UK band The 1975 faces lawsuit as LGBTQ Malaysians slam onstage kiss: ‘thanks for nothing’

Malaysians are also outraged after the band’s antics further trashed the country’s already weak reputation in the region for hosting major events
Some critics called out the authorities’ heavy-handed move of calling off the festival, even as the government doubled down on its ‘unwavering’ stance

Malaysia

Hadi Azmi

Published: 6:00pm, 24 Jul 2023

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The antics of The 1975’s lead singer Matty Healy continued to ricochet across Malaysia on Monday, as a lawsuit threatened the British band which caused outrage with an onstage kiss, unease spread across the country’s LGBTQ community and conservative authorities were accused of overreacting by shutting down the Good Vibes Festival.

Healy sparked the episode at the festival at the Sepang International Circuit with an expletive strewn rant on Friday night, saying it was a mistake to come and play in Malaysia.

“I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” said the singer, who carried a bottle of whiskey onto the stage.

He then kissed fellow bandmate Ross Macdonald, prompting organisers to pull their performance and Malaysia’s communications minister to end the festival two days early.

A class-action suit against The 1975 and the organisers of the Good Vibes festival is in the works. Photo: Reuters

While the spotlight was on Malaysia, the controversy reverberated across the region after the pop-rock band cancelled planned performances in Indonesia and Taiwan, the first region in Asia to recognise gay marriages in 2019.

The band was applauded abroad by fans for speaking up against the LGBTQ situation in Malaysia, where same-sex relations are a crime, but members of the gay community were less impressed by what some described as “performative activism”.

“The band should’ve just not come if it makes them feel so horrible, because they’ve made it worse for the people who actually live here,” said a queer Malaysian on Twitter who goes by the handle @MercuryJax.

Queer Malaysians say they are already experiencing heightened scrutiny from the authorities ahead of key state-level elections in August, where conservative Malay-Muslim voters are assiduously courted.

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Often passed over by international acts for neighbouring Singapore and Thailand, many Malaysians are outraged by The 1975’s antics, which have further trashed the country’s reputation for hosting major events.

Singer-songwriter Talitha Tan took to social media to lash out at Healy and The 1975, accusing them of having a “white-saviour complex” by being ignorant, selfish and inadvertently denying her a first performance of a song dedicated to her recently deceased mother.

“I am furious at you and your white privilege, thanks for nothing,” Tan said on her Instagram, tagging Matty Healy.

Celebrities and the music community sought to offset some of the damage left in the wake of the British band with American rock band The Strokes which was expected to play at the Good Vibes Festival, telling Malaysian fans to “hang on”.

“I know you’ve been waiting 20 years for The Strokes to come to play … currently trying to figure something out,” said frontman Julian Casablancas on Instagram.

Queer Malaysians say they are already experiencing heightened scrutiny from the authorities ahead of key state-level elections in August. Photo: Reuters

Australian singer Kid Laroi meanwhile had an impromptu show at a hotel to fans the night he was slated to perform.

A class-action suit against The 1975 and the organisers of the Good Vibes festival is in the works, according to lawyer Mathew Thomas Philip, to recoup losses for the cancellation despite the organisers pledging to announce a refund.

“You should have stuck to your scope of work under your contract. It is not your stage to tell us how to run our country. We have a democratic process. You are very silly,” said Philip, addressing the band on Facebook.

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Without condoning the band’s actions, other critics have pointed out that the Malaysian government bore responsibility for calling off the festival.

Five Arts Centre, a collective of Malaysian artists, activists, and producers, called the action heavy-handed.

“It is unjust to penalise the many musicians, cultural workers, event suppliers, and audiences who were committed to working at and attending the Good Vibes Festival, and to make them pay – literally – for the actions of an individual or one band,” said the group in a statement.

Malaysian authorities are notorious for cancelling events deemed to contravene the country’s public morality codes.

Less than a year ago, Kuala Lumpur city hall revoked a comedy club’s operating licence after a female audience member stripped down on stage and spoke about Islam during an open-mic session gone awry.

The country was also infamous for censoring Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way” in 2011, citing its references to homosexuality, which is deemed offensive to its citizens.

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But the government was in an unrepentant mood. It stands by its “unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws”, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said they had initially rejected applications for The 1975 to perform, but the festival’s organisers appealed the decision, agreeing to take full responsibility in case of any breach of Malaysia’s strict guidelines for foreign performers.

No stranger to controversy, Healy previously caused a stir in the United Arab Emirates after he kissed a male fan on the lips during the band’s 2019 concert in Dubai, similarly to protest the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws.

He also posted a photo of himself with his foot on the South Korean flag after performing in Seoul that same year.