The 1975 banned from performing in Malaysia after Matty Healy criticises government and anti-LGBTQ laws during festival set

22 July, 2023

The 1975

The remainder of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival has been cancelled after The 1975‘s Matty Healy criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and its government on stage in their headlining set.

The band have also been banned from performing in Malaysia, according to the country’s official agency responsible for approving filming and performance applications from foreign artists.

During their headline set on Friday night (July 21), Healy called out the country’s anti-gay laws, criticised its government and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald on stage. “I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy told the crowd. The 1975’s set was cut short, the band leaving the stage two songs after Healy’s statements.

Malaysian law criminalises sexual activity between people of the same sex, with its penal code criminalising “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and acts of “gross indecency”.

After the incident, the Kuala Lumpur festival released an official statement saying that The 1975’s set was cut short due to “non-compliance with local performance guidelines”, but that the remaining two days of the festival would go ahead, with fans holding Friday tickets being able to attend one of the two days for free.

However, on Saturday afternoon Malaysia’s communications minister shared on social media that he had met with festival organisers Future Sound Asia and ordered the rest of the festival cancelled. Good Vibes Festival then issued an official statement to confirm its cancellation and that the decision was made following the incident during The 1975’s set.

It wrote on Instagram: “We deeply regret that the remaining schedule of Good Vibes Festival, planned for today and tomorrow has been cancelled following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band The 1975.

“The decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1:20pm, 22 July 2023, by the Ministry of Communications and Digital. The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws.”

In a longer media statement, the festival claimed it had been “reassured” by The 1975’s management prior to the show that Healy and the band “would adhere to local performance guidelines”.

“Regrettably,” they wrote, “Healy did not honour these assurances, despite our trust in their commitment. Healy’s actions took us by complete surprise, and we halted the show as promptly as feasible following the incident.”

They added: “Healy’s unprofessional behaviour and overt defiance of Malaysian laws and regulations are disturbing. Healy chose to utilise his performance as a platform to express his personal views, rather than delivering the quality show that his Malaysian fans were eagerly anticipating. This act is deeply unfair to his fans who were looking forward to enjoying a memorable music experience.

“[Future Sound Asia] is now left to address the repercussions of actions taken by an individual not present to be held accountable and face the implications of his actions—impacting fans, industry players, and the nation.”

NME has contacted representatives for The 1975 for comment. As of Friday, the band have not officially commented on the incident, though a source close to the band told Variety that “Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and community.”

In an Instagram Story today (July 22), Healy responded to the news, sharing the festival’s cancellation statement and writing: “Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.”

A representative for Good Vibes Festival had no comment when asked for a response to Healy’s Instagram Story.

The 1975
Credit: @trumanblack/Instagram.

Following the set, Malaysia’s Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) has banned The 1975 from performing in Malaysia due to the incident, as revealed in a statement shared by communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil. Puspal has also filed a police report against the artist and festival organisers.

According to local press Free Malaysia Today, Fahmi, who had called Healy’s actions “very uncouth”, wrote on Saturday (July 22): “The unity government’s stand is very clear. There will be no compromise with any party that challenges, belittles or violates Malaysian laws.

“Therefore, I have directed for the immediate cancellation of the festival, which was supposed to continue until tomorrow.”

Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital (KKD) pandang serius aksi sangat biadab kumpulan The 1975.

Posted by Fahmi Fadzil on Friday, July 21, 2023

During The 1975’s headlining set on Friday, Healy told the crowd: “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the fucking point, right, I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”

He continued: “I am sorry if that offends you and you’re religious and it’s part of your fucking government, but your government are a bunch of fucking retards and I don’t care anymore. If you push, I am going to push back. I am not in the fucking mood, I’m not in the fucking mood.”

Healy later told the crowd that the night would not feature a set of their more “uplifting” material due to his frustration.

“Unfortunately, you don’t get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I’m fucking furious and that’s not fair on you because you’re not representative of your government,” he said. “Because you are young people and I am sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool. So I pulled the show yesterday and we had a conversation and we said ‘You know what? We can’t let these kids down because they’re not the problem’.”

Appearing to reference the 2019 incident where he kissed a male fan during a show in Dubai, defying strict anti-LGBTQ laws in the Arab state, Healy added: “But, I’ve done this before, I’ve gone to a country where, I don’t know what the fuck it is? Ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous to tell people what they can do with their that and that [points to groin and mouth] and if you want to invite me here to do a show, you can fuck off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before and it doesn’t feel good and I’m fucked off.”

Fan-shot footage showed that after his speech, bassist Ross MacDonald walked over to him and then the two began to kiss. After their seventh song, ‘I Couldn’t Be More In Love’, Healy told the crowd that they had to go, claiming the band had “just got banned from Kuala Lumpur”. The 1975 then left the stage.

The 1975’s Matty Healy onstage at Finsbury Park. CREDIT: Jordan Hughes Curtis

This year marked Good Vibes Festival’s 10th edition. The Kid LAROI was due to headline Saturday, and The Strokes on Sunday. Other artists billed for the rest of the weekend include Ty Dolla $ign, Porter Robinson, Lee Hi, and DPR LIVE & DPR IAN.

In a longer statement sent to media, festival organiser Future Sound Asia said that its cancellation was a “catastrophic financial blow” for the company and would “definitely” have wider repercussions. “We fear it will erode the confidence of music promoters and various stakeholders in the live entertainment industry across the nation and threaten the stability of our burgeoning live arts scene,” the statement read.

The statement said the company “firmly uphold[s] our policy requiring all artists who perform at our festival to respect and adhere to Malaysian law and guidelines”.

“We expect these principles to be maintained during performances. As festival organisers, FSA appreciates the trust our fans and authorities have placed in us over the years. We take our role in providing a safe, enjoyable music experience very seriously.”

The statement quoted Future Sound Asia founder Ben Law, who said: “Over the past ten years, we have built Good Vibes Festival to be a uniquely Malaysian platform for enjoyable music experiences. This festival is not a transferable franchise, but a brand built from the ground up on Malaysian soil, cultivated by unyielding dedication, resilience, and financial risk.

“Now, this decade-long labour of love faces an unprecedented threat due to the actions of a single individual. This is a very challenging time for us.”

The festival said it is “committed to learning from this experience and taking necessary steps to reinforce communication with artists and their management teams. We will emphasise the importance of professionalism and adherence to local regulations to ensure that future events are conducted with even greater care and diligence”.

The statement also said that it will update ticketholders on “refund mechanics as soon as possible”.

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