The SoapGirls Concerts Canceled Following Racism Allegations

Milwaukee Venue Cancels Performance Amid Community Outcry

The band was booked to play at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy on August 27, but the show has been canceled with refunds being processed immediately, according to the venue website. While the venue page did not give an explicit explanation for the abrupt pull, Milwaukee band Feral Opposition—who had been booked as their openers—posted a statement on Facebook detailing the decision. According to Feral Opposition, the show was canceled immediately upon learning of racist behavior from The SoapGirls, with the local openers thanking their community for speaking up and apologizing for not finding the information sooner. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out to X-Ray Arcade and Feral Opposition for additional comment and has yet to receive a response.

National Tour Collapses Following Reddit Thread

The Milwaukee cancellation is part of a broader collapse of the band’s itinerary. Other SoapGirls show cancellations include tour stops in Chicago, Minneapolis, New Haven, Connecticut, and Columbus, Ohio. The wave of cancellations began immediately after a thread was created on the Reddit punk page on August 20 labeling The SoapGirls a “racist band on tour.”

The Band Reacts and Responds to Lyrics Criticism

The band, featuring sisters Noemie and Camille Debray, has not addressed the show cancellations specifically. However, they posted online about a song that became a central focus of the criticism, “Black Mass,” from their 2016 album “Calls For Rebellion.” According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the lyrics include lines such as “Savages are coming around, it’s a black plague” and “Savages are coming around, they love the white chicks.”

In a written explanation posted online, the sisters addressed the context of the track: “We were living in South Africa when horrific xenophobic violence was taking place against migrants from other African countries…” The band stated that the word “savages” was used to describe “not a race of people… They are the people committing the violence.” The statement continued by defending artistic expression: “Anyone is free to criticise our music, our opinions, our appearance or anything else about us. We will defend that freedom. But we will also defend the truth about our art. ‘Black Mass’ was written against hatred.”

Social Media History and Publicist Statements

Critics also pointed to past social media commentary alongside the objections to “Black Mass.” According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, critics cited a post on X from 2021 where the band suggested the Black Lives Matter movement was “nothing less than a inverted KKK.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out to a publicist who had previously worked with The SoapGirls and received a statement that echoed many of the band’s published comments regarding the track “Black Mass.”

*Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.*