The 1975 have been sued for $2.4million (£1.9 million) by Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia over the band’s kissing incident from last year.
While performing at the festival as 2023 headliners in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, frontman Matty Healy criticised the Malaysian government and its anti-LGBTQ laws onstage and then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. Their set was cut short and caused the remainder of the three-day festival to be cancelled by the authorities. Following their stint, the band were banned from performing in the country.
Now, the festival organisers have filed a suit – which names each band member individually – seeking damages of $2.4million (£1.9million), citing that the band’s actions led the festival to be forced to shut down.
According to court documents filed in the UK High Court (as seen by Variety), festival organisers Future Sound Asia (FSA) have claimed that The 1975 deliberately went against the festival’s restrictions that were given to them ahead of their performance.
Those restrictions included swearing, smoking and drinking on stage, taking off clothes, and talking about politics or religion. The organisers also claimed that Healy and co were made aware of specific rules issued by the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) which prohibited “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves.”
Healy and co were paid $350,000 (£272,000) to perform and had agreed to abide by the rules in order to take part in the festival.
The suit claimed that The 1975 had previously performed at the festival’s 2016 edition and were told of the restrictions then and were reminded various times again ahead of the performance last summer.
The suit also goes on to claim that the ‘Chocolate’ hitmakers had allegedly decided the night before that they “should not perform at the music festival” but then changed their minds and went on with “a completely different setlist” while acting “in way that were intended to breach the Guidelines”.
This included Healy’s “provocative speech” in which he called out the Malaysian government for its hardline stance on gay rights saying: “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.”
He continued: “I am sorry if that offends you and you’re religious and it’s part of your fucking government, but your government are a bunch of fucking retards and I don’t care anymore. If you push, I am going to push back. I am not in the fucking mood, I’m not in the fucking mood.”
The 1975 Sued by Malaysian Festival After Matty Healy Kissed Ross MacDonald on stage.#The1975 pic.twitter.com/AM1ZwK9ezB
— The 1975 TH (@the1975_thteam) July 30, 2024
Following his speech, MacDonald walked over to the frontman and the two engaged in a kiss. After their seventh song, ‘I Couldn’t Be More In Love’, Healy told the crowd that they had to go, claiming the band had “just got banned from Kuala Lumpur”. The 1975 then left the stage.
The 1975 have yet to comment on the suit nor have filed a defence to the lawsuit.
The incident and cancellation of the remaining days of Good Vibes Festival led to roughly 18 police reports filed over the incident. At the time, various Malaysian artists and festival vendors readied a class action lawsuit against The 1975 over the cancellation of the fest.
Future Sound Asia had previously demanded the band pay RM12.3million (£2,099,154) in damages after Healy‘s “indecent behaviour” caused the cancellation of the festival, with artists and vendors complaining of lost earnings. The Malaysian LGBTQ+ community also condemned Healy over his actions, arguing that: “Foreigners don’t get to come in and shit on us and tell us how to do things, especially when they only make it worse for us”.
Last summer, it was revealed that The 1975‘s lawyers were working on resolving the band’s ongoing dispute with Future Sound Asia.