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The 1975 ‘banned from Malaysia’ after protesting anti-LGBTQ+ laws and Matty Healy kisses bandmate live on stage
'I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.'
The 1975 were seemingly banned from Malaysia live on-stage after protests over the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws last week, the band has claimed.
Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur was unfortunately cancelled after the headliners showed their solidarity with the nation’s pride community and frontman Matty Healy delivered an extensive rant against Malaysia’s stance, as well as kissing bassist Ross MacDonald on stage.
Following the defiant display and a short break in the performance, Healy returned to the stage to inform the audience, “Alright, we gotta go, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur. I’ll see you later”.
Stating that they had been ordered to leave the stage by officials, they swiftly ended their set and the festival was subsequently cut short on Saturday despite there still being a day of music and thousands of attendees.
Explaining their decision to play the show in federal territory and anti-LGBTQ+ country in the first place, Healy told the audience, “When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it… I’m not in the f***ing mood anymore…
“I don’t see the f***ing 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 f***ing 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.”
You can see his speech and the lengthy snog down below:
Speaking to the BBC, Wan Alman — the entertainment director at Future Sound Asia (the organisers behind the festival) — said, “I think it’s very easy for him [Healy] to fly in and do whatever he wants to do, and then just fly out without having to face or take accountability for any consequences for his actions.
“Meanwhile the ones who suffered implications are his fans here because his set was cut short, the festival organisers and, you know, I think the industry as a whole.” He also stated that the company was assured the band would adhere to the country’s guidelines
Replying on behalf of Wilmslow group, who are yet to issue a statement on the incident, a source 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.”
He is the moment The 1975 were “banned from Kuala Lumpur” and potentially Malaysia at large:
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For context, homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and punishable by 20 years in prison, with those persecuted often flogged in public
Healy has made a habit of kissing bandmates and fans on the band’s current tour, so the behaviour hardly comes as a surprise. The Malaysian government is yet to confirm whether The 1975 has officially been banned from the Kuala Lumpur and/or the country in general.
On the other hand, he has also been wrapped up in plenty more controversy of late too after he was accused of sexist and racist remarks on a podcast by fellow performer Rina Sawayama.
Nevertheless, the 34-year-old has received a lot of praise from members of the LGBTQ+ community worldwide as a result of the protests but has still upset much of Malaysia and the Islamic faith.
It goes without saying that we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
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Featured Image — Sue Jean/Trixie Trang (via TikTok)/Lila (via YouTube)
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The K’s book Castlefield Bowl for their biggest ever headline show
Danny Jones
High-flying indie rock outfit, The K’s, are set to play a landmark headline show right here in Manchester, as the local lads have been confirmed as the first act for Sounds of the City 2026.
The cult favourite working class heroes from down the road in Newton-le-Willows have had an incredible couple of years, climbing their way up the ranks around the North, playing bigger venues and festivals up and down the country, and now they’re on a fully-fledged European tour.
It’s been brilliant to watch their rise thus far, and we couldn’t be more buzzing to hear that they’ve booked none other than Castlefield Bowl for the single largest standalone gig of their careers to date, and you can bet The K‘s army will be out in full force.
Announced alongside another massive outdoor venue this week, the toast of Earlestown will be one of several artists set to play the Sounds of City (SOTC) concert series next year.
Confirming Castlefield Bowl alongside the magnificent Piece Hall in Halifax for summer 2026, the four-piece will make their way from Merseyside, not only down the M62 to Manchester but over to Yorkshire for what is one of the most stunning outdoor venues in the country.
These two incredible atmospheric amphitheatres are not only incredible spaces for live music, but in the case of our very own city centre stunner, Castlefield Bowl boasts a capacity of approximately 8,450 – making it comfortably The K’s biggest show yet.
Having opened for the likes of Blossoms at Live From Wythenshawe Park last year, and playing huge festival slots at the likes of Kendal Calling back in just last month, they’re no strangers to big crowds – but this will be something special.
Speaking of Kendal, we were in the field ourselves when the group got to revel in the moment of announcing their second album, Pretty On The Internet, had reached number one just in time for their main stage set.
You can watch the magical moment down below:
Official artist presale access will be available this Wednesday, 17 September from 9:30am by signing up to their mailing list, but general admission tickets for both dates will go live at 9am the following Friday (19 Sep).
You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Once again, we can only say well done on the number one; having been there to discuss their debut record’s release while they threw plastic balls around a room, we couldn’t be more gassed to see how far they’ve come.
‘SYDTF x’
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Featured Images — Press shot (supplied)/Audio North
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Lewis Capaldi announces huge outdoor Manchester gig at Wythenshawe Park next summer
Emily Sergeant
Lewis Capaldi has announced a run of huge outdoor shows next summer, and he’ll be stopping off here in Manchester.
After unprecedented demand saw one of the biggest-ever rushes for tickets across both pre-sale and general sale earlier this year, Lewis Capaldi is currently blazing through a triumphant 200,000-ticket sold out 17-date UK arena tour as we speak – and is set to take to the Co-op Live stage for two huge Manc gigs this weekend.
But he shows no signs of slowing down soon, as he has today announced his biggest ever UK and Ireland headline gigs for next summer.
Wythenshawe Park is fast becoming one of Manchester‘s go-to outdoor gig venues, and Lewis’s visit next summer is only helping the reputation, as the Scottish 28-year-old will be headlining the park for one night only next August.
The announcement of the run of summer outdoor shows comes amid Lewis’s first return to touring in two years following his triumphant Glastonbury 2025 return after an extended break to take care of his mental health break, and following the release of his comeback track ‘Survive’, which shot to the top of the UK charts and became the fastest-selling single of 2025.
The response to Lewis’s current tour has been ‘electric’, according to critics, who have been unanimous in their praise for him.
Prior to his comeback, Lewis played a run of Scottish warm up shows in May that saw him return to the stage as a guest of mental health charity CALM, in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Lewis Capaldi – Summer Outdoor Gigs 2026
- Wednesday 24 June – Marlay Park, Dublin
- Friday 26 June – Thomond Park, Limerick
- Sunday 28 June – TX Maxx presents Live at Powderham, Exeter
- Tuesday 30 June – Blackweir Fields, Cardiff
- Saturday 4 July – American Express presents Roundhay Festival, Leeds
- Saturday 11 July – American Express presents BST Hyde Park, London
- Thursday 20 August – Vital, Belfast
- Saturday 22 August – Wythenshawe Park, Manchester
With no pressure and no level of expectation, the shows allowed Lewis the space to gauge his comfort and emotional response before returning to the spotlight – a move which ended up proving nothing short of a triumph.
Lewis Capaldi will be coming to Wythenshawe Park in Manchester on Saturday 22 August 2026, and tickets go on pre-sale this Thursday 18 September at 9am, before general sale commences the following day (Friday 19 September), again at 9am.
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Get your tickets here.
Featured Image – Supplied
