July 22, 2023, 7:33 PM
July 22, 2023, 7:33 PM
After the singer of the British band “The 1975”, Matty Healy, criticized the anti-LGBTQ of the country and kiss a bandmatethe bassist ross mcdonald on stage, they canceled the music festival they were performing at in Malaysia.
The incident this Friday night on stage at Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur led the country’s Ministry of Communications to cancel the rest of the event, scheduled to last three days, reported the CNN en Español portal.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and they are punished with fines and even imprisonment for 20 years.
During the band’s performance, recorded in a video widely shared on social media, Healy said: “I don’t see the point of inviting ‘The 1975’ to a country and then tell us who we can have sex with”points Cnn in Spanish.
“Unfortunately, we can’t give you a bunch of upbeat songs because i’m really furious. And that’s not fair to you, because you don’t represent the government. You are young and I am sure that many of you are homosexual and progressive”, Healy told the audience, who also indicated that they considered canceling the show, but decided against it so as not to disappoint their fans in that country.
“If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can go to the m… I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before and it doesn’t feel right,” Healy says in the video before bassist Ross MacDonald approaches him and kisses him onstage.
After the incident, the Good Vibes Festival said: “We are deeply sorry to announce that the remaining Good Vibes Festival 2023 schedule, planned for today and tomorrow, has been canceled following the controversial conduct and the comments made by the British artist Matty Healy, of the band ‘The 1975’”.
“This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1:20 p.m. [hora local]July 22, 2023, by the Ministry of Communications and Digital. The Ministry has underlined its unwavering position against any party that defies, ridicules or contravenes the laws of Malaysia,” the festival statement added. “We sincerely apologize to the ticketing public, vendors, sponsors and partners.”
Healy’s actions sparked controversy onlinewith some fans complaining that the band’s actions could result in a further crackdown on artistic expression in Malaysia in the future.
The members of Malaysia’s LGBTQ community have also criticized Healy’s actions. Some called them “performative” and warned that they could lead to further discrimination.
It is not the first time that the leader of The 1975 has generated controversy: Healy drew criticism earlier this year for giving what looked like a Nazi salute onstage during a song called “Love it If We Made It,” the lyrics of which criticize Kanye West.
In 2019, Healy kissed a male fan during a concert in Dubai, challenging the region’s anti-LGBT laws.
