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.
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.
Iâve always had the opinion that anyone who canât handle those being free to love who they want must have repressed feelings - I donât 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
itâs not a western value by any means. look at oceania countries, historically things were far more fluid, it was the westerners who went over and installed Catholic god squad values which forced everyone into little binary boxes. Boxes which are now being broken down as the west understand more about themselves.
Do a learn.
What values? That LGBT+ people should be able to live their lives loving whoever they want without fear of repurcussions? How fucking ground breaking. Theyâre people same as us.
Absloute fuckwit
âWestoidsâ didnât 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 canât breed it out or kill it out, only oppress it temporarily. It is a fundamental part of being human and always has been.
Thanks to The 1975 for showing the world visiting Malaysia is like visiting Taliban Afghanistan. Bye bye tourist dollars.
The act of opposite sexes kissing on stage in this country is still breaking the law.