Kent punks 'Slaves' return from hiatus with new name 'Soft Play'
Issac Holman and Laurie Vincent announce their return!
Taken from Instagram: @softplayband
Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent have announced that they will be returning to making music under a new name ‘Soft Play’ (@softplayband)
Having gained huge international recognition as punk band ‘Slaves’, the pair took to social media to announce their return from hiatus, but also the reasons behind their change of name.
“There were times over the last few years when we never thought we would ever step on foot on a stage together again.
"However we feel that the time has now come to pick up where we left off. Before we do that though, we want to address something important.
"When we called our band Slaves, it was intended solely as a reference to the grind of day-to-day life.
"As younger men, we responded to criticism of the name from a place of fear and defensiveness.
"Feeling backed into a corner, our own pride caused us to fight for a name we weren't even sure we wanted anymore.
"It felt at times as if our band name had defined us and we were scared of what might happen if we changed it.
"However, we now recognise that our original intent doesn't change the fact that the name Slaves is an issue.
"In this day and age we believe it is very important that people change and make improvements no matter how far down the line they are.
"The name doesn't represent who we are as people or what our music stands for any longer. We want to sincerely apologise to anyone we've offended.
"We are aware that people have differing opinions on the name, we hope you can accept and respect our decision and not continue the argument between yourselves.
"When it comes down to it, the music and the community surrounding our band are what matter the most and we don't want anything to stand in the way of that community being as inclusive as possible. Our music is for anyone and everyone.
"With that being said, we are very happy to be back together again and are excited for what the future holds. Our new name is 'SOFT PLAY'."
As long time fans of the duo, ‘cene Magazine cannot wait to see Laurie and Issac working together again.
Welcome home Soft Play!
See our interview with Issac & Laurie back in 2017 HERE
