UK Slaves: British punk band change name to Soft Play after criticism

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Slaves: British punk band change name to Soft Play after criticism​

British punk band Slaves have changed their name, saying it "doesn't represent who we are as people or what our music stands for any longer".

The duo, who have had three UK top 10 albums and a Mercury Prize nomination, will now be known as Soft Play.

They said their original name "was intended solely as a reference to the grind of day-to-day life".

A statement added: "We want to sincerely apologise to anyone we've offended."

The name caused controversy when the group made their breakthrough in 2014/15, with The Fader publishing an article headlined: "Why Would A Band Of White Dudes Name Themselves Slaves?"

The Kent band defended their choice at the time, posting a statement explaining that they had been "working tedious 9-5 jobs when we started playing together, stacking shelves and mopping floors".

They said: "Our name and music is aimed at being a slave to day-to-day life and routine. It is a metaphorical use of the word...

"Cease Fire and Wishing Well are the first two tracks we ever wrote, they address people addicted to smoking and the struggle of the day-to-day rat race: 'It doesn't matter if they're taken because they'll take you'."

Now, they are returning after a three-year break and have put out a new statement saying: "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 any more. 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."

 

[GenericEdgelordSupreme]

Not only is this dumb and un-punk but they also picked the most stupid cringe name ever to change to. It sounds so pathetic and so creepy at the same time.

I wanna see all the metal and -core bands called stuff like Syphilitic Dickfuck Holocaust change their names to Frolicking Puppies or some shit, now that'd be cute.

Anal Cunt did an entire album called Picnic of Love, featuring tracks such as "I Respect Your Feelings as a Woman and a Friend" which is all acoustic and gay as fuck just to be ironic. (The rest of their music is mostly shamelessly offensive noisegrind, which sucks talent-wise but I still enjoy for the pure sadism of making other people listen to it involuntarily)

 

[Manwithn0n0men]

Not only is this dumb and un-punk but they also picked the most stupid cringe name ever to change to. It sounds so pathetic and so creepy at the same time.

I wanna see all the metal and -core bands called stuff like Syphilitic Dickfuck Holocaust change their names to Frolicking Puppies or some shit, now that'd be cute.

Soft Play sounds like a fucking easy listening band

 

[A Gay Retard]

Meanwhile The Queers are going strong after 41 years of trolling people with their name.

In a 2017 interview, Joe Queer stated "I get called a Nazi and racist because of our name, and then because I had an opinion about the Ferguson thing,” he says. “I'm liberal as hell, and I was taken aback by how quickly people attacked me. To this day, I'll get snide comments. I was jumped by Nazis as a gay person, even though I'm not gay. I fought Nazis, so to be called a Nazi is lame by this alt-left." In the same interview he states that humor is a way to social change, we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously and that many people are looking for a reason to be offended, "“In the old days of punk rock, all these bands were laughing at themselves, and they got their point across through humor,” King says. “The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, the Dickies, the Angry Samoans, Flipper, X — they were funny, but they had a message. They were laughing at themselves. I don't think the new liberals are really offended. I think they're just looking for a reason to say they're offended. They completely take everything out of context. It's so insincere, this faux outrage."

 

[PFM]

Good slaves doing what their masters tell them

 

[Lady Adjani]

Anal Cunt did an entire album called Picnic of Love, featuring tracks such as "I Respect Your Feelings as a Woman and a Friend" which is all acoustic and gay as fuck just to be ironic. (The rest of their music is mostly shamelessly offensive noisegrind, which sucks talent-wise but I still enjoy for the pure sadism of making other people listen to it involuntarily)

They truly have a penchant for writing hard hitting and moving ballads

 

[keytar]

Soft Play sounds like a fucking easy listening band

Soft Play sounds like the name Spandau Ballet should have, but they have a kinda edgy name. Maybe the 2 should swap names

 

[Manwithn0n0men]

I clicked on one of their music videos

they reference Slaves in a kink context (beyond wages slaves)

Fuck these guys for being soft and retard

 

[The Token Ethnic]

Remember when punk was edgy and you'd have musicians wearing shirts like this? Crass was right. Punk is dead. This is the second band to do the same thing. There was an American band that did it back in the late 90s and changed their name from Slaves to Pleasure Forever.

 

[Pee Cola]

This is the most retarded change of a band's name since The Dixie Chicks changed their name to The Chicks.

 

[Super-Chevy454]

They should rename themselves The Cucks. It’s more fitting

Good suggestion althought they could also rename themselves as The Cowards.

 

[Table Country]

I AM A law abiding citizen
DUNNO WHAT I WANT BUT it's probably at asda
I WANNA do my taxes on time

 

[Happy Fish]

Ironically, showing themselves to be slaves.

 

[Idiotron]

Nothing says PUNK more than conforming to what society tells you to do.

 

[GenericEdgelordSupreme]

They truly have a penchant for writing hard hitting and moving ballads

I also enjoy,
"Ha ha, holocaust
ha ha, holocaust
ha ha, holocaust
I'm glad lots of people died"

Pure poetry.

 

[Action Orange]

Oh not again.. There was a band I liked back in the day that was called Vietcong that changed their name to fucking Preoccupations off all things. This was right at the beginning of shit going super woke(like maybe 2015 or so), and I was just appalled that a band would just ditch a dope name like Vietcong for something so generic.

A friend of mine at the time(who is now an enby commie, go figure) took up for them by saying "they just wanted to stop offending people so that people will just focus on the music!". I responded by saying "Well now they arent gonna make any new fans because their name fucking sucks!" and he was just like "yeah...". Like even he had to agree with me lmao

 

[saintJogger]

Soft Play? I would've gone with Race Play, but I guess there's still a pinch of that punk attitude in me from back in the 80's when I was listening to punk music.

edit. Punks are fucking pussies these days. Every punk gig or festival is a 'safe space' so ugly, fat chicks can feel 'not threatened'. That's pretty far from punk as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Dambusters' Dog II]

They aren't a punk band. A real punk band would have changed their name to White Niggers.

You literally read my mind.

 

[Pelican Bones]

There was a time when white men were being systematically enslaved. That's actual history.

What did the white man do about it? They started a fucking war to stop it, then afterwards wrote a marching song that included the lyrics "... to the shores of Tripoli".

America... fuck yeah

 

[Megaton Punch]

Meanwhile The Queers are going strong after 41 years of trolling people with their name.

In a 2017 interview, Joe Queer stated "I get called a Nazi and racist because of our name, and then because I had an opinion about the Ferguson thing,” he says. “I'm liberal as hell, and I was taken aback by how quickly people attacked me. To this day, I'll get snide comments. I was jumped by Nazis as a gay person, even though I'm not gay. I fought Nazis, so to be called a Nazi is lame by this alt-left."

>snake begins to eat its own tail
>the head cries "wait! I'm liberal, just like you! You can't do this to me!"
>starts rambling about nazis

The rare IRL relevant username

 

[Scolopendra Dramatica]

Fucking pussies. The only true punk response would be to rename themselves Nigger Slaves.