Slaves: Last News

WARNING: This article contains discussion of child loss and traumatic birthSoft Play’s Isaac Holman has announced that he will be running an ultramarathon for charity following the loss of his and his wife’s baby.The drummer and singer recalled the tragic news with a post on Instagram today (January 9) sharing that he and his wife lost their unborn baby at the end of last year due to a “major heart defect”.Sharing a series of photographs, Holman told fans that he will be running a 57-mile ultramarathon from Glasgow to Edinburgh later this year for the charity Abigail’s Footsteps, and explained what he and his partner have been through in recent months.“At the end of last year, my wife and I said goodbye to our little girl at 21-weeks into our pregnancy,” he began. “We found out after a routine 20-week scan that she had a major heart defect.

Soft Play have spoken to NME about being on course for their highest-charting album yet – with ‘Heavy Jelly’ currently in the top three of the midweeks alongside the likes of Eminem and Glass Animals.UK punk duo Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman released ‘Heavy Jelly’, their first record since changing their name from Slaves to Soft Play, last Friday (July 19).“It would have been a lot easier to stay as Slaves through fear of all of the potential consequences that were running through our heads – losing our fan base, losing our direction, everything we’d built up – that it was actually a really tough thing to do, but we persevered through it, and it’s paid off,” they told NME. “We’ve set an example for people coming after us that it’s never too late to change course.” As Soft Play, the duo’s popularity only grown.

Soft Play have announced a UK headline tour for later this year – you can find all the details below.The duo – FKA Slaves – will hit the road this autumn in support of their fourth studio album ‘Heavy Jelly’, which is due for release on July 19 (pre-order/pre-save here).Kicking off in Brighton on October 15, the upcoming run of dates will also include stop-offs in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Norwich and other locations throughout the month.The tour is set to conclude with a Halloween gig at the O2 Academy Brixton in London on October 31. Support will come from Panic Shack.Tickets go on general sale at 9am BST next Friday (June 21) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.

Soft Play, formerly Slaves, have dropped ‘Everything And Nothing’ – the heartfelt latest single from their upcoming album. Check it out below.Shared today (June 4), the track follows on the previously released ‘Punk’s Dead’, ‘Mirror Muscles’ and ‘Act Violently’, and is set to feature alongside them on their upcoming fourth studio album ‘Heavy Jelly’.

Soft Play – FKA Slaves – have shared their brutal new single ‘Act Violently’ and announced the new album ‘Heavy Jelly’.The new track follows the previously released ‘Punk’s Dead‘ and ‘Mirror Muscles‘, and takes cues from nu-metal with its taut heaviness and the clean punch of its production. It also includes elements of Brit punk.According to a press release, the song was inspired by Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent almost getting hit by an e-scooter as they stepped out of album sessions at The Libertines’ Albion Rooms studio in Margate.“The whole walk back to the studio, we were discussing our contempt for e-scooter drivers.

Soft Play have spoken to NME about their nu-metal inspired single ‘Mirror Muscles’ and what fans can expect from their first album in six years – as well as their decision to ditch the name ‘Slaves’ name and the chances of another collab with Robbie Williams.The punk duo kickstarted a new chapter of their career back in August with snooty comeback track ‘Punk’s Dead’ and last week, they followed it up with the ferocious ‘Mirror Muscles’.“We’ve just really embraced what we were about when we first started this band,” said guitarist Laurie Vincent. “On the last two records (2016’s ‘Take Control’ and 2018’s ‘Acts Of Fear And Love’) we had veered off course accidentally trying to be something we weren’t.

Soft Play have released their heavy new track ‘Mirror Muscles’, marking their first release of the year.The track sees the duo comprising of Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman – formerly known as Slaves – showcase weighty guitar riffs and a pulsing drumbeat as Holman sings “I’ve been working on my Mirror Muscles / See these buttons bursting out of my sleeves” in the chours.The song lyrics take a wryly comic observational look at how bodybuilding has become a very visible nationwide trend – a place where people work relentlessly to look like “Mike Tyson meets Rylan.” Speaking of the song in a press release, the band said: “We love to work out. We frequent the local gymnasium.

