Cancel Culture raises its ugly head and this time it got personal.
When I saw that the SoapGirls concert at Liars Club was cancelled because of unfair accusation via Kat Abu I immediately reached out to the band and schedule them on what was soon to be my biggest/most listened to podcast. I was offended by the fact that the livelihood of the sisters who are natives of South Africa and the lyrics to a song which is almost a decade old were twisted and taken out of context and resulted in a barrage of Anti American social justice warriors to fuel their miserable intentions.
It would hit home when I had booked the band to play locally and within 12 hours the SJW’s bragged about how they had it shut down. And once again I find myself being the victim of unfair attacks on social media .
Lets start from the beginning:
Katherine Abughazaleh known professionally as Kat Abu is an American journalist and social media influencer.
On September 23 and 26, 2025, Abughazaleh participated in demonstrations against the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement actions. )
During the protests, Abughazaleh was physically pushed and thrown to the ground by ICE agents after allegedly trying to impede a federal vehicle.
In late October 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Abughazaleh and five others (dubbed the “Broadview Six”) on felony charges including conspiracy to impede a federal officer. Prosecutors alleged the group surrounded an agent’s vehicle, banged on it, and caused property damage.
The connection between journalist Kat Abughazaleh and the alternative punk rock duo The SoapGirls stems from an August 2026 controversy that led to the cancellation of several of the band’s U.S. tour dates.
During an August 19, 2026 livestream on YouTube, Kat Abughazaleh—a prominent progressive social media influencer, journalist, and former Illinois congressional candidate—critiqued The SoapGirls ahead of their scheduled American concerts.
Abughazaleh, along with independent journalist Wiley Cope, highlighted the South African-raised band’s history of controversial online rhetoric. The public call-out focused on several specific points:
- Conspiracy Theories: Screenshots surfaced showing the band making past statements supporting the “white genocide” conspiracy theory in South Africa, as well as claims that the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack was orchestrated by “BLM/Antifa”.
- Song Lyrics: Detractors drew attention to the lyrics of their 2015 song “Black Mass,” which contains references to “savages”. (The band subsequently defended the track on The SoapGirls Facebook Page, asserting the song was about violent mobs rather than race, and that the title was a religious reference).
Following the online backlash amplified by Abughazaleh’s stream and subsequent social media traction, music venues (notably in cities like Columbus, Ohio) began canceling the band’s upcoming shows.
STATEMENT FROM Mie & Mille THE SOAPGIRLS
For all those who don’t know us . We are NOT racist. We are NOT white supremacists. We are NOT neo-Nazis.
Our community isn’t built around race, sexuality, nationality, religion or politics.
It’s built around people who don’t fit into boxes.
Our music has always stood for freedom, individuality, human rights, self-empowerment ,animal rights ,
and standing against injustice and hatred.
Racism is the enemy.
White supremacy is the enemy.
Hate is the enemy.
This is who we are. This is who we have always been.
We – Mille and Mie – have never used the band’s X/Twitter account or written or posted anything on it.
Over the years, other people had access to the account on the band’s behalf.
We have taken time to review what happened.
While not every screenshot circulating online has been independently verified, we accept that posts appeared on the account that do not represent our beliefs.
We should have had better oversight of what was published in our name, and we apologise for that.
Third-party access has now been removed from the X account. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok are the platforms we personally operate and where you hear directly from us.
ABOUT “BLACK MASS” — FROM MIE & MILLE
We never thought that more than a decade after writing “Black Mass,” we would have to explain that a song we wrote against hatred and violence was not a song promoting it.
But because the song is now being shared without the story behind it, we want to tell you, in our own words, why we wrote it.
We were living in South Africa when horrific xenophobic violence was taking place against migrants from other African countries.
We watched human beings turning against other human beings. We saw the fear, the hatred, the mob mentality and the brutality that comes when people stop seeing the person in front of them as another human being.
It horrified us.
That is why we wrote “Black Mass.”
The “savages” in the song are not a race of people. They are the people committing the violence.
The words describe the terror and ugliness of a violent mob — the bloodlust, the rampage, families crying and a society in which humanity is disappearing.
