Muse reveal song swapped and reason for Malaysia setlist change amidst 1975 controversy
Muse have revealed why they swapped a song from their setlist at their recent concert in Malaysia.
The band altered their setlist after The 1975 were banned from Kuala Lumpur last month due to frontman Matty Healy’s on-stage criticism of the Malaysian government’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Muse were the first major international act to perform in Malaysia on Saturday (July 29) since the incident, and according to an organiser of their Kuala Lumpur concert, the band were proactive in ensuring that their performance fits into the country’s guidelines.
“They called us shortly after the incident went global. After discussions, they decided to pull one song out of the setlist due to the title of the song. It’s nice to know they’re eager to entertain while also respecting the guidelines,” Hello Universe founder Adam Ashraf said.
Now, Muse drummer Dominic Howard has revealed that the group decided to play ‘Resistance’ instead of ‘We Are Fucking Fucked’.
Explaining the reason for the change, he wrote: “What a tour. So much thanks and gratitude goes out to everyone that came to see us this summer. It’s been epic. Side note: We chose to play Resistance over WAFF [‘We Are Fucking Fucked’] in Malaysia.
Howard said that the former provided “a more poignant message given the circumstances”. See the post above.
Shortly after news of Muse removing a song from their setlist emerged, Healy reacted to the move by sharing a screenshot of a Muse pre-order message that read “Join the Resistance”, before posting the news of Muse removing a song from their setlist.
Following the 1975’s ban, the Malaysian LBGTQ+ community condemned Healy’s actions, with many saying he has set back years of progress that the local community has made.
Malaysian artists and vendors are also readying a class action lawsuit against Matty Healy and The 1975. The class action lawsuit, which is being readied by Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip, will name all four members of The 1975 and seek compensation over losses suffered as a result of the incident, which the firm’s founder and managing partner Matthew Thomas Philip labelled a “deliberate reckless act done knowing well [sic] of the consequences”.
The post Muse reveal song swapped and reason for Malaysia setlist change amidst 1975 controversy appeared first on NME.
Damian Jones
NME
