Soft Machine Soft Machine/UK 2017

In 2016, Soft Machine Legacy reunited with John Marshall, and the band resumed live performances as the new Soft Machine. From their fall 2017 UK tour, the show at Milton Keynes on November 2nd, their home, was recorded in full for 116 minutes with soundboard-level digital audience recording. The venue, Stables Theatre, is a small club with a capacity of about 400 people, so the closeness and detail with zero sense of distance was reproduced realistically, even down to the breathing between the members. First, the band performed a repertoire similar to that of the previous year’s tour. However, from the middle of the show onwards, the repertoire was boldly changed, starting with “Out-Bloody-Rageous” and “Facelift” from the masterpiece “THIRD”, followed by representative songs from each era such as “Out Of Season”, “The Relegation Of Pluto”, “Tarabos” and “Hazard Profile”. And John Marshall’s presence was truly special. Nick France, who had been there the previous year, was also very talented, but Marshall’s free-form drumming was exceptional, and his improvisation, colored by his many moves, was truly soft. Disc 1 : 1. Intro. 2. Bundles 3. In The Back Room 4. Band Introductions 5. Chloe and The Pirates 6. Voyage Beyond Seven 7. Song Of Aeolus 8. Grape Hound Disc 2 : 1. The Tale Of Taliesin 2. Out-Bloody-Rageous 3. The Man Who Waved At Trains 4. Gesolreut 5. Facelift 6. Out Of Season 7. The Relegation Of Pluto (incl. Drum Solo) 8. Tarabos 9. Hazard Profile [Live at Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK 2nd November 2017] John Etheridge – Guitar / Roy Babbington – Bass / Theo Travis – Saxophone, Flute, Keyboard / John Marshall – Drums, Percussion