Indie rock quartet The 1975 have been forced to cancel their upcoming shows in Jakarta, Indonesia and Taipei, Taiwan after their headlining performance at Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival was cut short.
The band were set to headline the third day of the We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia tonight (July 23) before cancelling the remaining shows in the region due to “current circumstances”. We The Fest have since added ASAP Ferg to their line-up, though it is currently unclear if he will be taking over as a headlining act.
Live Nation Taiwan also shared a similar statement, informing fans that refund information will be shared on Monday (July 24).
The 1975’s cancellation of their shows in Indonesia and Taiwan follows frontman Matty Healy’s criticism of Malaysia’s government during the band’s set at the Good Vibes Festival on Friday night (July 21). Healy then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage, before announcing that they had been banned from the country and had to leave.
Healy then addressed the crowd, saying: “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.”
The Malaysian government has criminalised 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”.
The following day, Malaysia’s communications minister ordered the rest of the festival cancelled, leading to an official statement from Good Vibes Festival, claiming they had been “reassured” by The 1975’s management that Healy and the band “would adhere to local performance guidelines”.
Healy responded to the news with an Instagram Story, writing: “Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.”
The 1975’s upcoming shows in Jakarta, Indonesia and Taipei, Taiwan have been cancelled due to the band’s recent run-in with the Malaysian government. The band had been set to headline the third day of the We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia tonight (July 23), but have since been removed from the line-up. We The Fest have since added ASAP Ferg, though it is currently unclear if he will be taking over as a headlining act.
Live Nation Taiwan have also issued a statement, informing fans that refund information will be shared on Monday (July 24). The 1975’s cancellation follows frontman Matty Healy’s criticism of Malaysia’s government during the band’s set at the Good Vibes Festival on Friday night (July 21). Healy then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage, before announcing that they had been banned from the country and had to leave.
The Malaysian government has criminalised 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”. The following day, Malaysia’s communications minister ordered the rest of the festival cancelled, leading to an official statement from Good Vibes Festival.
Healy responded to the news with an Instagram Story, 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.
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