The 1975 singer and singer Matty Healy are facing a lawsuit from organizers of Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival, according to a report by Varietyfiled charges that Healy's on-stage protest of the country's anti-LGBTQ laws resulted in the festival being shut down.
In a case filed in the UK High Court, Future Sound Asia is seeking $2.4 million over the July 2023 incident in Kuala Lumpur, during which Healy gave a profanity-laced speech criticizing anti-LGBTQ laws of Malaysia and then kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald.
Following the incident, local authorities revoked the festival's license and canceled the last two nights of performances. As reported by Advertising sign last year, sources at Future Sound said the incident had left the festival in financial ruin and could curtail future concerts in Malaysia for years.
In its lawsuit, Future Sound claims Healy and The 1975 breached their contract with the festival, which stipulated they would comply with local guidelines. These rules included kissing, cursing, smoking and drinking on stage, taking off clothes and talking about politics or religion.
The suit alleges that local authorities initially refused to let The 1975 play at all, citing Healy's drug problems. But Future Sound claim the band appealed and promised Healy would comply with “all local guidelines and regulations” in order to secure approval.
A representative for the band did not immediately return a request for comment on the allegations.
Healy's kiss and remarks – he said, among other things, that it was “ridiculous to tell people what they can do with this and that” – were meant as a protest against Malaysia's strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws, which criminalize homosexuality .
But local activists have since criticized him, calling it a “publicity stunt” by a Western rock star with a “white savior complex”. It was also lightly criticized by Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, who was scheduled to play before the festival was cancelled, who said afterwards that people “need to be knowledgeable and respect the culture you don't know”.
Healy addressed those criticisms in October, saying he was “outraged” at the “liberal rage against our band for sticking with our pro-LGBTQ show.”
