“You’re not representative of your government”: The 1975 banned from Kuala Lumpur after breaching LGBTQ laws
Frontman Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald during their set at Good Vibes festival on Friday.
Credit: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
The 1975 have been banned from Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur after singer Matty Healy attacked the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws during their set at Good Vibes festival.
During their Friday (21 July) performance, Healy made an expletive-filled speech, and then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald before they ended their set. The band claim they were ordered off the stage.
The following day, the festival’s organisers said the remainder of the event had been cancelled as part of an “immediate cancellation directive” from Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital. This is due to its “unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws”.
In the Southeast Asian country, homosexuality is illegal and punishable by 20 years in prison.
In footage from the event, Healy is seen telling the crowd that the band made a “mistake” performing there. He said, “When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the fucking 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 fucking furious. 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.”
He then kissed MacDonald as they played I Like America & America Likes Me. Shortly after, the quartet walked off stage. Healy told the audience, “Alright, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later.”
Speaking to Variety following the incident, a representative for the band said: “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.”
And Healy took to his personal Instagram, writing in a now-unavailable story: “Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.”
Following the controversy, the band have cancelled shows in Indonesia and Taiwan. They said in a statement, “Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.”