Wednesday and Mannequin Pussy address Houston show at venue that hosted Ken Paxton

Wednesday and Mannequin Pussy have responded to fan concerns about their Nov. 12 stop at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, the venue that last month hosted an event with far-right Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton. In a joint statement posted to social media, the two bands said they explored moving the Bitch Cabal tour date but found no viable alternative in the city for a show that has already sold 1,400 tickets.

The situation has been building in the scene for weeks. On the night Paxton spoke, Meet Me @ The Altar and Leisure Hour were playing a separate room in the same complex and said they were unhappy to be sharing the address. Sweet Pill later relocated their own Houston show to a different venue.

In their statement, the bands argued that White Oak is one of a shrinking number of independently owned rooms in the country, and that the only Houston spaces large enough to take the show are corporate-owned, which they described as a lateral move in moral terms. They added that local community members told them those alternate venues engage in similar practices.

Rather than cancel, the bands moved the concert to the venue's larger outdoor amphitheater. White Oak agreed to donate its facility fee to organizations chosen by the artists and waived its merch cut so the bands can match the donation, with proceeds going to the Montrose Center and the Houston Immigrant Legal Services Collaborative.

After the Paxton event, White Oak described itself as a neutral forum open to all individuals and organizations and called the appearance a rental event. The bands said they intend to use the night to bring the local community together in opposition.