The 1975 are currently in the midst of resolving a dispute with Malaysian festival organiser Future Sound Asia (FSA). Last month, the band’s frontman Matty Healy was met with a seven-day Letter of Claim after his “indecent behaviour” caused the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
David Matthew, legal counsel for FSA, has now revealed that the resolution process has begun. Matthew said: “We are able to confirm that our lawyers have received communication from the band’s solicitors and we are continuing to pursue the matter, as per our earlier statement. The dispute resolution process is now in progress and on advice of legal counsel, we have no further comment at present.”
The 1975 were on stage at the three-day festival when Healy criticised Malaysian government policies regarding LGBTQ rights. Healy stated: “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 then kissed bandmate and bassist Ross MacDonald on the lips onstage.
The Malaysian government subsequently ordered the cancellation of the remaining two days of the festival. Since then, LGBTQ activists in Malaysia have spoken up against Healy’s actions, arguing that it could make life for the community in the country worse.
Healy addressed this controversy during a concert in Hawaii, saying: “All I’ll say is that I don’t give a fuck about any white saviour complex bullshit. What I’ll say is that doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice and very little reward. And being seen to do the right thing requires very little sacrifice, and that’s when you get all the rewards.”
The 1975 are currently awaiting a resolution to the dispute with FSA. Fans of the band can look forward to their performance at the 2023 Lollapalooza for now, where they will no doubt bring their classic hits and “a little bit of drama”.
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