Editing Soft Machine (section)

=== A return to the name "Soft Machine" (2015–present) ===
In September and October 2015, it was announced Soft Machine Legacy, which was composed of drummer John Marshall, guitarist John Etheridge, bassist Roy Babbington, and sax, flute and keyboard player Theo Travis, would be performing under the name Soft Machine in late 2015 and early 2016: they would perform two shows in the Netherlands and Belgium in early December 2015,<ref name="songkick.com Soft Machine 6 October 2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.songkick.com/artists/68873-soft-machine |title=Soft Machine – 2015–2016 tour dates: 4 concerts |date= 2015 |website=[[songkick]] |access-date= 6 October 2015}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|On 2 December 2015 at Cultuurpodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Netherlands<ref name="bandsintown.com Soft Machine 6 October 2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.bandsintown.com/SoftMachine?came_from=203 |title=Soft Machine – Tour Dates 2015–2016 |date=2015 |website=bandsintown.com |access-date= 6 October 2015}}</ref> and on 4 December 2015 at N9 Villa in Eeklo, Belgium.<ref name="songkick.com Soft Machine 6 October 2015"/>}} and seven UK shows in March and April 2016.<ref name="songkick.com Soft Machine 6 October 2015"/><ref name="teamrock.com Soft Machine 1 December 2015">{{cite web |url=http://teamrock.com/news/2015-12-01/soft-machine-line-up-8-uk-dates-for-2016 |title=Soft Machine line up 8 UK dates for 2016 – Tour takes in HRH Prog 4 plus 7 shows in England (by Stef Lach) |date= 1 December 2015 |website=teamrock.com |access-date= 28 March 2016}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|On 18 March 2016<ref name="HRH Prog 4 Festival 2016 Soft Machine">{{cite web |url=http://www.hrhprog.com/line-up/friday-line-up.html |title=HRH Prog 4 Festival 2016 2016 (Line-up: Friday Line-Up |date=2015 |website=hrhprog.com |access-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906225343/http://www.hrhprog.com/line-up/friday-line-up.html |archive-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as part of the HRH Prog 4 Festival (scheduled from 17 to 20 March) at Camp HRH (Hafan y Môr Holiday Park), [[Pwllheli]], [[North Wales]], UK,<ref name="songkick.com Soft Machine HRH Prog 4 Festival 2016">{{cite web |url=http://www.songkick.com/festivals/1374249-hrh-prog-4-2016/id/24534849-hrh-prog-4-festival-2016-2016 |title=HRH Prog 4 Festival 2016 2016 (Line-up: Soft Machine, Caravan, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Curved Air...) |date= 2015 |website=songkick.com |access-date= 5 September 2015}}</ref> on 19 March at the Brewery Arts Centre, [[Kendal]], UK, on 20 March at the Bristol Jazz Festival, [[Bristol]], UK (once scheduled then cancelled and rescheduled for 16 November 2016 at The Robin 2, [[Wolverhampton]], UK), on 24 March 2016 at the Talking Heads in Southampton, UK, on 26 March 2016 at Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Green, [[East Sussex]], UK, on 30 March at the Assembly Rooms, [[Leamington Spa]], UK, on 31 March 2016 at the Band on the Wall in Manchester, UK, on 1 April 2016 at Nell's Jazz & Blues Club in London, UK.<ref name="songkick.com Soft Machine 6 October 2015"/>}} In December 2015, it was confirmed the band were dropping the word "Legacy" from their name, becoming known as Soft Machine for the first time since 1984.<ref name="teamrock.com Soft Machine 1 December 2015"/>

The former Soft Machine member Allan Holdsworth, aged 70, died from heart failure on 15 April 2017 at his home in [[Vista, California]].<ref name=sandiegouniontribune>Varga, George (16 April 2017). [http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sd-et-music-holdsworth-obit-20170416-story.html "Allan Holdsworth, internationally celebrated guitar innovator, dead at 70"]. ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]''. [[Tronc]]. Retrieved 13 May 2017.</ref><ref name=GPmag20170629>Molenda, Michael (29 June 2017). [http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1013/the-magnificent-architect-of-improvisation-a-tribute-to-allan-holdworth/63140 "The Magnificent Architect of Improvisation: A Tribute to Allan Holdworth"]. ''[[Guitar Player]]''. Retrieved 11 July 2017.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aminoapps.com/c/rocknation/page/item/virtuosos-allan-holdsworth/jqQk_MpcoI8dX1rxl2JEpPgnYN3r5Jn1Ya|title=Virtuosos: Allan Holdsworth|website=Aminoapps.com}}</ref> On 7 September 2018, Soft Machine released ''[[Hidden Details]]'' on Dyad Records in the UK and Tonefloat Records in the US, their first new studio album since ''Land of Cockayne'' (1981). In late 2018 and until February 2019, they toured the world to mark their 50th anniversary and to support the new album.{{refn|group=nb|Soft Machine embarked on 6 September 2018 in [[Oslo]], Norway on a world tour starting with a 10-date Europe leg (ended on 19 September 2018 in [[Jena]], Germany); followed on 6 October in [[Baltimore]] by a 12-date North American leg – their first North American tour since 1974 (ended on 23 October in Saint Paul, Minnesota); followed on 3 November in [[Canterbury]] by an 11-date second European leg (ended on 16 December 2018 in [[Bonn]], Germany); and embarked on 21 January 2019 on a 14-date second North American leg (ended by a 5-date residency from 4 to 8 February 2019 at [[Key West]], Florida through [[Cozumel]], Mexico at the Cruise to the Edge festival).<ref name="theotravis.com Upcoming Soft Machine Gigs">{{cite web |url=https://www.theotravis.com/index.php/dates-list/smg |title=Theo Travis / Soft Machine Gigs / Upcoming Events |date=October 2018 |website=theotravis.com |access-date=14 January 2019 |archive-date=10 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110073658/https://theotravis.com/index.php/dates-list/smg |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="john-etheridge.com Events">{{cite web |url=https://www.john-etheridge.com/events |title=John Etheridge / Events |date= October 2018 |website=john-etheridge.com |access-date= 14 January 2019}}</ref>}}

