Robyn Hitchcock

Born in London in 1953, Robyn Hitchcock established himself from the late 1970s as the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of the Soft Boys, a psychedelic rock and post‑punk band associated with the Cambridge scene, notably with the albums A Can of Bees (1979) and Underwater Moonlight (1980). After the band's split, he launched a solo career with Black Snake Diamond Röle (1981) and through the 1980s — often accompanied by The Egyptians — developed a sound blending folk rock, psychedelic pop and alternative rock on records such as Fegmania! (1985), Element of Light (1986) and Globe of Frogs (1988). The 1990s saw him explore a more acoustic, introspective format with Eye (1990), before returning to fuller arrangements on Moss Elixir (1996) and Jewels for Sophia (1999). Spending part of his time in the United States, he regularly collaborates with musicians from the indie and Americana scenes — for example on Spooked (2004), recorded with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings — and with the band The Venus 3 from Ole! Tarantula (2006) onward. Between solo shows, electric lineups and recent recordings such as Robyn Hitchcock (2017) and Shufflemania! (2022), Hitchcock continues to write songs where pop melodies, psychedelic influences and British folk remain central.