The 1975 are being sued by those behind Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival after Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross Macdonald in protest against the country’s strict anti-LGBT laws.
The British band were due to perform at the festival last July, but the move caused an outcry in the country. The three-day event was cancelled and headliners The Kid Laroi and The Strokes did not play. The FSA has now blamed The 1975.
Future Sound Asia (FSA), the festival’s organiser, said it had received “a written guarantee before the show” 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.
For failing to comply with the law, the band members have now been individually sued in a lawsuit seeking $2.4 million (£1.9 million) in damages, as their actions led to the festival’s cancellation.
The 1975 are being sued by those behind Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival after Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross Macdonald in protest against the country’s strict anti-LGBT laws
The British band were due to perform at the festival last July, but the move caused an outcry in the country and the three-day event was cancelled. Headliners The Kid Laroi and The Strokes also did not play. The FSA now blames The 1975 (pictured July 2024).
In court documents obtained by Variety, organizers allege that 1975 and their team were aware of the restrictions placed on their performance.
The 1975 performed in 2016 and organisers claim they repeatedly reminded the band about laws around swearing, smoking, drinking alcohol, removing clothing and mentioning politics and religion.
They also reportedly stressed that the band was aware of the rules set by Malaysia’s Central Agency for the Application of Foreign Film and Performance by Foreign Artists (PUSPAL), which prohibit “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or engaging in such acts with each other.”
As part of their $350,000 contract to play the festival, the 1975 duo agreed to these restrictions.
The court documents also reportedly reveal that PUSPAL denied the band’s request to perform at the festival last year because of Matty’s drug addiction, which they were able to alleviate by agreeing to the rules.
The lawsuit alleges that the band decided the night before that they did not want to perform, but then changed their minds and decided to perform with a new setlist, violating the previously agreed-upon rules.
The FSA alleged that Matty’s offensive language, damage to equipment and indecent behaviour on stage led to the event being cancelled.
The FSA alleged that Matty’s offensive language, damage to equipment and indecent behaviour on stage led to the event being cancelled.
Speaking ahead of the controversial and passionate kiss, Healy, a long-time gay rights advocate, said: “I don’t see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”
He added: ‘I made a mistake. When we booked shows, I didn’t look at them.
“Unfortunately, you’re not going to get a set full of uplifting songs because I’m so angry and that’s not fair to you. You’re not representative of the government because you’re young people. And I’m sure many of you are gay, progressive and cool.”
After the performance, the FSA released a statement saying that they had sent the band a letter of claim calling on The 1975 to ‘admit their liability and compensate FSA for the damages suffered’. However, the amount was not specified.
In a further statement, lawyers for the organisation said they were seeking £2,099,154.54 in damages.
A source close to the band told MailOnline: ‘Matty has a long history of being an advocate 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 some intimate and touching photos with his bandmate, once again showing his opposition to Malaysian laws
“The claim against The 1975 is essentially based on breach of contract,” said David Mathew, legal adviser to the FSA.
‘They have entered into a binding contract with Future Sound Asia to perform and the position of Future Sound Asia and others is that this contractual obligation has been breached.
‘Furthermore, Mr. Healy’s representative provided written assurances prior to the show that Mr. Healy and The 1975’s live performances ‘will adhere to all local guidelines and regulations’ during their performance in Malaysia.
‘Unfortunately, this assurance was ignored.’
Mr Mathew added: ‘Future Sound Asia is taking action in response to The 1975’s breach of contract.
‘Their actions have impacted local artists and small businesses, who rely on the festival for their creative opportunities and livelihoods.
‘In this regard, Future Sound Asia wants to move forward in a manner that provides some peace to the affected Malaysian community.’
The FSA has previously indicated that if the latest warning is not heeded, legal proceedings will be initiated in the English courts.
Following the incident, Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs said The 1975 had been blacklisted by an agency that oversees foreign artists performing in Malaysia.
Following the event, The 1975 canceled two tours: We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Taipei Music Centre in Taiwan, Asia.
The onstage protest wasn’t the first for Healy, who in 2019 kissed a male fan during a concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has strict anti-LGBTQ laws.
Malaysian Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Fahmi Fadzil vowed to take swift action following the incident and posted a news report about the kiss, calling it a “very rude act.”
After consulting with organizers, he later ordered the “immediate cancellation” of the three-day festival.
“Never touch the sensitivities of the community, especially if they go against the norms and values of the local culture,” he later tweeted.
In a statement also posted on Twitter, the festival confirmed that the cancellation had been made at the behest of the Ministry of Communications “as a result of the controversial behaviour and comments of British artist Matty Healy”.
Representatives were contacted prior to 1975.