SoapGirls U.S. Tour Shows Canceled Amid Racism Allegations

Several U.S. tour dates for South Africa-raised rock band The SoapGirls were canceled this week after accusations of racist behavior spread online, including a planned Milwaukee-area show.

The band was scheduled to perform at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy on Aug. 27. The venue has since canceled the concert and said refunds are being processed immediately. It did not give a reason for the cancellation on its website.

Milwaukee punk band Feral Opposition, which was scheduled to open the show, said in a Facebook statement that the concert was canceled after the band learned of allegations involving The SoapGirls.

“Immediately upon learning of racist behavior from the SoapGirls, the show at X-Ray Arcade on 8/27/26 has been cancelled,” Feral Opposition wrote. “Thank you to our community for speaking up. We apologize for not finding this out sooner.”

The Journal Sentinel reported that it contacted both X-Ray Arcade and Feral Opposition for additional information but had not received responses.

Other SoapGirls concerts in Chicago, Minneapolis, New Haven, Connecticut, and Columbus, Ohio, were also canceled around Aug. 20.

The cancellations followed a discussion on Reddit’s punk community, where a thread accused The SoapGirls of being a “racist band on tour.” Much of the criticism focused on the song “Black Mass,” released on the sisters’ 2016 album, “Calls For Rebellion.”

The song contains lines referring to “savages” and a “black plague,” as well as a reference to “white chicks.” Critics have pointed to those lyrics as evidence of racist attitudes.

The SoapGirls, sisters Noemie and Camille Debray, have not directly addressed the canceled shows. However, they recently posted an explanation of “Black Mass,” saying the song was written in response to xenophobic violence they witnessed while living in South Africa.

“We were living in South Africa when horrific xenophobic violence was taking place against migrants from other African countries,” the sisters wrote.

They said the word “savages” in the song was not intended to describe a race or ethnic group, but rather people who were carrying out violent attacks.

“Anyone is free to criticise our music, our opinions, our appearance or anything else about us,” the sisters wrote. “We will defend that freedom. But we will also defend the truth about our art. ‘Black Mass’ was written against hatred.”

The controversy has now resulted in multiple canceled performances during the band's U.S. tour, as venues and local musicians respond to concerns raised by fans and members of the punk community.