soar comfortably beneath all expectations

[Vladv1]

"The 44-yearold Welsh-born Chris Slade had cut his teeth as a sideman for Tom Jones in the Sixties; his very first live appearance backing Jones while supporting the Rolling Stones. Slade played with his countryman for seven years, before quitting to briefly join Tomorrow, fronted by Olivia Newton-John. Slade went on to co-found Manfred
Mann’s Earth Band, where he stayed for six years and three UK Top 10 hits (‘Joybringer’, ‘Blinded By The Light’, ‘Davy’s On The Road Again’), before bouncing around medium profile gigs, studio work, tours (with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour) and a particularly juicy opportunity to play with Jimmy Page’s The Firm, which went on to soar comfortably beneath all expectations".

Mick Wall, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be.

Could you explain the bolded in other words, I get the individual words but not the meaning?

 

[PeterCW]

British humour doesn't travel well. It's a sarcastic comment on the band's lack of success. Their line up meant that they should have soared but didn't.

 

[Tarheel]

I would have asked for an explanation for the ending of that sentence. (I wouldn't have, but if I had asked for an explanation that's what I would have done.) It's a takeoff on the phrase "exceeded all expectations". They turned it around. (I think it's funny.)