The Soft Boys and David Bowie bassist Matthew Seligman has died

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Musician Matthew Seligman, best known for his tenure on bass for The Soft Boys, has died aged 64.

As well as playing on The Soft Boys’ 1980 masterpiece ‘Underwater Moonlight’, Seligman was briefly a member of 80s pop outfit The Thompson Twins, and played bass for David Bowie at Live Aid in 1985.

After The Soft Boys disbanded, Seligman would go on to play with the band’s frontman Robyn Hitchcock on his first two solo albums.

Later, as a session musician, he worked with the likes of Morrissey, Thomas Dolby, Sinead O’Connor and Tori Amos. Outside of music, he practised as a human rights solicitor.

Hitchcock announced the news via a lengthy tribute on social media, reflecting on the recording of ‘Underwater Moonlight’ and their later friendship, and remembering him as a “joyous and funky bass player [who] made ‘Underwater Moonlight’ an exuberant LP to record and listen to.”

“As well as bass playing, he specialized in one-liners,” Hitchcock wrote. “‘Pop music is about over-stating the obvious’ and ‘What you’ve proved to the music industry is that you can’t sell records’ are two of my favourites.

“I’m profoundly grateful to have played music with him – you could really see his face light up like a full moon when he listened back to a take he enjoyed. Onstage he would lope and lurch and pace when the music moved him. Matthew is, was, and always will be one of the greats. My heart goes out to his partner, Mami; his children Daisy and Lily, and all who were close to him and his lunar intensity.”

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