The 1975 cancel shows after backlash to Matty Healy and bandmate’s gay kiss in Malaysia
The band’s performance was cut short over the weekend
The 1975 have cancelled remaining shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after frontman Matty Healy shared kiss with bandmate Ross MacDonald at Good Vibes Festival.
On Friday, on stage in Kuala Lumpur, Healy said: “I don’t see the f**king 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**king furious.
He went on: “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.”
“I don’t see the fucking point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with”
Healy proceeded to kiss bandmate MacDonald ahead of performing track ‘I Like America & America Likes Me’.
In Malaysia, homosexuality is illegal. Being involved intimately with someone of the same sex can result in fines, or prison sentences up to 20 years.
There are currently no rights for LGBTQ+ people in Malaysia. In 2023, the Global Trans Rights Index ranked Malaysia as the second worst country in the world in terms of transgender rights, only after Guyana.
Around half an hour later, the band walked off stage, with the lead singer announcing: “All right, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later.”
The group have subsequently found themselves banned from playing in Malaysia, and also got the next two days of the festival shut down.
Since then, they have also confirmed they will no longer appear at We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia, or Taipei Music Centre in Taiwan.
In a statement shared on the We The Fest Instagram page, The 1975 said: “The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.”
The kiss did not go down well with many LGBTQ+ Malaysians. Malaysian drag queen Carmen Rose said Healy’s attack on anti-LGBT laws would give conservative politicians “ammo” to further push “a homophobic agenda”.
Speaking to the BBC World Service’s Newshour, Rose said: “It is giving white saviour complex and he [Matty Healy] wasn’t doing it for our community.”
“The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly”
“If he was doing it for our community,” she added, “he would know what consequences we would have to go through.”
She went on to describe how politicians would use the event as a “scapegoat” and said: It gives them [conservative politicians] more ammo to further their homophobic agenda to gain votes.”
“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,” a source close to The 1975 said Friday night, according to the BBC.
This is not the first time Healy has challenged anti-LGBTQ+ laws in a conservative nation.
In a 2019 show in Dubai – where homosexuality can be punished with 10 years in prison – he went up to a male fan up in attendance and kissed him.
He said moments later: “I love you bro. We’re all human, right?”
“Thank you Dubai, you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again,” he shared on Twitter after the show.