The Soft Boys

The Soft Boys were one the most influential British bands of their time in shaping alternative and indie music, though they were considered a quirky cult item in their original run. Led by Robyn Hitchcock, the group blended edgy pop and punk's fearlessness with a love of psychedelia and folk-rock. Their offbeat and hooky melodies, matched with Hitchcock's witty, surreal lyrics, set them apart from their peers, and R.E.M. were just the best known of the many bands that learned from their example. They made a striking debut with 1979's A Can of Bees, and 1980's Underwater Moonlight was an edgy, joyous masterpiece that led the way to Hitchcock's solo career. Formed in Cambridge, England, in 1976 on the heels of the punk revolution, the Soft Boys were led by guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, who eschewed the three-chord minimalism of punk and opted for a reworking of first-era British psychedelia (in particular Syd Barrett) and folk-rock in the manner of the Byrds. Hitchcock recruited Cambridge musicians Morris Windsor on drums, Andy Metcalfe on bass, and guitarist Alan Davies, and recorded Give It to the Soft Boys in Hitchcock's living room in 1976. Davies was soon replaced by guitarist Kimberley Rew. The band released a single, "(I Want to Be An) Anglepoise Lamp," followed by the album A Can of Bees in 1979.While recording their second LP, Metcalfe left the band and was replaced by Matthew Seligman. The new lineup started fresh and recorded Underwater Moonlight, the album that found the group trading psychedelic jams for a more straight-ahead jangle pop-guitar rock sound. The LP proved to be extremely influential in the guitar rock canon; the Replacements, R.E.M., and the L.A. paisley underground scene all claimed it as a prime influence. The album launched a thousand bands, but it turned out to be the Soft Boys' swan song, as they broke up in 1981. Two more recordings were released posthumously: the 2 Halfs for the Price of One EP in 1981 and some early sessions compiled on Invisible Hits in 1983. Their first EP was re-released in 1984 as Wading Through a Ventilator. Windsor and Metcalfe began to collaborate with Hitchcock again in 1984 as the Egyptians, while Seligman became an in-demand session musician, and Rew went on to form Katrina & the Waves. Hitchcock has had a prolific post-Soft Boys recording career, sticking to the unusual style he's forged and finessed since 1976, with many albums to his credit. In 1994, the group played a handful of reunion shows to promote a box set of their work, and in 2001, they staged well-received reunion tours of the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, and even returned to the studio for an album, 2002's Nextdoorland, before once again disbanding. Matthew Seligman died in 2020 due to complications from the COVID-19 virus; he was 64 years old. In 2025, Underwater Moonlight was given a deluxe reissue on CD and LP to honor the album's 45th anniversary.
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