Soest (German pronunciation: [ˈzoːst] ( listen), as if it were 'Sohst') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.

Soest is located along the Hellweg road, approximately 23 kilometres south-west of Lippstadt, roughly 50 kilometres east of Dortmund and roughly 50 kilometres west of Paderborn.

Because of the fertile soil the area around Soest was occupied long before 836 when the village is first mentioned in the Dagobertsche Schenkung, although the origin of this document is historically uncertain. But there is no doubt that Soest has been inhabited for a long time; excavations in the last two decades have uncovered signs of habitation stretching back more than 4000 years. In the 11th and 12th century Soest grew considerably, making it one of the biggest towns in Westphalia with some 10,000 citizens. It was also an important member of the Hanseatic League until 1609.

Germany (ⁱ/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.

A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.

Francis Goya (born Francis Weyer on 16 May 1946) is a Belgian guitarist born in Liege.

Weyer first played with Patrick Ruymen in the group Les Caraïbes, a Belgian cover group. The two then formed the rock group Liberty Six in 1965, which had a proto-psychedelic stage show and released only one single before disbanding. Weyer then moved on to the J.J. Band and Plus.

In the 1970s, Weyer started using the name Francis Goya and released solo albums of romantic Spanish guitar and mandolin music. His 1975 single "Nostalgia", a tune written by his father and arranged for guitar by Goya, became an international hit, reaching #1 in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Norway, and Brazil. Later albums saw Goya moving more into a Latin American-influenced style, including three albums recorded with Bolivian singer Carmina Cabrera.

Goya has some 40 album releases to his credit.

Owen Paul (born Owen Paul McGee, 1 May 1962, Glasgow), is a Scottish singer, best known in the UK for his 1986 #3 hit single, "My Favourite Waste of Time", a cover version of a song that was originally written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. The track featured an appearance from future Thunder bass player, Mark 'Snake' Luckhurst.

As a youngster Paul was taken on as an apprentice with Celtic Football Club, but after hearing the Sex Pistols he decided to pursue a career in music. In 1989 he produced Japanese rock band Buck-Tick's album Taboo. After releasing a couple of singles he had a fall-out with his record label resulting in him leaving the music industry for 15 years.

Paul has made two television appearances to forget: the first was on the BBC live programme Pebble Mill, when he was meant to mime to "My Favourite Waste Of Time", but due to a technician's mistake, he missed his cue. The second came much later, as the unfortunate guest of a neighbour to The Osbournes, when as a result of playing music in a neighbouring garden, he provoked Ozzy and the rest of his dysfunctional family into throwing food.