Woke band Slaves change their NAME in case it 'offends' anyone - 'We'll now be called Soft Play!'

Punk band Slaves have announced a name change while “sincerely apologising” to anyone “offended” by their previous name.

The duo, consisting of Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent, had been known as Slaves since their inception in 2012.

In a statement posted to their official Instagram, the band said the original name was a reference to “the grind of day to day life”.

The band have faced criticism over the name 'Slaves' due to the word's historical associations.

Holman and Vincent made reference to this in their statement, saying they responded to it “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.”.

The band have been on a hiatus in recent years, with both members launching personal music projects.

Ending their hiatus, the pair announced they will be making music again under a new name, ‘Soft Play’.

Explaining their decision, they said: “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.”

Holman and Vincent acknowledge people having “different opinions” on their previous name, and hoped their fans would be able to “accept” their decision.

They said: “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.”