The 1975 are being sued by the people behind the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia after Matty Healy kissed bandmate Ross Macdonald in protest against the country’s harsh anti-LGBT laws.
The British band performed at the festival in July last year, however the move caused an uproar in the country and the three-day event was cancelled with headliners The Kid Laroi and The Strokes not playing, for which the FSA now blames The 1975.
Festival organisers Future Sound Asia (FSA) said they had received “a written pre-show assurance” that the band’s set would comply with “all local regulations”.
During their performance at the Kuala Lumpur festival in July, frontman Matty Healy gave a speech about homosexuality, which is illegal in Malaysia, and kissed bassist Ross.
However, after failing to comply with the laws, the band members have been individually named in a lawsuit seeking damages of $2.4m (£1.9m), because their actions led to the cancellation of the festival.
The creators of Malaysia’s Good Vibes festival are suing The 1975 after Matty Healy kissed bandmate Ross Macdonald in protest against the country’s harsh anti-LGBT laws.
The British band performed at the festival in July last year, however, the move caused an uproar in the country and the three-day event was cancelled and headliners The Kid Laroi and The Strokes did not play, for which the FSA now blames The 1975 (pictured July 2024)
In court documents obtained by Variety, organizers claim that 1975 and its crew were generally informed of the restrictions in place surrounding its performance.
The 1975 performed in 2016 and organizers said they repeatedly reminded the band of laws regarding swearing, smoking, drinking alcohol, removing clothing and mentioning politics and religion.
They also reportedly insisted that the band was aware of the rules set by Malaysia’s Central Agency for the Filming and Performance Solicitation of Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) that prohibit “kissing, kissing an audience member or performing such actions on each other.”
As part of their $350,000 contract to play the festival, the 1975 agreed to these restrictions.
According to court documents, it is also claimed that PUSPAL rejected the band’s application to perform at the festival last year due to Matty’s drug addiction, which had been publicized in the past, something they were able to reverse by agreeing to the regulations.
The lawsuit claims the band decided the night before that it did not want to perform and then changed its mind again, deciding to perform with a new set list and performing in violation of previously agreed-upon regulations.
The FSA claimed that Matty’s abusive language, damage to equipment and indecent behaviour on stage led to the event being cancelled.
The FSA claimed that Matty’s abusive language, damage to equipment and indecent behaviour on stage led to the event being cancelled.
Speaking before the controversial and passionate kiss, Healy, a long-time supporter of gay rights, said: “I don’t see the point in inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”
He added: “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I didn’t look at that.”
‘Unfortunately you don’t have access to a lot of inspiring songs because I’m furious and that’s not fair to you, because you’re not a representative of your government because you’re young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay, progressive and cool.’
Following the concert, the FSA issued a statement saying it had sent the band a letter of demand asking The 1975 to “acknowledge their responsibility and compensate the FSA for the damages suffered,” although the amount was not specified.
In a further statement, the organisation’s lawyers said they were demanding £2,099,154.54 in damages.
A source close to the band told MailOnline: “Matty has a long history of standing up for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and the community.”
The outspoken singer responded to the ban and cancellation of the festival.
Matty posted several close and tender photos with his bandmate, once again showing his opposition to Malaysia’s laws.
“The lawsuit against The 1975 is essentially for breach of contract,” said David Mathew, FSA’s legal counsel.
‘They signed a binding contract with Future Sound Asia to perform and the position of Future Sound Asia, among others, is that this contractual obligation was breached.
‘In addition, Mr. Healy’s representative categorically provided a written pre-show assurance that Mr. Healy and The 1975’s live performance would “comply with all local guidelines and regulations” during their run in Malaysia.
“Unfortunately, that promise was ignored.”
Mr Mathew added: ‘Future Sound Asia is taking action in response to The 1975’s breach of contract.
‘Their actions have had repercussions on local artists and small businesses, who depended on the festival for creative opportunities and their livelihood.
‘In this regard, Future Sound Asia wishes to move forward in a manner that will provide the affected Malaysian community with some form of closure.’
The FSA has previously said that failure to heed the final warning will result in legal proceedings in the English courts.
Following the incident, Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation said The 1975 had been blacklisted by a body that oversees foreign artists performing in Malaysia.
Following that event, The 1975 cancelled two tour dates: at We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia, and at the Taipei Music Centre in Taiwan, Asia.
The onstage protest was not the first for Healy, who kissed a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has harsh anti-LGBTQ laws.
Promising swift action after the event, Malaysian Minister for Communications and Digitalisation Fahmi Fadzil posted a news story about the kiss, calling it a “very rude act.”
He later ordered the “immediate cancellation” of the three-day festival after meeting with organizers.
“Never touch the sensitivities of the community, especially those that go against the customs and values of the local culture,” he said in a subsequent tweet.
In a statement also posted on Twitter, the festival confirmed that the cancellation was ordered by the Ministry of Communications “following the controversial conduct and comments made by British artist Matty Healy.”
Representatives have been contacted for the year 1975.
