A festival in Malaysia has been cancelled after British singer Matty Healy attacked the country’s anti-LGBT laws.
During the performance by his band The 1975 at the Good Vibes Festival, Healy addressed the audience in a profanity-laden speech before kissing bass player Ross MacDonald.
The band then ended their set, claiming officials ordered them off stage.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and punishable by 20 years in prison.
The band were headlining the Good Vibes Festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
On Saturday the festival’s organisers said the remaining schedule for the festival had been cancelled following the controversy.
A statement said the decision came after an “immediate cancellation directive” from Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital, as part of its "unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule or contravene Malaysian laws.
In footage shared online, Healy could be seen telling the crowd that the band’s decision to appear in Malaysia had been a “mistake”.
“When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it,” Healy said. "I don’t see the [expletive] 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.
“Unfortunately you don’t get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I’m [expletive] furious,” the frontman continued. “And that’s not fair on you, because you’re not representative of your government. Because you’re young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.”
Healy and MacDonald then kissed as the band played the song I Like America & America Likes Me.
Soon after - just 30 minutes into the set - Healy and the band walked off stage, with the singer telling the audience: “Alright, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later.”
A source close to the 1975 confirmed the incident to the BBC.
“Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and community,” the source said on Friday night.
In an initial statement to local media on Friday, festival organisers said the band’s set was stopped due to “non-compliance with local performance guidelines”. But at that stage they said the festival would continue as scheduled for the rest of the weekend.
Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil hit out at the band’s performance on Twitter, calling it “very disrespectful”. He added that he had contacted festival organisers and asked them to provide a full report.
Healy has previously used appearances on stage to highlight anti-LGBT laws.
In 2019 he invited a male fan on stage during a gig in Dubai to hug him, before sharing a quick kiss. The incident attracted criticism in the country, where homosexuality is punishable by 10 years imprisonment.
Posting on Twitter after the show, Healy said: “Thank you Dubai you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again.”
Other performers at the Good Vibes Festival include the Strokes, Dermot Kennedy and Ty Dollar $ign.
Thanks to The 1975 for showing the world visiting Malaysia is like visiting Taliban Afghanistan. Bye bye tourist dollars.
Hey… he got bad rep during the time he dated Taylor Swift but this was pretty cool.
Props to him and being consistent about it.
Or he got caught saying some racist shit and then doubled down on it… not a cool guy.
Malaysia is a northern neighbouring country of my own. Opinion: what he did was unprofessional, thoughtless, irresponsible and very much a cunt to other performers slated for the 3 day event.
He basically did a hit and run, I wouldn’t give him any props except the word “cunt”.
Malaysia and my country are very similar culturally, and visitors from other countries, y’all can keep your opinion private in your own debates, not in a public event you were hired fore to put spite out there. We have people amongst ourselves to push for change, we don’t need shit stirrers. They did not hire you to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community. There are local communities to do that.
Let each country deal with their own shit themselves. Anger rant: How bout 1975 go home and deal with brexit before coming to South East Asia to stir shit. 🤷🏻♂️
Another opinion: How about y’all go build houses and toilets for some uncontacted tribe and force them to change their lifestyles? As absurd as it sounds, that’s exactly what this is. Show why it’s better, don’t come in and say “y’all suck”, jump on a plane and go home. What the hell?
How about y’all go build houses and toilets for some uncontacted tribe and force them to change their lifestyles?
Kinda off topic but I was so surprised when I visited Colombia and found poor communities living in shacks on the beach. Their properties are worth 10s of millions of US dollars and they refuse to sell because they don’t want to give up the lifestyle and community that they have. Really puts into perspective how wrong we can be when we think we are helping people.
Same thing in Hawaii. Pigs running around, people living in shacks, on land worth 10s of millions. Not as much anymore, but its still there. I actually don’t agree with the person you replied to though, that’s more about human rights which should be universal and not a choice for how people live. Although I really like how both The Orville and Star Trek have explored this
Edit: Lol pro-LGBTQ people be like: negative sentiment = downvote irregardless of current social affairs in the region. 🤷🏻♂️ Typical.
Read as “waah the mean westerners wont just let us deny people their fundamental rights waah”
cry more please
Going to save this comment, it’s a great example of:
- Low empathy/small circle of compassion that doesn’t even extend to the species
- High privilege - I should get my wordwide entertainment and it should bow to my ridiculous sensibilities
- Straw man argument - build up the straw man (forcing change on uncontacted tribes - which has nothing to do with resisting hate btw) and claim how weak the position is to knock it down
The act of opposite sexes kissing on stage in this country is still breaking the law.
The law contravenes basic human rights, so fuck the law.
“Somebody told me to do it, so I obeyed.”
If anyone was wondering how totalitarian come to power, this is how.
Every party should include ridicule of ridiculous Malaysian laws.
