'The 1975' Sued For $2.4 Million Over Matty Healy's Protest Kiss In Malasiyan Concert (Image-X/the1975)
Matty Healy and his pop rock band The 1975, were sued by the organisers of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival after Healy’s protest against the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws during the event in July 2023. The organizers are seeking $2.4 million after the band’s statement resulted in the festival being shut down.
The organizers of Future Sound Asia have filed complaints against each individual of The 1975 for ‘violating the code of behavior’ and staging a protest against the country’s anti-LBTQ+ laws. The organizers filed the documents in the UK High Court, wherein they claimed that the band and their management team were aware of the numerous prohibitions the band had to abide by in order to perform.
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So, what lead to this lawsuit against the band? The 1975‘s performance at the event had violated behaviors with Healy’s criticism of the country’s anti-LBTQ+ laws. The singer also kissed Ross McDonald, one of the band members, during the performance. Following the kiss, the PUSPAL officers ordered to stop their performance in the middle of the event.
Moreover, the day after the performance, the organizers’ license was revoked, and the remaining two days of the music festival, which were set to include performances from both local and international bands such as the Strokes were canceled.
The band was paid $350,000 to perform, as they agreed to abide by the rules to take part in the festival. Following the violation, Future Sound Asia issued a letter claiming that the band had breached the contract within weeks of the furor and demanded $2 million.
On this issue, Healy later said, “Me kissing Ross was not a stunt simply meant to provoke the government. It was an ongoing part of The 1975 stage show, which had been performed many times prior. The idea that it’s incumbent upon artists to cater to the local cultural sensitivities of wherever they’ve been invited to perform sets a very dangerous precedent.”
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The guidelines also include prohibitions on swearing, smoking, and drinking on stage, taking off clothes, and talking about politics or religion. The further guidelines issued by the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists (PUSPAL) included a ban on “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves.”
Further, the organizers also highlighted the point that the band previously performed at the festival in 2016 and were told of the prohibitions then and were reminded multiple times again ahead of the performance last summer. It is also to be noted that initially, PUSPAL denied the band’s request to play last summer, following Healy’s drug addiction article in 2018. However, when the band agreed to adhere to all the guidelines mentioned, the organization permitted the band’s performance.
