If you had any plans to see a live show by Melbourne R&B group The Do Ya Thangs in the near future, don’t be surprised to see a band by a totally different name take the stage, with the group announcing their new moniker earlier today.
As The Music reports, The Do Ya Thangs have officially changed their name to Leisure Centre following concerns that their previous name could be considered culturally inappropriate.
“We recently received some feedback on the name of our band,” explained bandleader Hugh Rabinovici. “The feedback highlighted the inappropriate use of African American vernacular as branding by a predominantly Anglo Australian group.”
“Admittedly, when I named the band, this was not on my radar,” he continued. “Although in the years since starting the band I’ve learnt more about the dynamics of power, privilege and identity, I evidently hadn’t reflected on this in relation to our band name.”
“Rightly, this feedback made me uncomfortable. After some discussion we quickly acknowledged the name was out of line with our values and we needed to do something about it.”
With the band now operating under the name of Leisure Centre, Hugh Rabinovici admits he’s “excited” about the new name and the group’s direction. “Leisure Centre for me represents an iconic part of the suburban landscape in which I grew up, along with some poolside good times,” he explains. “I think it’s a much better fit for who we are as a group.”
Sadly, the name change means that the release date of band’s debut album, Mind Full, has been pushed back to July 20th. However, The Music does note that the group’s new single, ‘Don’t Let Go’, is on track for an April 20th release.
Check out Leisure Centre’s previous single, ‘Those Days’:
