Organisers of Good Vibes Festival have announced that they are taking legal action against The 1975, after the band used their set to criticise Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
The moment occurred on the first day of the three-day event on July 21, when frontman Matty Healy smashed a festival-operated drone and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald in front of the crowd. The set was then cut short and the remainder of the festival was cancelled by authorities, with Healy and the band being banned from performing in the country.
In response, Future Sound Asia (FSA) – the organisers behind the festival – have sent a Letter Of Claim to the British indie group. The claim demands that The 1975 acknowledge their liability, and compensate FSA for the damages incurred. If the band are unwilling to do so, then the organisers will proceed to take the matter to court.
The Letter of Claim points out that The 1975’s behaviour “flagrantly breached local guidelines and Malaysian laws”, as well as tarnishing the reputation of the 10-year-old festival. Additionally, the statement claims that their actions “intentionally contravened the agreement” and directly led to the 2023 instalment of the festival being cancelled, causing “significant financial losses” to FSA and “negatively impact[ing]” local artists and businesses.
The 1975’s actions have been heavily criticised by Malaysia’s LGBTQ+ community, who suggested that the display would make life for the community in the country worse.
Since then, Muse have become the first international act to perform in Kuala Lumpur after the ordeal, and it was revealed that the band removed a song from their setlist to better suit the country’s performance guidelines. Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 has also spoken out on the situation, saying he will not go to Malaysia after sharing a kiss with Healy on stage at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
At the event, The 1975 made a joke of the Malaysia controversy prior to performing ‘It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You’. Healy began to say something controversial, before the band cut him off with the beginning riff of the song. While performing the song during their set at this year’s Lollapalooza, Healy said: “You want my travel tip? Don’t go to…” before getting cut off by the start of the track.
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