And the title “Black Mass” has nothing to do with Black people. It refers to a Black Mass in its established religious sense — an inversion of a Catholic Mass.
Most importantly, we are not creating this explanation today.
Years ago, long before the current controversy, we were specifically asked in an interview what Black Mass was about.
Mie explained:
“At that time there were a lot of xenophobic attacks happening which was shocking and terrible to see…”
Mille described what we had witnessed simply as:
“Just pure evil.”
In that same interview we explained the meaning of the title and spoke about the horrific violence that inspired the song.
You don’t have to take our word for what we’ve always said. The interview is still there. Read it for yourself:
Read our original explanation of “Black Mass” — New Sound Generation
Black Mass was subsequently released on our first independent album, Calls for Rebellion, in 2015.
What makes writing this particularly heartbreaking is that more than a decade later, xenophobia and violence against African migrants is once again causing terrible suffering in South Africa.
In recent months, foreign African nationals have again been attacked, people have been killed and migrant-owned businesses have been looted. Thousands upon thousands of people have left South Africa amid the renewed anti-immigrant hostility and violence.
It breaks our hearts.
Because this is exactly the kind of hatred we were writing against.
Taking individual words from a song, removing them from the events and story they describe, and assigning a completely different meaning to them does not change why that song was written.
We have spent our lives standing up for individuality, outsiders, misfits and people being bullied, judged or persecuted for being who they are.
Anyone is free to dislike us.
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.
It was written against mob violence.
It was written because what we witnessed broke our hearts.
More than a decade later, watching human beings once again being attacked because of where they come from breaks our hearts all over again.
Humanity has no race.
Hatred has no justification.
Violence is never the answer.
Mie & Mille THE SOAPGIRLS
Excerpts by By Kevin Francis @ www.heraldmalaysia.com
The ugly truth about ‘cancel culture’When we “cancel” without offering a way back, we deny the very humanity we claim to defend. It’s one thing to hold someone responsible; it’s another to erase them altogether. True accountability requires both truth and grace — calling out wrongdoing while still believing in the possibility of making things right.
Although cancel culture began as a form of social accountability, it has since evolved into something darker, more divisive, and far less forgiving. At its best, it was meant to call out genuine wrongdoing — to amplify the voices of the marginalised and demand justice where institutions had failed. It gave rise to movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, where victims finally found the courage to speak truth to power. For a while, it felt like a tool of empowerment. But that’s only half the story. The other half — the ugly truth — is that cancel culture has become less about justice and more about judgment. What began as a movement for accountability has turned into a digital firing squad, where the goal is not reform but ruin. Instances of people being “cancelled” are often associated with high-profile figures like J.K. Rowling, Jordan Peterson, and the late Charlie Kirk, but it is also becoming increasingly prevalent among teenagers — our children.
When we “cancel” without offering a way back, we deny the very humanity we claim to defend. It’s one thing to hold someone responsible; it’s another to erase them altogether. True accountability requires both truth and grace — calling out wrongdoing while still believing in the possibility of making things right.
“The pathway to hell is paved with good intentions.” Cancel culture often begins with noble aims but ends up mirroring the very intolerance it seeks to oppose. The ugly truth is that we’ve traded understanding for outrage, and grace for grievance. To build a healthier culture, we must rediscover the power of empathy, dialogue, and forgiveness. After all, none of us would want to be defined by our worst moment — and if redemption isn’t possible for others, it won’t be possible for us either.
Lisa Lightning with The SoapGirls Liars Club early 2026
As of this post the podcast on YouTube has 1,712 views and on SoundCloud are up 1,200%
I’d like to get this ridiculous comment out of the way before you get to read the abundance of praise that I got regarding giving the SoapGirls a platform to defend themselves against the malicious and slanderous accusations that has caused a handful of their shows to get cancelled.
For me this is just about yet ANOTHER Apartheid Apologist South African coming into our country and getting involved in our politics and social structure. Heaven knows they already control our entire government and are surveillancing every U.S. citizen.
I suggest you do more research into Peter Thiel and Palantir. And Musk.
Nothing in your interview convinced me otherwise that they weren’t doing other than what I thought they were: following the lead of their more nefarious countrymen and meddling in our business under the guise of peace and love. Its double talk.
