A festival in Malaysia has been cancelled after British singer Matty Healy attacked the countryâs 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 festivalâs organisers said the remaining schedule for the festival had been cancelled following the controversy.
A statement said the decision came after an âimmediate cancellation directiveâ from Malaysiaâs 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 bandâs decision to appear in Malaysia had been a âmistakeâ.
âWhen we were booking shows, I wasnât looking into it,â Healy said. "I donât 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.
âUnfortunately you donât get a set of loads of uplifting songs because Iâm [expletive] furious,â the frontman continued. âAnd thatâs not fair on you, because youâre not representative of your government. Because youâre young people, and Iâm sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.â
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: âAlright, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later.â
A source close to the 1975 confirmed the incident to the BBC.
âMatty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and community,â the source said on Friday night.
In an initial statement to local media on Friday, festival organisers said the bandâs set was stopped due to ânon-compliance with local performance guidelinesâ. But at that stage they said the festival would continue as scheduled for the rest of the weekend.
Malaysiaâs Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil hit out at the bandâs performance on Twitter, calling it âvery disrespectfulâ. 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: âThank you Dubai you were so amazing. I donât think weâll be allowed back due to my âbehaviourâ but know that I love you and I wouldnât have done anything differently given the chance again.â
Other performers at the Good Vibes Festival include the Strokes, Dermot Kennedy and Ty Dollar $ign.
How about yâall 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 donât 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 donât agree with the person you replied to though, thatâs 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
