Released under their original name Slaves, SOFT PLAY made a huge impact with their 2015 debut album ‘Are You Satisfied?’. Building upon their riotous early live shows, the album saw Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent translate their visceral underground punk attack into an unlikely mainstream proposition. The album debuted in the Top 10, securing Gold certification and a Mercury Prize nomination along the way. Now SOFT PLAY mark the tenth anniversary of their debut record with the release of the deluxe package ‘Are You Satisfied?’ on August 29th.
‘Are You Satisfied?’ features the original album which feels as fresh as ever, including live staples ‘The Hunter’, ‘Sockets’ and another of their most streamed tracks in the shape of ‘Cheer Up London’, plus ‘Hey’ which they performed during their unforgettable ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ debut – watch that performance HERE.
It is completed with a host of other material from the era including b-sides, tracks from the ‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth’ EP, a demo of ‘Tricky’ and their standout BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge cover of ‘Shutdown’ by Skepta; watch that performance HERE; they also memorably performed the track with Skepta at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Norwich in 2015.
Previously only available digitally, this extended collection will receive its first ever physical release on coloured double-vinyl and CD formats. It will be completed with updated cover art featuring the SOFT PLAY logo, plus a selection of archive photography. It is now available to pre-order HERE.
Laurie says, "Ten years since we released our debut album. 'Are you satisfied?' Took us places we never dreamed were reachable and it was the foundation our career was built upon. It only feels right to re issue it with our new improved name."
The duo’s original chapter continued with two further Top 10 albums: 2016’s ‘Take Control’ (produced by Mike D of Beastie Boys) and 2018’s ‘Acts of Fear and Love’. After taking on the new name SOFT PLAY late in 2022, they made a life-affirming comeback with 2024’s ‘HEAVY JELLY’. It’s a record of full-throttle anarchic unpredictability, taking in raging punk, nu-metal attacks, slamming hardcore and swaggering, heavyweight grooves. Yet while it’s a set of visceral intensity, it possesses the heart of an embrace from an old friend, with a wealth of observational wit, humorous self-deprecation, and an overarching theme of starting again after loss.
‘HEAVY JELLY’ fired into the charts at #3 - the highest position of their career to date. Meanwhile, international touring included festivals such as Glastonbury, Coachella, and Download, shows as guests with everyone from Kneecap to Robbie Williams, and Sold-Out tours as far afield as North America and Australia. An expanded vision of the album emerged earlier this year with ‘HEAVIER JELLY’.
SOFT PLAY’s touring schedule for the rest of the year includes major European festival dates, a second North American headline tour, and select shows as guests to bands as varied as IDLES, Slipknot, The Libertines, Cage The Elephant and more. Their forthcoming shows are listed below, please see HERE for ticketing info.
June
13 - Firenze Rocks, Italy
17 - Piazza Ariostea, Ferrara, Italy (w/ Slipknot)
19 - Hellfest, France
21 - Pinkpop, Netherlands
23 - Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany (w/ Slipknot)
28 - Mighty Sounds, Czech Republic
July
05 - Dreamland, Margate, UK (w/ The Libertines)
17 - Benicassim, Spain
19 - Iveagh Gardens, Ireland (w/ The Murder Capital)
August
1 - Queen Square, Bristol (w/ IDLES)
3 - OFF Festival, Poland
4 - Lorkese Festival, Belgium
8 - Summer Well Festival, Romania
9 - Gunnersbury Park, London (w/ The Libertines)
14 - Parades De Couras, Portugal
22 - Reading Festival, UK
23 - Leeds Festival, UK
September
18 - Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL (w/ Cage The Elephant)
20 - Shaky Knees Festival, Atlanta, GA
21 - Riot Fest, Chicago, IL
23 - Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
25 - The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
26 - House of Blues, San Diego, CA
27 - August Hall, San Francisco, CA
29 - The Rickshaw, Vancouver, BC
October
02 - Echo, Dallas, TX
04 - Furnace Fest, Birmingham, AL
TRACKLIST:
‘The Hunter’
‘Cheer Up London’
‘Sockets’
‘Despair And Traffic’
‘Do Something’
‘Are You Satisfied?’
‘Wow!!!7AM’
‘Hey’
‘Live Like An Animal’
‘Ninety Nine’
‘She Wants Me Now’
‘Feed The Mantaray’
‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth’
‘Where's Your Car Debbie?’
‘Beauty Quest’
‘White Knuckle Ride’
‘Shutdown’
‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House’
‘Why Would You?’
‘OK’
‘I Shine My Shoes With A Dirty Vest’
‘Tricky’