If this continues to generate controversy I’m sure it will get to Musk, Trump and Stephen Miller. And they’ll grant the Soap Girls full citizenship in N Carolina and elsewhere in our country with all the other Afrikaners. Comfortably settled on our tax dollar. fWas probably their goal from the start.
@stephenwood3601
Thanks for this interview. The SoapGirls are the most amazing artists in rock. Chicago’s loss is my gain as ill be seeing them Friday in Grand Rapids.
C. John Austin
Thanks for giving The SoapGirls a chance to speak for themselves. Would have been nice, of course, had you gotten Kat Abughazaleh or someone from one of those venues that cancelled them into the podcast…. as well.
Michael “Boy From No Where” Morlock
If you have ever seen The SoapGirls live, watched their streams, or met them in person, you know that what is being said about them is flat out lie. If you haven’t seen The SoapGirls, I suggest you do. Mille and Mie are two of the kindest people on the planet. They are Outta this World , yet down to Earth animal loving, humanitarians who speak their own mind. That is real ‘punk’. Thinking for yourself.
Darren Swan
Ive known Noemie and Camille for 5 long years they are the most sweetest girls on the planet despite not giving me a guitar pick ????(sorry my darling Mie i love you) i introduced them to my mate and guitarist for Alice Cooper Ryan Roxie he unknowingly to me ended up putting them on his podcast twice go checkout in the trenches with ryan roxie on his youtube channel youll see all his guests are highly famous and hes put The SoapGirls on twice no other guest has been on twice so that there in itself says the honesty and integrity of noemie and camille and their love of supporting everyone they meet be it fans or random strangers and animals they come across its so far from the online hate and smear campaign thats being perpetrated by some horrible cowards online and in their livestreams on facebook instagram and youtube they are not racists as certain dubious types have made them out to be they stand for equality and love for all humans and animals one thing i can attest to is the purity of their hearts and message which is love peace and respect for all living beings long live The SoapGirls Amen?????
@yamuis
Amazing interview with two genuine honest human beings Mille and Mie, with their fabulous mother Sam always in the background. ???? I’ve so much respect for these women!
@Count1970_Lives
Listening now (5.29am U.K. time), what a great interview so far. PLEASE spread the world – TheSoapGirls are beautiful human beings inside & out. Hopefully this will help put the smear campaign to bed
@davidboydarnott417
I’ll go for that! Spread the Word
@edwardblack9680
Thank you for having the stones to have these two beautiful souls on. You’ve gained a fan.
@spacebearsven7130
Thank you, MKUltrasound, for this inverview with The SoapGirls and supporting them so greatly! These ladies are the real deal and I can not imagine my life without them anymore! I can’t describe how much better they have made my life already through their music and kindness – it’s unmeasurable! Again, thank you!
I was right behind Lisa & SoleilRawB with my four friends great time watching the sisters its just heartbreaking what people are saying about them none of you haters better ever show your faces! ?
@edmundwynne8021
love Mie, Mille & Sam
@dalelamyman4944
Great podcast. Their values have always been there and long will they continue along with their immense songs and songwriting ability. They get the pooo thrown at them but that makes them even stronger.
@Tjbrodie123
Love the girls, especially their mother.
@TonyCota1
Its there manager Sam lol
@RocknRandy
Thank you for providing a forum for Mille and Mie to tell their truth, while at the same time creating a record of said truth for people who are seeking to understand both sides of the story and come to an informed opinion about who the girls are/are not. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to arrive at their own opinion, but I can tell you that these women are amazing artists, and more importantly, the most loving and kindhearted humans you will ever meet.
The world is a much better place because of them.???????
@darin.e.k
The thing about having integrity is like not lying – you can always have the same story and message, no matter how people want to twist it – it stands the test of time because it is honest and pure. That’s just not the case for your rock-throwing detractors in their glass houses – truth and time is not on their side.
@Marqus_WithaQ
Great job, Ladies. Kicking ass (as usual).
Keep on Rockin’ My Beautiful Angels, and Much Love Always. ???????
PS–Big shoutout to the Hosts.
Thanks for putting The Girls on your podcast
@TOTOO-cv8ji
Suteki na TSG’s interview deshita ???
