Soft Machine

English rock & jazz band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966, named after the novel The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs.

Years active:
1966–1968
1969–1978
1978–1983 (offshot band Soft Head), followed by Soft Heap
1980–1984
1999–2002 (pre-reformation band Soft Ware)
2002–2004 (pre-reformation band Soft Works)
2004–2015 (as Soft Machine Legacy)
2015–present

Other offshot bands featuring core members Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean were briefly created during the 2000s: Soft Bounds & Soft Mountain.

Current members:
● John Etheridge – guitar (1975–1978, 2015–present)
● Theo Travis – saxophone, flute, piano (2015–present)
● Fred T. Baker - bass (2022–present)
● Asaf Sirkis - drums (2023-present)

Guest/Substitute musicians:
● Nic France – drums, percussion (at least for one show: on 26 March 2016 in Sheffield Green, East Sussex, UK; substitute for John Marshall)
● Fred T. Baker - bass (substituted for Roy Babbington for 2022 dates, prior to becoming a full member)

Former members:
● Mike Ratledge – keyboards, flute (1966–1968, 1969–1976; died 2025)
● Robert Wyatt – drums, vocals, keyboards, bass (1966–1968, 1969–1971)
● Kevin Ayers – bass, vocals, guitar, keyboards (1966–1968; died 2013)
● Daevid Allen – guitar, vocals, bass (1966–1967; died 2015)
● Larry Nowlin – guitar
● Andy Summers – guitar
● Hugh Hopper – bass, saxophone, guitar (1968–1973; died 2009)
● John Marshall – drums, percussion (1971–1984, 2015–2022)
● Elton Dean – saxophone, keyboards (1969–1972; died 2006)
● Lyn Dobson – flute, saxophone (1969–1970)
● Mark Charig – cornet
● Nick Evans – trombone
● Phil Howard – drums
● Karl Jenkins – oboe, saxophone, keyboards, synthesisers (1972–1984)
● Allan Holdsworth – guitar (1973–1975; died 2017)
● Roy Babbington – bass (1973–1976, 2015–2022)
● Alan Wakeman – saxophone
● Ray Warleigh – saxophone (1976; died 2015)
● Ric Sanders – violin (1976–1978)
● Percy Jones – bass (1976–1977)
● – bass (1977–1978)