The word on the Soft Boys was that they were a band out of time, but how many Oi! compilations do you own? Debut single “(I Want To Be An) Anglepoise Lamp” and first LP A Can Of Bees dabbled in post-punk churn, but on Underwater Moonlight, Robyn Hitchcock and company ran it back a couple decades: jangle, psychedelia, even electrified blues. In a concession to the current era, however, the Soft Boys packed it in due to lack of commercial interest. Guitarist Kimberley Rew joined some mates in a band called Mama’s Cookin’, which, in deference to its American lead singer, renamed itself Katrina And The Waves. Rew’s Katrina compositions included the deathless “Walking On Sunshine” as well as “Love Shine A Light,” Britain’s victorious Eurovision ’97 submission. Matthew Seligman became a bassist for hire, recording for Thomas Dolby, Whodini, and David Bowie. The other Soft Boys reconstituted as Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians for a decade. Meanwhile, a number of American acts were discovering, covering, and namechecking Robyn Hitchcock and the rest of the Boys, acts like the Replacements, Yo La Tengo, Guided By Voices, and — most crucially — R.E.M., whose members frequently collaborated with Hitchcock. After he disbanded the Egyptians, he briefly hooked up with the Soft Boys. A proper reunion followed after Matador Records reissued Underwater Moonlight in 2001. During their soundchecks, the band hashed out a whole new record: Nextdoorland. Splitting the difference between the snotty guitarchitecture of A Can Of Bees and the flower-power pop of Underwater Moonlight, it was a worthy third effort. Everyone’s schedules closed up afterward, but if you find yourself in Cambridge some weekend soon, do check out Kimberley Rew in Jack.