You’re probably already aware of how Matty Healy, British pop-rock band The 1975’s frontman, managed to get an entire festival cancelled.
You heard me right.
Matt Healy gave a speech criticising the Malaysian government’s anti-LGBT laws during his show at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 21 July.
He proceeded to kiss Ross MacDonald, the band’s male bassist, at the end of his tirade.
The band’s show was axed, and the Good Vibes Festival was cancelled.
Bad vibes all around.
Since the incident, the band has cancelled their upcoming gigs in Indonesia and Taiwan.
The 1975 Cancel Indonesia and Taiwan Gigs
On 23 July, the band said, “The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Tapei will no longer be going ahead as planned.
“The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Tapei, but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.
“Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”
The band’s Jakarta show was meant to take place on Sunday, while their Taipei show was supposed to take place on Tuesday.
The band’s next scheduled concert is set to take place in the United States in early August.
The 1975 Blacklisted from Performing in Malaysia
On the first day of the three-day Good Vibes Festival, Matty Healy said, “I made a mistake when we were booking shows. I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the f***ing point, right? I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and telling us who we can have sex with.”
He even added that the band would not perform “uplifting songs” due to his anger.
He added, “And that’s not fair on you, because you’re not representative of your government. You are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive.”
Following the same-sex kiss, the band continued performing for a while before leaving abruptly.
As they left the stage, Healy said, “All right, we gotta go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur.”
On 22 July, the organisers of Good Vibes Festival announced the festival’s cancellation.
Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who ordered the festival’s cancellation, said in a tweet, “Never touch the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the manners and values of the local culture.”
In response to the cancellation, Healy retorted on Instagram, “Okay, well, why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.”
Organisers of Good Vibes Festival to Be Held Responsible
According to The Star, Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said, “In terms of action against the band, there is not much that can be done. That said, we will hold the organisers responsible for their actions.”
The festival organisers noted that the stunt that The 1975 pulled went against the management’s promises to obey local performance guidelines.
A statement by event agency Future Sound Asia said, “Regrettably, Healy did not honour these assurances, despite our trust in their commitment. Healy’s actions took us by complete surprise, and we halted the show as promptly as feasible following the incident.
“Healy’s unprofessional behaviour and overt defiance of Malaysian laws and regulations are disturbing.”
Community Response to Healy’s Antics
At first glance, people may think Healy’s antics have empowered the LGBT community.
However, many members of the LGBT community have argued that his antics have endangered queer people in Malaysian further.
One such response, posted on TikTok by user @akidnamedrufus, has over 1,800,000 views at the time of writing.
@akidnamedrufus #stitch with @cabi ps: that’s not to say that Malaysian’s are all homophobic, as there is a queer community and I believe a lot of Gen-Z/Millenial Malaysia’s are more woke and accepting of LGBTQ+ folks, but Malaysian are all aware of what our government systems are like and how acts like thse can actually hurt marginalized communities more than help them. #the1975 #goodvibesfestival #gvf2023 ♬ original sound – a kid named rufus
At the beginning of the video, Rufus clarified that he was born in Malaysia and currently lives in the United States.
He is also a member of the LGBT community.
Calling Healy a “f***ing idiot”, he asked, “Do you have any idea what the repercussions of the situation are? Do you have any idea how difficult it is for queer people to exist?”
For context, there are no LGBT rights in Malaysia.
Sodomy is a crime, and laws are strictly enforced.
There have been cases of violence against LGBT people within the country.
Furthermore, conversion therapy is practised regularly in the country and promoted by politicians and religious leaders, with many being coerced into it.
Essentially, the LGBT community is generally frowned upon.
Rufus noted that besides the fact that Malaysia probably wouldn’t see any more shows for the next few months, there are more severe consequences.
He said, “You have shown the power of Malaysian authority when it comes to this s***.”
Calling Healy out for not looking into Malaysia’s laws in the first place, Rufus added, “I hate this white saviour complex of people coming into regions like Southeast Asia with no prior research whatsoever to what the culture is like, to what the repercussions of certain things are, come in and do this shit, and then ruin it for, not them, but the people that actually live there.
“I am not going to let this narrative of him being a hero go through ’cause it’s not. You have f***ed things up for thousands of people that live back home.”
Noting that he can be whoever he wants in New York City, Rufus pointed out that this privilege does not exist for people back in his home country.
He added, “Remember that you f***ed this up for everyone.”
Healy’s Controversies
Healy has had many controversies, ranging from racism and sexism.
The Good Vibes Festival is not the first time he has had a controversial ramble on stage.
In January 2023, during The 1975’s concerts in Leeds, Healy began a racist rant before his bandmates cut him off by starting the next song.
He has also been seen giving the Nazi salute on stage.
Ironically enough, he deleted his Instagram account in April 2023 to end his “asshole era”.
This was an announcement he made during a performance.
In response to a question about his account deactivation during a show, he said, “The era of me being a f***ing asshole is going to come to an end.”
View this post on Instagram
Clearly, this is a resolution he has yet to fulfill.
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