Matty Healy from 1975’s touched on the ongoing controversy in Malaysia after the group was banned in the country last month.
- READ MORE: 1975 in Lollapalooza 2023: lots of hits and “some drama”
While performing in Hawaii on August 6, Healy addressed the crowd before the band dived into ’28. “All I’m going to say is I don’t care about any white savior complex crap. What I’m going to say is that doing the right thing often requires a lot of sacrifice and very little reward. And it takes very little sacrifice to be seen doing the right thing and that’s when you get all the rewards. And me and Ross [MacDonald] We almost shaved our heads because we thought we were going to jail for being f*gs”.
See the clip below.
@tcims I was pushed out of the middle by security sorry for the rude interruption #the1975 #matty #mattyhealy #mattyhealy1975 #rattyhealy
♬ original sound – [redacted]
Healy’s comments came after he and The 1975 were banned from Malaysia after criticizing the country’s government for anti-LGBTQ laws in the headlines at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
In the headlines at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (21 July), Healy gave a speech addressing the Malaysian government for its strict stance on gay rights. “I made a mistake. When I booked the show, I wasn’t looking at that. I don’t see the point of inviting 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy said.
He continued: “I’m sorry if this bothers you and you’re religious and it’s part of your goddamn government, but your government is a bunch of idiots and I don’t care anymore. If you push it, I’ll push it back. I’m not in the mood, I’m in the mood.”
Healy would continue to kiss bandmate and bassist Ross MacDonald on stage, and the set, which had only seven songs on the set charts, was interrupted two songs later, and it was announced that the band had been banned from Malaysia and had to leave. The next day, the Malaysian government ordered the remaining two days of the Good Vibes Festival to be cancelled.
Yesterday (August 7), Future Sound Asia, promoter of Good Vibes in Malaysia, announced that they are taking legal action against The 1975 and have sent a Letter of Demand to the British indie band.
According to a press release, the claim demands The 1975 accept its responsibilities and indemnify Future Sound Asia (FSA) for damages. It also states that if the group fails to do so, the organizers will take legal action in the English Courts.
“FSA wishes to reiterate that it strongly disapproves of the Group’s behavior during their performance at GVF2023.” “In particular, lead singer Matthew Timothy Healy’s use of abusive language, equipment damage, and inappropriate stage behavior not only blatantly violated local guidelines and Malaysian laws, but also tarnished the reputation of the 10-year-old festival.”
The Malaysian LGBTQ+ community denounced Healy after his actions made headlines last month, arguing that Healy’s actions would make life worse for the country’s LGBTQ+ community.
Additionally, 18 police reports on the incident were reported by the end of July, and a class action lawsuit was being prepared by Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip, calling the incident “a deliberate reckless act with good knowledge”. [sic] results”.
He seemed to be making fun of the Malaysia controversy before singing The 1975, ‘It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You’ at Lollapalooza last weekend.
That moment came on the part of their set where Healy started singing something controversial, before the band abruptly cut him off with the song’s opening riff. Performing the song on their set at this year’s Lollapalooza, Healy said: “Want my travel tip? Do not go to the…” section before being interrupted at the start of the track.
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