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. The band’s brand new album ‘Other Doors’ was released worldwide on 30 June 2023. ‘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 ‘There’s no end of bands trading on the glories of past lineups. Soft Machine stands apart and above such outfits’ – Musoscribe 2020 ‘ I’ve seen Soft Machine several times in recent years, and this is as good a set as I’ve heard them perform. It’s hard to believe that they can still produce music with this level of invention and verve after more than fifty years, and there are no signs here of that stopping anytime soon I’m very pleased to say. – Progressive Aspect “the current incarnation of the band is actually bloody good” – Jazz Journal 2020 “…the great thing about the current group is that there is no desire to live in the past. The Soft Machine project seems to be pointed forward and not part of the heritage industry” – Jazz Journal (Brian Morton) “Soft Machine were the grooviest, coolest psychedelic band of the era…” – Phil Manzanera “Soft Machine…certainly rank among the most influential ‘out’ rock bands.” – Dusted