Saturday nights in Columbia may often be reserved for partying or Gamecock athletics, but as the line at New Brookland Tavern extended into the street nearly half an hour before showtime, many residents had something more serious on their mind.
The Bands Not Bans fundraising show, held at New Brookland Tavern on Jan. 25, featured performances from local bands Eighth House, Som’bout and Sunhouse. Proceeds from the show went towards supporting Planned Parenthood and the Palmetto State Abortion Fund.
Attendees heard about issues surrounding reproductive healthcare from state representative Heather Bauer (D- District 75) and other local reproductive rights advocates.
Bauer said that South Carolina's current abortion restriction is unpopular and has proved to be harmful to maternal health.
"Since the ban has passed... more woman have died trying to give birth in the state," Bauer said. "I came here tonight to hopefully show people that talking about it (reproductive healthcare) is really important."
South Carolina law bans nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law currently has exceptions for pregnancies that are a threat to the mother or fetus' life or that are a result of rape or incest.
Wayne Borders, the intake director for the Palmetto State Abortion Fund, said the purpose of the Bands Not Bans show was to help build community and open up discussions around abortion.
“If we are going to be serious about being the land of the free, home of the brave, we need people who are willing to have discussions openly and honestly about abortion,” Borders said.
Borders said that the funds received from the show will go towards supporting both individual abortion appointments and overall reproductive rights.
T Adams, a third-year social work student at USC and one of the organizers of Bands Not Bans, said education was another main goal of the show. Adams said that the Palmetto State Abortion Fund and Planned Parenthood provide much more to the community than many realize.
“This money is not only going towards helping individuals who may need an abortion, but it also goes towards people that need Plan B or need ultrasounds,” Adams said. “They offer so much more than just (abortions). They also offer education and they offer community resources to other organizations.”
Audience member Artemis Kipling said the services Planned Parenthood offers have helped her personally.
“I get all of my gender care done (at Planned Parenthood) and I was able to get all of that through them far easier than through private insurance,” Kipling said. “It was super critical for me to have access to that.”
Kipling also said that private funding for Planned Parenthood is especially important currently, due to potential changes in government funding from the new Donald Trump led presidential administration.
The Trump administration has already reinstated the Mexico City policy, which cut off aid to any group that provides abortion services or advocates for abortion rights operating in a foreign country. President Trump has also suggested support for a national ban that would restrict abortion access after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and backed a bill banning abortions under 20 weeks of pregnancy in 2017.
The crowd at the Bands Not Bans charity concert cheers at New Brookland Tavern on Jan. 25, 2025. The event was put on by the Palmetto State Abortion Fund and Planned Parenthood.
Laurent Duverglas of Eighth House, who performed at the show pro-bono, said that performing at political charity events like Bands Not Bans is very important to the band. Duverglas said they hope more artists speak out about issues like reproductive rights, and that artists have a duty to care about politics.
“(Reproductive rights restrictions are) going to impact people’s lives not just the artists but the people who consume the art,” Duverglas said. “I think more artists should be speaking out about things like this, especially with this current administration.”
Borders said that individuals looking to help support the Palmetto State Abortion Fund can donate or buy merchandise from the fund's website.
Five Point frequenters can be on the look out for more community outreach events, Adams said.
“There is going to be some other small businesses that you will definitely be hearing about in the future that are going to be doing stuff like (Bands Not Bans),” Adams said.