiosities like the ‘Bundles’ album. So Soft Machine are in town and it’s a real treat to get to hear some of this stuff played live.
The Softs might be one of the first bands to keep going through various line-up changes until they ended up still performing and recording with nobody left from the original group, and probably didn’t notice as they were engrossed in an extended solo. Tonight’s version of Soft Machine comprises the ferocious rhythm pals – the mighty John Marshall on drums who has played with them since 1971 and the great Roy Babbington who joined in 1973. There’s also a relative newbie John Etheridge who has been with them on and off for a mere 41 years. Not a bad vintage eh? They’re joined by the ridiculously talented Theo Travis on Sax, Flute and Organ. He’s got the right CV for this having played extensively with Robert Fripp, Steven Wilson and rather touchingly he appeared in later line-ups of Gong with founder member Daevid Allen which is a nice link to Soft Machine prehistory.
The band play two sets starting with the title track from ‘Bundles’. The sound at Band on the Wall is, as always, superb and I’m struck by what an impressively powerful sound they make from the get go. John Etheridge takes the role of MC. He’s warm and funny and he does a good job of putting the audience at ease which I think helps if you’re about to launch into some quite complex, extended pieces. I suspect there were a lot more laughs at this gig than you’d get at a mid-70s Softs gig and he admits to forgetting which albums certain tracks are from – as do I.
A version of this line-up has recorded new material as ‘Soft Machine Legacy’ so they play some of that stuff too which stands up pretty seamlessly with the older stuff. The set features quite a lot from the ‘Softs’ album too given that 3/4 of the line-up made that record. I’m particularly taken with the haunting ‘Tales of Taliesin’. We also get tracks from ‘Bundles’ like ‘The Boy Who Waved At Trains’, a majestic ‘Chloe and the Pirates’ from ‘Six’ and even ‘Out-bloody-rageous’ from ‘Three’ which dates back to when Robert Wyatt was still on the drums.
The band of course are all excellent musicians, and there is much soloing which I suppose is to be expected – particularly from John Etheridge, but there are lots of moments where they lock in together and create some magic – Roy Babbington hits the fuzz pedal, Etheridge applies some weird FX that make his guitar sound like Mike Ratledge doing an organ solo, Theo gets busy on Sax, and John Marshall starts getting almost into Jaki Liebezeit territory and it all sounds like…well, Soft Machine – that indefinable something that defines those early-mid 70s albums that sets them apart from just being Jazz rock, fusion or whatever it’s meant to be. They end with a Medley of bits and pieces which include a little teaser from my favourite ‘Seven’ and a Drum Solo from the incredible John Marshall – 76 years old, he looks very happy and he makes the drums sing. Brilliant.
The audience:
Sold Out venue full of appreciative and respectful Proggers, Jazzers, Art Rockers and their heavy friends.
It made me think..
Given that there are countless bands and indeed solo artists touring that bear only a passing resemblance to their former glories only a massive pedant/bore would deny this band the right to call themselves Soft Machine. They definitely lived up to the name tonight and the capacity crowd seemed to agree. The Soft Machine is alive and well. They promised to come back soon, I hope they take some liberties with more of the back catalogue and do whatever they want with it and maybe record some new stuff with this line up.
What a great review of what wad obviously a great evening’s music. I shall be looking out for this lot. There are no further dates yet, but I have a mole trying to match up their future appearances with my own whereabouts.
That’s an ace write-up, and I will now check them out as best I can. I haven’t read that particular Luke Haines piece, but knew that Softs and Deep Purple (Mark II) were in his list of “righteous” rock music.
Reviews as good as this, from the enthusiasm of the writer to the delight in the detail make me think I should explore stuff I don’t think I like, an expensive caper at this time of year.I have only dabbled with the Soft in their later period, mainly through the Ric Sanders connection and his membership of the Live in Paris sessions, being an old mucker of Ethridge at the same time as he was in the Albion Band. Prior to that I had been well put off my those interminable clips of the Ratledge led noodling middle years, all seriously absorbed in their art over 20 minutes of the Whistle Test.
Thank you for the review which has certainly awoken my interest in a band that I have, knowingly, never heard. Off to the tax dodgers to see what delights their overworked and underpaid staff can throw my way !
I like the bit in the BBC version of “The Moon in June” which goes …
“So to all our mates like Kevin,
Caravan, the old Pink Floyd
Allow me to recommend ‘Top Gear’
Despite its extraordinary name”
Tremendous!
The only man in history to be complimentary about the BBC canteen. A gent is old Rob.
Only ever owned 7. Wondering whether to go back or forward.
One always had the impression that was what Ratledge was wondering throughout his raspy organ solos.
Thanks for the nice comments. The Softs are not an easy listen, in fact a hardcore skronky Jazz fan who’s a mate of mine gave me his copy of ‘Three’ which he couldn’t deal with at all, but I rather like it.
The first two LPs are a different band really, both very peculiar psych rock classics. 4, 5, and 6 are heavy going and very noodle heavy and Ratledge and his “swarm of bees in a biscuit tin” organ sound dominates – although they all have their moments. 7 is quite brilliant, and then Bundles, Softs and Alive in Paris are a bit easier on the ear and have some lovely tunes on ‘em. Not really heard Land of Cockayne but I’ve heard it’s a bit of red herring in their catalogue.
There hasn’t been an anothology of stuff released for a long time. I’ve got a brilliant compilation called Triple Echo which has spans their first recordings with Ayers and Daevid Allen still in the band, right through to the Softs album, with some oddities and live recordings as well but that was only ever on vinyl and long out of print, but turns up 2nd hand easily enough.