Back in the fall of 2021, the U.S.-based band Slaves decided to change their name to Rain City Drive. At the time, the formerly Jonny Craig-fronted outfit cited concerns with the racial connotations that their moniker invoked as being a deciding factor for abandoning the name.
There was also the then ongoing confusion with the English punk band Slaves as well. After a hiatus, that latter band have now returned and opted to change their name as well, emerging under the new moniker of Soft Play.
Speaking via Instagram on the matter, the UK version of the outfit formerly known as Slaves commented:
“…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 back into a corner, our own pride caused us to fit 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 offended.”
