Last Sunday, at Glastonbury 2024, punk duo Bob Vylan joined Soft Play onstage for a performance of their riotous track ‘One More Day Won’t Hurt’. Soft Play announced their name change from Slaves in 2022 after conversations between the bands’ vocalists, Isaac Holman and Bobby, and other members of Bob Vylan. Bob Vylan have been instrumental in the evolution of Soft Play’s sound, and the duo attributed a lot of their shift in direction to conversations with their punk counterparts.
Reflecting on their performance at Glastonbury, NME reviewer Sophie Williams said the performance “celebrated their friendship and looked towards a fresh start”. Williams acknowledged a period of hardship and struggle for Soft Play, including mental health issues and grief. In 2019, Vinyl’s partner passed away, and after an extended hiatus, it wasn’t clear whether the pair would return to the stage. However, they made their electrifying comeback at the iconic festival with a mix of old and new tracks.
The band first announced their name change in 2022. The initial name was meant to reflect “the grind of day-to-day life,” but the band acknowledged that it was problematic and that the name Slaves was an issue. Guitarist Laurie Vincent said at the time that if Vylan felt uncomfortable wearing their merch while being a fan, then there must be others who feel the same way.
Vincent reflected that he’d “responded to criticism of the name from a place of fear and defensiveness,” and it took years of therapy to see past that. The band concluded in their statement that they feared losing their identity as a unit alongside their original name. But for Holman, discussions with Vylan were the catalyst for change and a fresh start.
Soft Play’s set at Glastonbury brought to a close the monumental festival’s 2024 run. Their performance marked a celebration of progress, friendship and creative collaboration
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