@davidboydarnott417
This is an Internationally Famous Act who could command high Ticket Prices… yet they keep their Tickets cheap and affordable for a Mother to able to take a group of Children along. This is a wholesome Act that Children can attend.
@SoleilRawB
Hi Lisa – I was standing right next to you in front at the Liars Club.
@TonyCota1
a great time as usual!
@darin.e.k
I know you can’t say everything you want, especially with so many people trying to talk at the same time, but something I found particularly offensive from the trolls was them saying Sam’s amazing artwork was AI generated. I know Sam spends countless hours on this and they say this just because it is almost too good to be believable. It is so obvious how Sam has been doing this forever, long before such tools existed. This just shows how these people are just willing to throw out the most superficial of accusations without even the most cursory consideration as to whether they even make any sense at all.
@TheSoapGirlsOfficialThank you to MK Ultrasound for giving us the space to be heard. We’re living in dangerous times, where extremism can too easily become the new normal and online outrage can replace truth, context and conversation. Cancel culture needs to be challenged — not with more hate, but with facts, dialogue and the courage to let people be heard.
Speaking of “courage”, the venue owners in the USA really need to step it up so TSG can make a Triumphant Return to the USA in October.
[TAC QUICK – OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT]
?URGENT: PERFORMANCE CANCELLATION
?We regret to inform you that the upcoming performance by The Soap Girls, scheduled to take place at TAC QUICK on Friday, September 4th, 2026, has been canceled.
Sorry for the inconvenience, and ?thank you for your understanding and support.
?Sincerely,
?The TAC Quick Team
The stage at TAC QUICK
Itti Damprapa the owner at TAC QUICK bought the 3 of us dinner after the podcast when we booked the band at the restaurant.
Lard Nar Seafood Khee Mao
Stir-fried seafood, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, tomato, carrots and basil leaf with bean gravy over wide rice noodle
A little fun prior to the demolition of the corner of my neighborhood.
For multiple months we have received complaints regarding the homeless takeovers at several Uptown bus stops. The majority of the complaints have focused on the heavily used bus stop and bus shelter across from Aldi and Target, at the corner of Sunnyside and Broadway.
Reader AK sent the following photos to illustrate the situation.
There is a nearly identical takeover at Wilson and Sheridan that has been the subject of other reader complaints.
Rainy days like yesterday, today, and this weekend present a particular problem. People who would otherwise use the shelters for their intended purpose are forced to stand out in the rain, many with purchases from Aldi and Target. Also, people who may need to sit down due to physical limitations can’t sit down because the benches are inaccessible.
Readers have written to say they have received no real answer from Alderwoman Clay’s office on the issue even though her office is nearly across the street. One reader reported she was told there was “nothing” that could be done, in part due to pushback from local homeless advocates who protested the removal of the bench inside the shelter.
We know DFSS has tried to deal with the situation, but with open drug use and a “party” atmosphere with a rotating cast of characters, the squatting has to come to an end.
If these individuals are resistant to moving, even after good faith outreach, then there need to be consequences for continuing to occupy public spaces in ways that prevent others from using them, starting with removing them.
Like the viaducts, compassion for people experiencing homelessness has to be balanced with the public’s right to use public spaces for their intended purpose.
TAC QUICK lunch with Melita Friday 8/28/2026
Jungle Curry
Spicy curry with mushrooms, peapods, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, jalapeño, galangal root and Thai spices
Its going to be a busy month
Chicago German-American Oktoberfest Sept 11-12-13, 2026
Two days. Two stages. One very big weekend on Clark Street.
September 26 & 27, 2026
Clark Street from Addison to Newport
Wrigleyville, Chicago
For the first time in nearly 30 years, this stretch of Clark Street is shutting down for a full weekend of live music, local food, cold drinks, dancing, games, pop-up experiences, and peak Wrigleyville energy.
Clark Street Live is a brand-new, two-day music festival celebrating the sounds, businesses, and people that make this neighborhood one of Chicago’s favorite places to gather.
With two stages of live music, thousands of festivalgoers, and Wrigley Field’s iconic marquee as the backdrop, this is not your average neighborhood block party.
This is Clark Street, turned all the way up.