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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.'

Danny Jones - 24th July 2023

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:

@suejean i was waiting for the guitar riff to come on the entire time #the1975 #mattyhealy1975 ♬ original sound – ૮(-‘ 𖥦 ‘-)ა

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:

@findingtrixie Matty was not in the mood tonight. Set got cut roughly 20min into their set. The videos I have from tonight 😳 #malaysia #the1975update #the1975 #the1975liveinkl #goodvibesfestival ♬ original sound – Trixie Tang

Read more:

• Bluedot festival in Cheshire cancelled for day ticket holders after ‘unprecedented rainfall’
• Green Island is the Manc music festival you’re all missing out on — and it’s in a garden centre
• The 1975 to replace Lewis Capaldi at R&L 2023 and play debut album in full for 10th anniversary

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)