I’ve always had the opinion that anyone who can’t handle those being free to love who they want must have repressed feelings - I don’t see why that should apply any different depending on what country you live or whether you grew up in a society where the first repressed person made the original rule
I think this is the often case as well. You can see it clearly when you hear a right-winger say something like “…we all have urges but we have to follow god…”.
As an aside, here’s Doug Stanhope’s experience with insulting Thai royalty.
What a legend.
Fuck the Malaysian government and fuck any of the cowardly Malaysians that dont stand up for the rights of the other people. Maybe if enough of their pointless entertainment gets cancelled then the apathetic masses will start to give a shit.
LOT OF ANGER IN HERE GUYS
ITT: a bunch of westoids thinking they know it all
they really think the whole world revolves around their values, don’t they
What values? That LGBT+ people should be able to live their lives loving whoever they want without fear of repurcussions? How fucking ground breaking. They’re people same as us.
Absloute fuckwit
Would you look at that, children of the colonialists telling us about human equality, how rich.
“Westoids” didn’t invent homosexuality. Nor did colonialists. Plenty of societies had no problems with it, long before current religions condemned it. Plenty of cruel leaders have tried to exterminate gays from their populations but you can’t breed it out or kill it out, only oppress it temporarily. It is a fundamental part of being human and always has been.
“Westoids” did invented “going around the world and forcing their values on foreign nations” tho
You’re the dumb kind of anti-imperialist that thinks it’s a binary system of good guys v. bad guys and also doesn’t believe in nuance.
Get educated. Stand up for human rights
Speaking about nuance, you think you can just go around pushing your belief disregarding the local culture?
Typical westoid…
Edit:
Don’t get me wrong, I believe human right should be a thing, but breaking rule as a visitor is not the way, no matter how stupid the rule is.
In fact, Healy’s action may have jeopardized the local LGBTQ community by possibly triggering crackdown.
Wow absolutely crazy, I can’t control who I’m descended from, I can just hope to be better that them and stand up for the rights of those who are persecuted.
Get fucked scum, if you can’t see people as individuals with the right to live their lives how they see fit without interference or harassment from others you deserve to be put down like the sickly fucking animal you are
Also in this thread, a bunch of regressives that don’t have any regard for human rights.
I understand his stance, but that’s not the way to protest. His actions were selfish—immediate repercussions include festival cancellation, adversely impacting vendors, attendees, and everyone else that might’ve benefited from having international musical acts in Malaysia.
But in the longer-term, he’s made it that much harder for other international artists to bring their music to a country that sorely needs it and brought more scrutiny upon the LGBTQ+ community (who struggle as it is).
If he wanted to protest the anti-LGBT laws, 1975 should’ve just not come to Malaysia. Poor form on his part.
If you don’t want to inconvenience anyone, then it’s not a protest.
Yea but who is he inconveniencing really? I guess Malaysians who have the means and interest to go to this kind of event must have relatively progressive views already, meanwhile it gives the government an easy opportunity to grandstand and score point with their base…
Like they said: Vendors, organizers, and everyone else that might’ve benefited from having international music acts in Malaysia.
And protests aren’t about scoring points. They are about flexing muscle, about reminding everyone that inaction has consequences.
Blaming him for the authorities cancelling the festival is absurd.
That is like blaming someone who calls the police on the neighbour beating his wive, when he beats her again for that.
Good, that country should suffer at least econmic and entertainment related consequences or promoting hate.
You are absolutely right that this is no way to protest, it was done too hastily and impromptu. I mean that is just unprofessional.
He should have planned it more, maybe have a whole set of songs specifically addressing in the matter, banner drops, audio visuals etc. Hell, he could have gone all in with like a themed concert, with a unifying storyline, to show the tragedy and stupidity and cruelty of the laws.
Also he did not apparently coordinate with the local lgbt+ activists, to speak to specific issues affecting that community. He could have anchored the agitation on the actions of specific officials, named and shamed them for their cruelty. Or he could have brought attention to specific cases, specific people being persecuted, make their case known to a wider audience.
All in all, you are correct, it does come off as a bit selfish and it is not the way to protest. Poor form indeed.
/S
You really had me there.
Nah fuck that backwards ass country and I’m happy he brought international attention to their medieval laws.
How tf is he supposed to protest? Should he ask the state ahead how he is allowed to point out their inhumane, fanatic rulings?
The issue is, social change should be driven by the locals, through civil organizations, grassroots movements, education, etc. If foreigners want to help, they can help local LGBT groups with support, know-how, expertise.
If, instead, you just go to a foreign country, tell people there how backwards and evil their society is, and demand they change it, at best you’ll be wasting your time, and if you’re high-profile enough, boost local reactionary sentiment.
The advance of LGBT rights in the west has been a long process. And other societies aren’t going to just magically internalize the results of it. They still need to walk the path. But, since it’s already been done once, they can hopefully do it faster.
That’s kind of a bad take I think. Protests should have impact. It’s now in the world media and bringing attention to stupid bigoted laws. If they don’t want it to happen again they should stop being bigoted asshats. Easier said than done if course, but change has to start somewhere.
