The 1975 Set in Malaysia Pulled After Matthew Healy Kisses Bandmate and Attacks LGBTQ+ Laws

The 1975’s Matthew Healy criticized homophobic Malaysian laws and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald for some 20 seconds during the band’s headline set at Good Vibes Festival yesterday, leading organizers to pull the set and authorities to cancel the festival’s remaining two days. Healy told the Kuala Lumpur crowd it was “fucking ridiculous to tell people what they can do with that and that,” gesturing to his crotch. “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.”

When the set was cut short moments later, he said, “All right, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur. See you later.” Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital officially canceled the festival the following afternoon (July 22). The 1975 subsequently canceled their two subsequent Asian dates: headlining We the Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia, and playing a standalone concert in Taipei, Taiwan. In a statement shared by We the Fest, the 1975 said, “The band never takes the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.”

Homosexuality is outlawed in Malaysia, with potential prison sentences of up to 20 years. A source close to the band said, “Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and the community.”

Event organizer Future Sounds Asia said in a statement, reported by Billboard, that it fears the cancellation “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 Kid Laroi and the Strokes had been set to headline the second and third days.