Soft Play

The catchy name The Clash was taken, so they went with the next best option: Slaves. It wasn’t meant as a provocation, they say, but as evocation of “the grind of day to day life.” Ten years later, they decided to rename themselves Soft Play. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the Mercury Prize-nominated British duo’s musical trajectory. Raised on old-school punk and street rap, they have a sound that’s as loud as it is pithy, and have won praise from the Beastie Boys’ Mike D, who produced their third album, Take Control. Their list of fans includes Robbie Williams, who made a surprise feature on their most recent LP, Heavy Jelly. Play it on your home stereo and you’ll be on your feet in no time. Who know’s what’ll happen live at the OFF Festival!