Kneecap, Lauren Mayberry, Wunderhorse, Lambrini Girls and more have been announced as performers for The Great Escape 2024.The annual Brighton festival featuring up-and-coming artists from across the world – taking place from May 15-18 this year – has added 150 new names to their line-up spanning pop, electronic, punk, rap and more.The latest additions include Soft Play (formerly known as Slaves), Bradley Simpson (frontman of The Vamps), Been Stellar, Fred Roberts, Love Fame Tragedy, Milk. and more.The festival has also released individual single-day and two-day tickets for fans who are unable to attend the entire weekend.

Soft Play have returned with their ferocious new single ‘Punk’s Dead’ and announced that they will be performing sets at Reading & Leeds 2023.Back in December 2022, the duo comprising Laurie Vincent and Isaac Holman – who were formerly known as Slaves – confirmed their long-awaited return to music and announced their new name.‘Punk’s Dead’ sees the pair addressing the discourse around the decision to update their name as they channel faux-outrage on the rambunctious new track.It also features a cast of family and friends in the bridge along with an unlikely guest feature from Robbie Williams, who sings: “I love you but I disagree / this is bullshit / and I just wanted you to know / snowflake, snowflake / cherries on the woke cake / but I’ll still see you at your show.”Speaking to Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1, Soft Play said that Williams was a fan of the band and wanted to collaborate in some way.Listen to ‘Punk’s Dead’ below.Alongside the new single announcement, Soft Play have confirmed that they will also be joining the bill at Reading & Leeds festival this year, following their recent return to the live circuit with a show at Tunbridge Wells Forum and headline slot at 2000 Trees Festival.The duo will be performing on the Festival Republic Stage at Reading on August 26 and Leeds on August 27. They will also be supporting The Prodigy on tour this autumn.Around the release of their debut album ‘Are You Satisfied?’ in 2015, the band drew criticism for its name as some described it as racially insensitive.

Eurovision star Luke Black has returned with the buoyant and Lily Allen-inspired new single ‘I’m So Happy’. Check it out below along with our interview with the artist.Back in May, Black represented his native Serbia at the Song Contest with the political, “cyber-punk”, sci-fi and video game inspired ‘Samo Mi Se Spava‘ (also known as ‘Sleep Forever’). Now, the London-based artist has returned with a new single – inspired by the landscape, culture and music of his surroundings.“‘I’m So Happy’ is the first song I created when I moved to London to study music,” Black told NME.

The Prodigy have announced details of a 2023 UK tour, as well as telling NME about the band’s plans to “continue to ignite, uplift and destroy”. Check out dates below, along with our interview Liam Howlett.The band suffered the loss of frontman Keith Flint when he took his own life back in 2019, aged 49.

Slaves’ Isaac Holman has shared an emotional post about mental health online.Holman shared a picture of him mid-gig at a festival smiling and seemingly happy.However, he revealed in the post that behind the scenes, he was “unwell” and had to get taken to perform at gigs by his parents due to the debilitating nature of his illness.“This is what mental illness can look like,” Holman wrote. “At this point in my life I was so unwell I couldn’t be without my parents.

Slaves drummer Isaac Holman has announced details of his debut solo album, which will be released under the name Baby Dave.‘Monkey Brain’ will be self-released on April 22, and features instrumental and production contributions from Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn as well new single ’29’.It follows the project’s first single ‘Too Shy For Tennis’, which was released last summer and was also assisted by Albarn.’29’ was written when Holman challenged himself to compose a track during an uneventful coach journey. You can hear the lo-fi electronic track, along with an appropriately bus-themed video below.“There really isn’t much of a story behind this tune, but that’s kind of the whole point,” Holman said.