UK band Slaves have announced they have changed their name to Soft Play and apologized for any offense caused by their original name.
Great Britain punk rock duoconsisting of frontman Laurie Vincent and drummer Isaac Holman, have performed under the name Slaves since the band’s formation in 2012, but faced backlash because of the historical connotations of the name.
The group, which has been on hiatus since 2018, released a statement announcing their return but said before that, “we want to address something important.”
“When we called our band Slaves it was only as a reference to everyday life,” the two wrote in a post on their new official Instagram page.
UK band Slaves have announced they have changed their name to Soft Play and apologized for any offense caused by their original name.
(David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hard Rock Hotel London)
They continued, “As younger men, we responded to criticism of the name from a place of fear and defensiveness.”
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“Feeling stuck in a corner, our own pride drove us to fight for a name we weren’t even sure we wanted anymore. Sometimes it felt like our Name of the group had defined us and we were afraid of what might happen if we changed it.”
“However, we now recognize that our original intent does not change the fact that the name Slaves is a problem,” explained Vincent and Holman.
“Nowadays, we think it’s very important for people to change and make improvements no matter how bad they are,” they added.
The British punk rock duo, consisting of frontman Laurie Vincent and drummer Isaac Holman, have performed under the name Slaves since the band formed in 2012.
(Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)
“The name no longer represents who we are as people or what our music stands for. We sincerely want to apologize to anyone we have offended.”
While the two acknowledged that people may have “differing opinions” on their former moniker, they expressed hope that their fans would “accept and respect our decision and not continue the argument between you.”
The duo noted, “At the end of the day, the music and the community surrounding our band is what matters most and we don’t want anything to get in the way of making that community as inclusive as possible.
“Our music is for everyone.”
The group went on to say that they would perform together again under the name Soft Play.
“We are very happy to be together again and we are excited for what the future holds,” they concluded.
The duo’s 2015 debut alum “Are You Satisfied?” reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and was nominated for a Mercury Music Award. Their subsequent albums, 2016’s ‘Take Control’ and 2018’s ‘Act of Fear and Love’, both entered the top 10 of the UK charts.
In 2015, the band was featured in a Fader article titled “Why Would a Bunch of White Dudes Name Each Other a Slave?”
In 2015, the band was featured in a Fader article titled “Why Would a Bunch of White Dudes Name Each Other a Slave?”
(Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)
At the time, Vincent told Fader that he and Holman were surprised by reviews of the group name. He explained that they were looking for “an abrasive-sounding word, like Clash” when trying to come up with a name.
“We just liked the word. We weren’t trying to provoke,” he added.
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Vincent told the outlet: “Someone once wrote on our Facebook wall, ‘No one but African Americans have the right to use the word slaves.’
He continued: “Obviously a lot of words have two meanings: if you say ‘I feel like a slave to work’ or ‘I’m a slave to routine’, that’s no disrespect to human trafficking. slaves.”
“You have to use words or you’re going to be scared of everything. We already live in a society where people are already terrified of how they act by being interpreted, and it’s getting harder and harder.”
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