On 20 March 2020, Soft Machine released ''Live at The Baked Potato'', their first original live album since ''Alive & Well'' (1978). It was recorded live on 1 February 2019 at [[The Baked Potato]], Los Angeles, and was initially only available as a twelve-track limited-edition double vinyl LP of 200 copies but it has since been released on Compact Disc (CD). The album documents their extensive 2018–2019 world tour.<ref name="tonefloat.com Soft Machine Live at The Baked Potato">{{cite web |url=https://tonefloat.com/2020/02/03/soft-machine-live-at-the-baked-potato-2lp/ |title=Soft Machine Live at The Baked Potato 2LP |date= 3 February 2020 |website=tonefloat.com |access-date= 7 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="theotravis.com Soft Machine Live at The Baked Potato">{{cite web |url=https://www.theotravis.com/index.php/news/theo-s-news/soft-machine-release-live-at-the-baked-potato |title=Soft Machine release "Live at The Baked Potato" |date=13 February 2020 |website=Theotravis.com |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407053958/https://www.theotravis.com/index.php/news/theo-s-news/soft-machine-release-live-at-the-baked-potato |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 7 December 2021, Soft Machine announced Babbington was retiring from the band and would be replaced by Fred Thelonious Baker.<ref>{{cite web |title=Roy Babbington retires from Soft Machine |url=https://londonjazznews.com/2021/12/07/roy-babbington-retires-from-soft-machine/ |website=London Jazz News |date=7 December 2021 |access-date=8 December 2021}}</ref>

In June 2023, Soft Machine released the new studio album ''Other Doors'', which was recorded with John Marshall before he retired from music. Marshall died on 16 September 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Travis |first1=Theo |title=John Marshall (1941–2023). A tribute by Theo Travis |url=https://londonjazznews.com/2023/09/17/john-marshall-1941-2023-a-tribute-by-theo-travis/ |website=London Jazz News |access-date=17 September 2023 |date=17 September 2023}}</ref> {{As of|January 2023}}, the line-up of Soft Machine was Etheridge, Travis, Baker and drummer [[Asaf Sirkis]].<ref name="mobile.twitter.com Soft Machine new drummer Asaf Sirkis">{{cite web |url=https://mobile.twitter.com/ProgMagazineUK/status/1612103255563059203 |title=Prog legends Soft Machine announce short run of February UK dates where they will introduce new drummer @asafsirkis, who replaces the now-retired John Marshall... |date= 8 January 2023 |website=Mobile.twitter.com |access-date= 10 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="www.jazzmusicarchives.com Soft Machine new drummer Asaf Sirkis">{{cite web |url=http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29753&title=soft-machine-to-introduce-new-drummer |title=Soft Machine to introduce new drummer on UK live dates |date= 9 January 2023 |website=Jazzmusicarchives.com |access-date= 10 January 2023}}</ref> They embarked on a seven-date UK tour beginning on 3 February 2023 at the [[New Cross Inn]] in London and ending on 26 May 2023 at [[Leeds City Varieties|City Varieties]] in [[Leeds]].{{refn|group=nb|On 3 February 2023 at the New Cross Inn (a pub in [[New Cross]]) in London; 8 February at the Tivoli Theatre, [[Wimborne]]; 9 February at The Pavilion, [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]]; 15 February at Band on the Wall in [[Manchester]]; 16 February at Backstage at The Green Hotel in [[Kinross]]; 17 February at Zeffirellis in [[Ambleside]]; 26 May 2023 at [[Leeds City Varieties|City Varieties]] [[Music Hall]] in [[Leeds]]}} The band began touring again in November 2023 with dates booked until November 2024.<ref name="softmachine.org Past Gigs">{{cite web |url=https://softmachine.org/touring/past-gigs# |title=Past Gigs |date= 2 May 2025 |website=softmachine.org |accessdate= 2 May 2025}}</ref> 

Co-founding member Mike Ratledge died on 5 February 2025.

On 4 March 2025 in Manchester (at Band On The Wall), the band embarked on a 8-date UK Spring tour which concluded on 4 April in London (at The Vortex Jazz Club), celebrating on that occasion John Etheridge's 50 years with the band (since 12 April 1975).<ref name="softmachine.org Past Gigs"/> Soft Machine are due to tour Europe from 9 May in London (at Signature Brew) to 25 May 2025 in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands (at De Boerderij): the 10-date Spring tour should also include Sweden (four dates), Norway (one date), Finland (two dates) and Germany (one date). A show on 27 November 2025 in London at [[Cadogan Hall]] (with [[Colosseum (band)|Colosseum]]) is already scheduled too.<ref name="softmachine.org Soft Machine on-tour">{{cite web |url=https://softmachine.org/touring/on-tour |title=Upcoming Events |date= 2 May 2025 |website=Softmachine.org |access-date= 2 May 2025}}</ref>